Tour Of Mali Including Timbuktu – 8 Days

DAY 1 : ARRIVAL-BAMAKO, MALI

Upon arrival in Bamako, you will be met, assisted, and transferred to your hotel.

Your guide will brief you on the activities that await you in Mali.

Hotel :Radisson Collection

DAY 2: BAMAKO-SIBY-BAMAKO

After breakfast, drive to Siby on its weekly market day. Siby is a Malinké village where Soundjata Keita, the founder of the Malian Empire, was welcomed back from exile and prepared the Mande liberation from the Sosso Empire of Soumangourou Kanté.

In Siby, you will learn about the history of Soundjata Keita, the legendary former king of the ancient Malian Empire. Several Malian ethnic groups, including the Dogon, Bambara, Malinke, Kassonke, Minianka, Senoufo, and Bobo, originate from this area.

Proceed to visit the Arch of Kamandjan and the local market of Siby.

After the tour of Siby, enjoy lunch in Siby before continuing to Kirina, where you will attend a Mandingo choreographed traditional dance.

Kirina is the city where the battle between Soundjata Keita and Soumangourou Kanté began and ended in Koulikoro, 60 km east of Bamako, where Soumangourou fled from Soundjata’s pursuit.

Return to Bamako for an overnight stay.

Meals included: Breakfast

Hotel :Radisson Collection

DAY 3: BAMAKO CITY TOUR

Experience a panoramic view of Bamako from Point G, also known as the Hill of Health.

Visit the National Museum, which offers an excellent introduction to the country’s ethnic diversity.

Explore the craft bazaar, where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, metal workers, and other artisans showcase their skills and wares. One section of the market is dedicated entirely to traditional African medicines, where you’ll find unique items used in healing practices.

Spend time at the handcraft center, where you can find great bargains on locally made goods.

Drive through the city and observe monuments dedicated to Mali’s historical figures.

Meals included: Breakfast

Hotel: Radisson Collection

DAY 4: BAMAKO – SEGOU – BAMAKO

Breakfast and Drive to Ségou:

After an early breakfast, meet your guide and driver in the lobby and depart for Ségou, the capital of the former Bambara Kingdom. Ségou is a vibrant river port known for its rich cultural heritage, authentic music, crafts, and distinctive red mud houses reflecting Bambara architecture. The city’s history dates back to the 15th century.

Approximately 10 km from Ségou, visit Sékoro, the former capital of the Bambara Kingdom. Meet a direct descendant of King Biton Mamary Coulibaly and learn about the history of the kingdom.

After the meeting, visit the tomb of King Biton Mamary Coulibaly, the founder of the Bambara Kingdom in the 18th century. See the vestibule and the mosque, which predates the village. Also, visit the mosque that King Biton built for his mother, despite being an animist.

Continue to Ségou city. Upon arrival, stop for a photo opportunity at the entrance, where you can view a map of the Ségou region and representations of key historical figures.

Explore the city’s beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture and visit the pottery market and the main market of Ségou.

Proceed to Ndomo, a mud cloth center named after the first Bambara initiation society. Here, you will learn and practice the traditional techniques of mud painting. Discover the process of making Bogolan (mud-dyed fabric) and Basilan (fabric dyed with ngalama tree extracts).

After the visit, drive back to Bamako for an overnight stay.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Hotel :Radisson Collection

DAY 5: BAMAKO – TIMBUKTU

“Salt comes from the North, gold from the South, and silver from the land of the whites. But God’s words, holy things, learned stories, and polite tales are only found in Timbuktu.”

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Timbuktu, famously known as the City of 333 Saints.

Located near the Niger River at the crossroads of the great trans-Saharan caravan route, Timbuktu gained immense wealth in the 16th century. Convoys of camels, loaded with blocks of salt and other trade goods, would spend weeks crossing the harsh Sahara to reach Timbuktu. Here, they would trade salt pound-for-pound with African merchants bringing gold and ivory along the Niger River from other parts of Africa.

On arrival in Timbuktu, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. After check-in, begin your exploration of this legendary city with a local guide who is a native of Timbuktu.

Stroll through the dusty streets of this mythical town and admire the magnificent mud-brick structures of the Djinguiraiber Mosque, Sidi Yehia Mosque, and the Mosque of Sankoré, which received many Muslim scholars in its time.

Visit the houses of various 19th-century European explorers who used Timbuktu as a base.

Today’s activities also include:

• A visit to the Ethnological Museum
• A tour of the Henrich Barth Museum
• A stop at the Maison des Artisansto witness the craftsmanship of Tuareg artisans.

Overnight at your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Hotel :Hendrina Khan Hotel

DAY 6: TIMBUKTU

After breakfast, drive to Koriomé, the port of Timbuktu, where you will board a traditional motorized boat for a trip to Toya. You will be accompanied by an experienced guide and boat driver.

As you cruise along the Niger River, you will visit charming riverbank villages, including Toya, known for its striking sand dunes. Keep an eye out for hippopotamuses in their natural habitat as you enjoy the serene beauty of the river.

In the afternoon, return to Timbuktu, where you can relax and enjoy a traditional tea ceremony on the dunes with our Tuareg hosts, the legendary Princes of the Desert.

Overnight in Timbuktu.

Meals included: Breakfast.

Hotel: Hendrina Khan Hotel

DAY 7: TIMBUKTU – BAMAKO

After breakfast, depart from the legendary city of Timbuktu, a place long associated with mystery and remoteness.

Upon arrival in Bamako, visit the Parc of Sofa, the historic site of the 1883 battle between the Safo warriors of Samory Touré and the French colonial forces led by Borgnis Desbordes.

Climb 400 meters to visit the monument of Keme Bourama, the brother of Samory and a key figure in the Battle of Woyowayanko.

In the evening, relax on a motorized boat cruise along the Niger River, offering a picturesque view of Bamako from the water.

Overnight in Bamako.

Meals included: Breakfast

Hotel :Radisson Collection

DAY 8: BAMAKO -DEPART

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. The rest of the day is at your leisure to relax or explore on your own.

At the scheduled time, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight.

End of your unforgettable tour of Mali.

Meals included: Breakfast