Into the heart of West Africa From here to Timbuktu - The Gateway to the Sahara Mali and Burkina Faso Expedition Timbuktu, Nazinga Reserve, ancient manuscripts, fascinating Dogon tribes and colorful markets Mar 14 - Mar 27
2011 Mali, the jewel in West Africa’s crown, stands at a crossroads of trade and was once home to Africa's, and the World's, richest empires, both goods and knowledge. Its legendary city of Timbuktu -'The Gateway to the Sahara,' is the birthplace of scholarship, and home to the world's first university. For centuries people have journeyed to Timbuktu in search of salt - the gold of the Sahara desert. Thus, like so many others, we too will start our incredible journey in Timbuktu, by greeting the salt caravans. From here we travel to Mopti, Mali's second largest city, known as the 'Venice of Mali' to see its lively markets and beautiful artifacts. In Mali we will also visit the outstanding Dogon villages of Banai, Tirelli and Amani, as well as the world's largest mud mosque in Djenne.
Despite being one of the poorest in the region, Burkina Faso is one of the most stable, and stands at the geographical heart of West Africa. Previously known as Upper Volta, Burkina, is a quiet, unassuming country just ripe for exploration and waiting to be discovered.
On this exciting tour with WANT Expeditions, we will have an unforgettable experience when we witness a DAMA festival -a spectacular Dogon mask dance, and one of the most invigorating tribal dances found anywhere. We will also venture into a fortified tribal fortress-like compound: an area seldom revealed to foreigners. We will visit cultures whose main religion centers on animism and who use fetishes to respect for various entities, friend or foe. You'll be amazed with the sites to behold on this trip. Join WANT Expeditions for an experience you'll find no where else in the world! Detailed itinerary: | Mar 14 | Arrive to Bamako, Mali |
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| | Our entire day is dedicated for international arrivals. Although there are several flights from other African hubs, like Johannesburg, Nigeria or Addis Ababa, most of us will arrive via Paris in Europe. The Air France flight arrives at 8:00pm. Upon arrival, we all transfer to our accommodation, and then enjoy a late dinner, followed by some preparations for our exciting trip to commence the following day. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Mande
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| Mar 15 | Bamako/Timbuktu |
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| | Our first full day in Mali starts with a breakfast at 7am, then at 7:45 we return to the airport for our morning flight to Timbuktu. This flight should last about 45min- 1 hour, touching us down in Timbuktu at approximately 10am. The fabled city of Timbuktu (Tumbutu in Songhay language) is not simply known the world over for being one of the greatest commercial trading centers of West Africa, but more importantly for its scholarship; current research indicates that Timbuktu had one of the first universities in the world, and to date almost a half a million manuscripts have been discovered, some dating as far back as the 12th century, and it is believed there are several hundred thousand more hidden and buried throughout the region. On our city tour today, we’ll visit ancient mosques, former universities (including Sankor, which was the center for Islamic studies in the 15th and 16th century), the ethnological museum which contains exhibits on clothing, musical instruments and jewelry, the “Centre Ahmed Baba” which houses 18,000 manuscripts, and a bustling food and artesian market. We break for lunch mid-afternoon, then around 4:30pm we embark on an exciting journey by camel to the Touareg camps and explore life of the desert people. The Touareg people are one of the most ancient tribal people of the Sahara. They symbolize the mysteries of the Sahara and continued to be seen as the Masters of the Desert. Due to the late arrival the previous night, tonight is reserved for our ‘Welcome Dinner,’ during which we enjoy a traditional dinner with these welcoming tribal people before. Our experience with the ‘Blue Men of the desert’ will be complete with dancing and music into the evening, before we drive back to our accommodation for a refreshing shower and good night’s rest. | | | Accomodation: Hotel La Maison
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| Mar 16 | Timbuktu/Mopti |
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| | Our morning comes early with a 6am wake up and 6:30 breakfast in order to reach the airport for our 45-minute flight to Mopti. As soon as we arrive, we transfer to our hotel to check in, and then head out again for a new cultural perspective of Mali that involves water. The city of Mopti is known as the ''Venice of Mali,'' and is one of Mali’s liveliest trading centers, with its harbor of hundreds of pirogues transporting both goods and people to and from neighboring villages. This morning we visit the beautiful Sudanese-style mosque of Komoguel, artisans’ souks with traders offering a variety of locally-produced commodities and beautiful artefacts, the traditional boat factory, and the bustling local market, as well as the lively fishing harbour on the Bani River where you can still find slabs of salt for sale in a continuation of an age-old trade between Morocco and Mali. We stop for lunch at the “Bar Bozo,” a local restaurant situated in the heart of the port and overlooking the Niger River.
After such an exciting morning, the afternoon is reserved for a more relaxing activity that involves a cruise down the Bani and Niger rivers to visit Bozo villages full of reed boats and mud huts. It is also from the river that we can best observe the commercial and social activities of the town and villages, and as the sun sets, we’ll be sure to capture incredible images of boat silhouettes against golden backdrops. We return to our now familiar accommodation for a traditional dinner, and then retire for another early, but exciting day tomorrow. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Kanaga
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| Mar 17 | Mopti/Djenné/Mopti |
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| | Our destination of the today is one of Africa’s oldest cities, Djenné. Founded in the 4th century, Djenné has scarcely changed since the Middle Ages. In the 13th-15th centuries, Djenne was a rival of Timbuktu for the wealth of the Trans-Saharan trade. The city is located on an island in the inland Niger delta, and is surrounded by mud brick walls. Nearby is the archaeological site of Djenne-Djeno that looks backward in time over 1,000 years, and which we will also visit today. Generation after generation, a guild of highly skilled master-builders, the Baris, have ensured Djenne's architectural integrity. The atmosphere in the streets brings the traveler back to medieval times. Some of the sights we’ll see include typical Sudanese architecture, the largest mud made mosque in the world, the chief’s house, the sacred well of Nana Wangara, and the tomb of a young woman who was walled in alive to give the town prosperity. Lunch will be served at one of the local hotels, and in the late afternoon we’ll drive back to Mopti. En route we stop in Sevaré to visit Peace Corps Baba’s Art gallery and Beads museum. Back at our accommodation after a long-long day on the road, we’ll enjoy another delicious dinner, before heading off to bed. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Kanaga
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| Mar 18 | Mopti/Sonho/Sangha/Tirelli |
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| | Following an early breakfast, we depart Mopti on our way to Tirelli. Along the way we’ll pay a stop at Songho. Upon arrival, we’ll leave our vehicles for a short walk leading us to a beautiful panoramic view over Songho, before we move down to visit the famous circumcision cave and rock paintings. From here we’ll continue onto Sangha, stop for lunch and visit ‘fetish houses,’ granaries (which look like large mud houses with thatched roofs), the women’s sacred houses, and the Toguna with its posts carved with ancestral figures. The Toguna is the most important public edifice in a Dogon village, in which men's assemblies and council meetings are held. (togu = shelter, na = big, great or mother, therefore toguna = great shelter). Its position is chosen by the chief and the village is built around it. The toguna posts, themselves are cultural artifacts of major importance and power, created by man, imbued with spirituality and aged by the earth. In the afternoon, we drive to the beautiful villages of Bongo and Daga - all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The evening will find us in Tirelli, and time allowing, our tour leader will schedule a short trek for evening photography and observation. Since accommodation is a rare commodity in Dogon Land, we spend the night on the rooftop of the chief's house in our sleeping bags. | | | Accomodation: camping on chief's rooftop
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| Mar 19 | Tirelli/Bandiagara |
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| | Today, if you like, you can wake early for a sunrise photography session with your tour leader in the village, or if you prefer, you can sleep in a bit, and join the group at breakfast time. After breakfast, we step out to experience a DAMA festival, a spectacular Dogon mask dance: homage to the Dogon ancestors. This is one of the most invigorating tribal dances found anywhere. Dogon dancers are world-renowned and often consist of dances on stilts while wearing broad-brimmed hats and amazing facial decorations. After this incredible performance, we leave Tirelli village on foot, exploring Amani, Irelli and Banani, before we trek up to Sangha again and continue our drive. After crossing sand dunes and driving up cliff to Bandiagara, we check into our accommodation and enjoy a late lunch. During the rest of the afternoon, an excursion will take us to Niogono, which is classified as one of the most beautiful Dogon villages. Dinner will be served back at our hotel. | | | Accomodation: Hotel La Falaise
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| Mar 20 | Bandiagara/Ouahigouya |
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| | After breakfast we drive to Telly and Ende, two Dogon villages very famous for their handicrafts (wood carvings, mud clothes and others). This will be a great opportunity for photos and souvenirs. From here we continue on to Thiou, the border with Burkina Faso, where we proceed through customs and other formalities, before making our way to Ouahigouya. In Ouahigouya, we stop for lunch, and then visit the King’s palace. We keep our fingers crossed for the opportunity to meet the Moro Naba – the traditional king of the Mossi people. For the rest of the evening we can relax and gear up for the remaining exciting days of our trip. Your tour leader will schedule dinner earlier in the day. | | | Accomodation: Hotel l‘Amitié
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| Mar 21 | Ouahigouya /Ouagadougou/Tiebele/Nazinga NP |
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| | Our morning will feature an optional early morning excursion, this time to the local vegetable market in Ouahigouya, where we can photograph the local village women selling and trading vegetables of all shapes, sizes and colors. We all meet for breakfast at a pre-set time, then drive 2.5 hours to Ouagadougou, reaching it just in time for lunch. Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso, though not the most picturesque, so we’ll just spend an hour for lunch, before continuing on the “asphalt” road southward for approximately five hours until we reach Nazinga National Park. En route we stop at Tiebélé, in the Gouronsi country, transcending the border with Ghana. The Gouronsi country (particularly Tiebélé) is famous for its mud brick compounds nicely decorated with geometric patterns. These characteristic paintings on the walls, give the region its better-known name: The Painted House Region. In Tiebele we will also visit the Gouronsi king’s court, the traditional palace of justice, and the typical Kasena houses built as labyrinths for protection against the invaders in former times. For a better understanding of the protection system of these people in war times, we will have the possibility to creep into one of these houses to explore the internal compartments! We expect to reach Nazinga Park late in the afternoon, but upon arrival we’ll immediately enjoy an excellent dinner, before retiring to bed for an exciting game drive tomorrow morning. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Campement – bungalow rooms
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| Mar 22 | Nazinga National Park |
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| | Nazinga Game Park is 94,000ha and was established in 1979 by two Canadian brothers who, upset with widespread poaching in the area, decided to set up a conservation project that empowered local people, formerly poachers, to build the park and protect the wildlife within. Today, under the control of the Burkinabé government, Nazinga is home to more than 20,000 animals, including 800 elephants that roam the park. Nazinga has 39 species of mammal, including thousands of antelope such as roan antelope, waterbuck, oribi, reedbuck and 8 Buffon's kob (introduced in 1988), more than 500 buffalo, 5,000 warthog, hyena, crocodile and many primates including red monkeys and baboons. It also has 275 species of birds. Birdlife International has recognized this area as an importantly biological corridor, as that Nazinga has the highest wildlife population densities in Burkina Faso. The park’s animals are most active at sunrise and sunset, so you can expect an early morning game drive, followed by lunch and an afternoon siesta when temperatures increase, and wildlife settles down. As the afternoon pushes on, we move out again for an evening game drive to enjoy the incredible abundance of wildlife this park holds. Dinner will be back in our camp. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Campement – bungalow rooms
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| Mar 23 | Nazinga NP/Gaoua |
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| | This morning will give us another chance for wildlife observation and photos within Nazinga, followed by a departure to Gaoua. We travel six hours southward to what is arguably the best culturally preserved area of West Africa -The Lobi Country. In the village of Gaoua we will explore the Lobi culture and architecture. The Lobi people are farmers and hunters who migrated from Ghana in the 16th century to escape from the tribal war with the Ashanti people. Due to their past war-like practices, secret societies and general antisocial nature, the Lobi people have retained a way of life much like that lived during first European contacts. They are living in fortified and very characteristic mud compounds very similar to the houses of the Somba people in Benin. We will also visit the local museum of Gaoua to explore its colonial history and the different musical instruments of the Lobi people. Lunch will be enjoyed en route, and dinner will be at our accommodation this evening. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Halla
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| Mar 24 | Gaoua/Bobo-Dioulasso |
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| | After breakfast we take a morning excursion to visit some typical Lobi villages, and then continue on to Kampti where we stop at one of the fortified fortress-like compounds, an area seldom revealed to foreigners, to explore the Lobi social and family organization system. We will be fascinated how the Lobi people have preserved their cultural integrity through their practices of animism -a philosophical, religious or spiritual idea that souls or spirits exist not only in humans but also in animals, plants, rocks, natural phenomena such as thunder, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, or other entities of the natural environment. We will also explore the local people in their daily life activities including farming, constructing or repairing houses, pounding millet and others.
Continuing on, from here we drive towards Bobo, with a stop en route to visit Banfora and Loropeni and have lunch. We expect to arrive Bobo late afternoon, where we quickly check into our accommodation, drop our luggage and refresh, before driving to Tin village in the evening for an exciting Bobo Mask dance performance. We will return to our hotel for an excellent dinner and retire for the evening. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Auberge
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| Mar 25 | Bobo-Dioulasso/Ségou |
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| | This morning will be excellent for photography as that we begin just after an early breakfast with a visit to Bobo in the beautiful morning lights. The old quarter called Dioulassoba, its famous Sahelian-style mosque (one of the oldest mosques of West Africa), the bustling handicraft markets, tree-lined avenues and wonderful colonial architecture is a reminder of what Ouaga was like 20 years ago. There will also be an opportunity to explore the old animists’ quarter and witness the preparation of traditional millet beer. We will end the visit in Bobo with a tour to the museum, before we start driving back to Mali towards Ségou. Along the way we cross a typical savannah landscape, and we will stop in at another Bobo village where we might have the opportunity to share a millet beer with the locals. Lunch will be en route, arrival at Ségou very late in the afternoon. We will enjoy the rest of your evening before dinner to relax and refresh. According to the time set by your tour leader, we gather in the restaurant for our traditional beer, recap and briefing on the next day’s activities. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Auberge
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| Mar 26 | Ségou |
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| | Between the 17th and 18th century, Segou was the capital City of the powerful Bambara Kingdom. The city was used a long time as a basis for the wars that Bambara delivered against Islam before falling to the hands from the French at the end of the 19th century. Segou was also the former colonial administrative Capital, and today is Mali's second largest city. We start this day, just after breakfast, with a 15-30 minute morning walk along the Niger River to see the colonial buildings in the morning lights. Then we drive to Kasobané –a cooperative of Bogolan fabric, where we will discover the techniques and process of the preparation of the mud cloth Bogolan, the Bassilan, and the Indigo. Lunch will be back at our hotel, and afterwards we board a private pinasse (boat) for an excursion across the Niger River to Sékoro village -‘the Old Ségou,’ where we will learn all the history of the former Bambara kingdom. Our boat trip will continue from here to Kalabougou, a traditional pottery village, where we can see the local women making pottery and purchase a beautiful handicraft made right in front of our eyes. We return back to our hotel in the evening for our ‘Farewell Dinner.’ Enjoy the rest of the evening as you choose, going over photos, spending time with other guests, or simply resting and reflecting on this incredible trip. | | | Accomodation: Hotel Auberge
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| Mar 27 | Ségou/Homebound |
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| | This morning will be at our leisure. We can sleep in if we like, pack, or take in some optional shopping or visit an art gallery. Lunch will be at our hotel, followed by a departure to Bamako, where we transfer to the airport, and check in for international flights. This is the official end of our Mali/Burkino Faso program, have a great flight home! And for those of us continuing on with the Voodoo Nations of Africa Expedition, the excitement has just begun. | | | |
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