Day 1 Arrive In Dakar, Senegal
International flight arrives Dakar. You are met, assisted
and transferred to your hotel.
Meal(s) Included: No
Overnight at Sofitel Teranga Dakar or Similar
Day 2 Dakar
After breakfast, the morning is at lesure until your early afternoon city
tour of Metropolitan Dakar. Visit the colorful markets including Tilen Market, famous for a variety of medicinal herbs
and traditional healers
and the picturesque residential district of Medina.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Sofitel Teranga Dakar or Similar
Day 3 Dakar - Goree Island - Dakar
After breakfast, go on a
tour of Goree Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Highlights will include a visit to the ethnographic museum,
and a lecture by the curator on the history of the Island.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Sofitel Teranga Dakar or Similar
Day 4 Dakar - Pink Lake - St. Louis
After breakfast, depart to Saint Louis located in the north of
Senegal. En route,
tour of Pink Lake, a rare natural phenomenon caused by a unique combination of microorganism
and high concentration of salts which gives the lake its pink color. Interact with the women harvesting salt, then visit the Fulani village where you will be welcomed by the chief
and his wives. Continue to Saint Louis. In the afternoon, city
tour of Saint Louis including a visit to the fishing village of Guet Ndar.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at La Residence or Similar
Day 5 St. Louis - Dakar - Bamako
Tour of St. Louis. Explore the narrow streets flanked by houses with carved wooden balconies
and verandas. Visit the National Bird Sanctuary which has a vast array of birds including pelicans, ducks, flamingos, among others. Continue to Dakar where you will board your two hour flight to Bamako,
Mali. Arrive in Bamako where you will be met, assisted,
and transferred to your hotel.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Overnight at Laico Hotel El Farouk or Similar
Day 6 Bamako
Bamako is situated on the Niger, one of Africa's great rivers which flows through
Mali. The city was founded in 1640, but didn't really start to grow until the French colonial period began in 1898.
Mali is a country of many tribal peoples, each with your own exuberant styles of clothing
and jewelry. There is no where better to see this colorful diversity than in the streets
and markets of Bamako.
Bamako has a large art
and crafts centre where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers
and metal workers exhibit their wares
and skills. Another highlight of the
tour is the Grand Marche, or 'Great Market', where you can spend hours exploring the hundreds of stalls. From carvings
and cassettes, to fabrics, beads, brass
and gold, the variety of goods is staggering.
One area of the market is devoted entirely to traditional African medicines. Here you'll find the freshly shrunken heads of birds, monkeys
and crocodiles along with lizard skins
and other gruesome treatments.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Laico Hotel El Farouk or Similar
Day 7 Bamako - Timbuktu
Early morning, transfer to the airport for your flight to Timbuktu. Then, take a Timbuktu city
tour. Visit the ancient mosques, the city market, the explorer's houses, the artisans center. In the afternoon, enjoy a camel ride on the dunes around Timbuktu.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Hendrina Khan Hotel or Similar
Day 8 Timbuktu - Mopti
In the morning take a flight to Mopti, the Venice of
Mali, nestled between the Niger
and the Bani rivers. The Mopti city
tour includes the beautiful mosque, the fishing port
and the bustling market. Enjoy a sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional pirogue.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel Kanaga or Similar
Day 9 Mopti - Djenne - Mopti
After breakfast, drive to Djenne, Timbuktu's ancient sister city. Visit Djenne on its weekly market day, when Djenne is at its colorful best. Stroll around the market stalls, spread out before the magnificent Grand Mosque, which is the world's largest mud brick architecture
and one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel Kanaga or Similar
Day 10 Mopti - Dogon Country
Travel to Sangha, comprised of 10 distinct Dogon villages - some are traditional animists
and others have converted to Islam. Descend the Bandiagara escarpment
and visit the village Banani. You will see ancient Tellem cave dwellings on cliffs' edges. Continue to the villages Ireli, Tireli,
and Amani, site of a sanctuary for crocodiles which are sacred to the Dogon people.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight at Kanaga Cheval Blanc or Similar
Day 11 Dogon Country - Segou
Travel to Segou, Mali's second largest city
and former colonial capital. Also visit the nearby village of Sekoro, the "old Segou"
and capital of the Bambara Kingdom. See the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Overnight at Hotel Independence or Similar
Day
12 Segou - Bamako - Depart
After breakfast, continue the city
tour of Segou
and vicinity. In the afternoon return to Bamako where you will have a day room to refresh
and relax before your onward flight this evening.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Included
Meeting
and assistance upon arrival
Roundtrip airport to hotel transfers
and luggage handling
Hotel accommodation in the indicated properties
Transportation in private vehicle
Experienced
tour guides
Meals indicated (11 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners)
Admission to sites listed
Domestic airfare within AfricaNot included
International flight to MaliTravel insurance
Cost of Visa
Gratuities for driver
and guide
Paštas: baba@balanzantours.com
Telefonas: +223 66724342
