Example Itinerary - For my Christmas/New Year trip


Day 1   Arrive Bamako, transfer to Segou (3 hrs).

Day 2   Segou to the World Heritage City of Djenne with its Grand Mosque.

Day 3   Djenne to Homboroi - the Monument Valley of Mali, and onto Gao. Gao is a pleasant trading city on the banks of the Niger. Full of colour and spice, desert meets river port.

Day 4  Day in Gao. Visit the colourful daily market and the port, prepare for the desert.

Day 5   Drive  across the desert to Aguelhoc.

Day 6   Day of rest. Relax at the camp, walk out to see the rock paintings depicting the Sahara teeming with wildlife and the ancient Tuareg scripture, Tafina. In the evening we have a big party - a From Here 2 Timbuktu sponsored festival near our camp. (see end of slideshow).

Day 7  Drive out to Marat and a short walk into the mountians to the Guelta - a series of cool pools at the source of a river, relax and swim. Return to Aguelhoc for continued festivities in the evening.

Days 8 - 10 Options of camel trekking from Tillimadelalaine to Essouk and/or 4x4 safari of the Adrar des Iforas mountains and the camps and villages of the region.

Day 11 Festival - either The Festival of Camels or Festival Ténéré.

Day 12 Festival 

Day 13 To Borem

Day 14 To Timbuktu

Day 15 Timbuktu

Day 16 Option to stay on in Timbuktu for The Festival In The Desert or to make your own way back to Bamako or to fly to Bamako. This tour ends here.

This itinerary is subject to change. The festivals in the region are not set to a tourist programme so we keep our ear to the ground, remain flexible and have the contacts to inform us of what is happening. But there will always be parties come what may!


This trip is as authentic as it gets, you really are with the nomadic life. It involves some long but spectacular days of 4x4 desert driving. Whilst in the desert you are mainly camping in Tuareg camps or out in the open - always of course with the essentials: food, water, fire, a mattress and a blanket.  And always your safety is assured, as far as it ever can be.

The Aguelhoc mini festival:

Together with the people of Aguelhoc I here recreate the festival I stumbled across in Jan 2008. This is a 2 day party. Half the money raised goes to musicians and local women for supplying the tents and the adornments and making the festival site. Half the money goes to 2 local schools for nomadic families. These children have to walk long distances to school, so they stay at school all term. The biggest problem keeping the children in school is not parents affording school fees - education is free in Mali - but food supply. From Here 2 Timbuktu aims to provide a basic dependable food supply that can be topped up by the families.

Tarakeft

Tartit

Possible Dates for Tuareg Festival Safari.

19 Dec 2009 - 3 Jan 2010                              Price €2450

Bamako to Bamako             

23 Dec 2009 - 1 Jan 2010                              Price €1750

Gao to Gao - This is an option open to those who are in Mali anyway or who want to fly direct to Gao with Point Afrique, a French Airline company. Please contact me for more information.


19 Dec 2009- 13 Jan 2010                              Price €3450

Itinerary below plus The Festival in the Desert trip to include  river boat down the Niger to Timbuktu and The Festival In The Desert.


Other set dates for trips of this kind:

September/October2009 - See the desert in bloom after the rains.


4-21 February 2010 - with The Festival On The Niger

                                         Mali’s best music festival                             

                                Price range for 8-22 day trips is €1450 - €3450.

                                                      All inclusive except flights and visas