Women only holidays, destination Mali and the Festival au Desert

Mali and the Festival au Desert

Mali is just one of those places that gets under your skin and leaves you with indescribably rich memories. From the chaotic capital of Bamako, to the fabled city of Timbuktu, you will find that everyday is in some way an indelible adventure.

Mali may be financially poor, but socially it is very rich – there are many different Malian peoples – Fulani, Bambara, Songhai, Tuareg to name but a few - all living peacefully side by side, and bonded by their rhythmical music and positive attitudes. We get to experience all this at the infamous Festival au Desert, the highlight of our journey. This trip is definitely for the more adventurous – African travel is not always convenient and not always as planned – but very real, very different and very rewarding.

Date & Duration:	31st December - 16th January 2009 - 17 days
Cost:	£1,900 / NZ$4,600 / US$3,900 - What's included?
Arrival & Departure points:	Bamako / Bamako
Group size:	min 6, max 12
Accommodation:	Hotels, Camping
Meals not included:	1 lunch
Adventures:	Pinasse (longboat) trip on the Niger river, hiking in Dogon country, attending the Festival au Desert in the Sahara

Mali Highlights

• Visiting the magical "Festival au Desert", a wonderfully exotic Malian music festival in the Sahara desert. The most remote music event in the world. A stunning event!
• Trekking through the Dogon country and learning about the culture of these fascinating animist people.
• Visiting the amazing mud mosque of Djenné - the world's largest mud structure.
• The countless Malian friends you will make!.
• Spending time in the tranquil town of Segou, on the banks of the life-giving Niger River.
• Timbuktu – the fabled Saharan desert town with it's nomadic Tuareg culture.
• Taking a 3-day pinasse (longboat) trip up the Niger River from Mopti to Timbuktu.
• Malian music – hear it and love it!.

Trip Itinerary

Day 1, Bamako

Welcome to Mali! You will be met at the airport and taken to the hotel to freshen up and recover from the flight. Use the rest of your day to look around and get used to your fascinating surroundings. Tonight we have dinner together, and if anyone is up for it, maybe we can go out and see some of that fantastic live Malian music.

Meals - D

Day 2, Bamako to Segou

We set off after breakfast and drive to the tranquil town of Segou, set on the banks of the Niger river. Here we will visit the Bogolan factory to see how this traditional handmade cloth is woven and dyed (no doubt you will want to buy some of this beautiful cloth too), we also visit the colourful local market and the pottery producers.

Meals - B, L, D

Day 3, Segou to Djenné

We continue on to Djenné, where we take a tour of this ancient town. In the centre of Djenné stands the great mud mosque. Every spring, after the annual rains, Djenné's mosque is replastered during a messy, muddy and fun festival. Between 1591 and 1780, Djenné was controlled by Moroccan kings, which is evident in the Moroccan style architecture. During these years Djennés markets expanded and featured products from throughout the vast regions of North and Central Africa.

Meals - both B, L, D

Day 4, Djenné to Mopti

Mopti is known as the "Venice of Mali" – however this is like comparing apples and oranges – Mopti is way more exotic! Mopti has a busy river-port, and is a hive of trading activity where produce transported down the Niger River is off-loaded and sold. One of the most interesting trading items is salt. Huge slabs of the stuff are transported on camel-back from distant salt mines in the Sahara to Timbuktu, then shipped to Mopti, where the slabs are cut up, ground and sold. Strolling around the bustling town, watching everyday life, is one of the highlights of Mopti – seeing the boats come in, visiting the fish and salt markets, and taking in all the colourful riverside activity.

Meals - B, L, D

Day 5 – 7, Mopti to Timbuktu

This morning we board our "pinasse" (longboat), for our 3-day trip to the mysterious town of Timbuktu. Part of Timbuktu’s mystery lies in it's remoteness. It has never been an easy place to get to, and a pinasse ride is one of the easier and most enjoyable traditional ways to get there. Our days are spent cruising along the Niger River, stopping at the odd village for a visit, or to barter for fresh fish and veges for our cook to prepare our lunch. We camp on the shores of the river in the evenings. On day 7 we arrive just outside of Timbuktu and are taken to our accommodation in town to freshen up.

Meals - B, L, D

 

Day 8, Timbuktu

Congratulations, you have made it to the magical, mysterious town of Timbuktu! It really exists! Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries, and has always been an important trading post, linking western Africa with traders from the north.

Timbuktu was founded by Tuaregs (desert nomads) and merchants from Djenné, and became very wealthy as a trading post for gold, ivory, slaves, salt and other goods brought in by camel caravans and then transferred to boats on the Niger. In 1824, the Paris-based Société de Géographie offered a 10,000 franc prize to the first non-Muslim to reach the town and return with information about it. Gordon Laing, a Scot, arrived in September 1826 but was killed by local Muslims who were fearful of European discovery and intervention. The Frenchman René Caillié arrived in 1828 - he had learnt Arabic and was disguised as a Muslim. He was able to safely return and claim the prize.

These days Timbuktu is a shadow of it’s former self, but the change from black Mali to Tuareg country makes it culturally interesting – you can spot Tuaregs dressed in their blue robes and turbans, sauntering along the dusty street on camel-back. After a half day tour, you can spend the rest of the day exploring this intriguing place and meeting the locals yourself.

Meals - B, L, D

Day 9-11, Timbuktu to Essakane and the Festival au Desert

Today we head to Essakane, the place in the Sahara desert where the amazing, incredible and magical Festival au Desert takes place. Nestled amongst white sand dunes, traditional Tuareg tents have been set up for everyone to sleep in.

Groups of mysterious-looking Tuaregs arrive on camel-back after long journeys through the desert, following the stars, to get to the festival. This festival is an important time for the nomads – a place where they meet old friends and family again, rejoice, dance and play their music together, and a place to converge to talk over Tuareg issues.

Throughout the duration of the 3-day festival, music is played sporadically and spontaneously amongst the dunes; ramshackle cafes and a market sell their wares. Then in the evening the whole place comes alive with hours of fantastic Malian music on the main stage, underneath a beautiful African night-sky. This festival might just be the highlight of your travels – ever!

Meals - B, L, D

Day 12, Essakane to Timbuktu

This morning we pack up and return to Timbuktu. No doubt, you will not feel like doing much today except enjoying your euphoric state – and getting some sleep! However for anyone still with some energy, there is always an adventure waiting to be had outside – usually in the form of an invitation to drink tea with the Tuaregs in their encampment.

Meals - B, L, D

Day 13 – 15, Timbuktu to Dogon country, 2 nights Dogon country, continue to Segou

Time to move on – to Dogon country! The Dogons are a special tribe, living along the face of the huge Bandiagara rock escarpment. We drive to Yanduma (around 6 hrs) and continue either by foot (1 hr) or car to Banani for the night. The next day we hike on to Sanga, around 12kms.

As we hike through this amazing landscape we learn about Dogon life from our local guide, and also see the old Tellem villages set high up in the cliffs. The Dogons are animists (meaning they worship animals and plants), and have a very structured society, with interesting and meaningful houses. The Dogon are best known for their mythology, their mask dances, wooden and bronze sculpture and their architecture.

Meals - B, L, D

Day 16, Segou to Bamako

You will be feeling quite at home in Mali now, and going out for a walk, seeing who you meet and what comes your way is all part of the fun. Take some time out to do some last minute shopping or just enjoy the tranquility of Segou, before we head to Bamako.

Meals - B, D

Day 17, Bamako

This morning we squeeze in a trip to the Bamako market, full of carvings, jewellery, handmade drums, witchcraft and voodoo items…you name it! Then it is time to leave this amazing country, which will have touched your senses, left you buzzing, and wondering how you are going to live without it! Once you get home, you might just ask yourself if it wasn’t all just a dream.

Meals - B

Join us on:
31st December - 16th January 2009, 17 days, Cost: £1,900 / NZ$4,600 / US$3,900 - What's included?

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