Soak In Village Histories For Dogon Cultural Explores
Description
Visit Dogon villages along the Bandiagara escarpment. Stop by Songo village for its circumcision grotto with rock paintings, Banani cliff village for Tellem cave dwellings, Tireli villages and others, and also enjoy traditional Dogon mask dance performances.
Itinerary Expand All Collapse All
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Bamako/mopti - Dogon country (695 km; 9hr) expand_more
Meet your private guide, your vehicle and your driver in Bamako and enjoy the long but interesting drive through the heartland of Mali, all the way to Dogon country; there will be many photo opportunities along the way as we travel through rural villages and towns.
Overnight stay in Bandiagara.
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Dogon country expand_more
Visit the Songo village here, renowned for its circumcision grotto with rock paintings. Traditional circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years for all Dogon boys aged 9-14 years; the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families.
Onward to Sangha, comprised of 10 distinct animist and Islamic quarters.
Take a walking tour of Sangha, where we will see many examples of the unique traditional architecture and contemporary fetishes.
Visit Ogols and Bongo.
Overnight stay in Sangha.
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Dogon country expand_more
At 7 am, have breakfast and then descend the escarpment to visit several cliff villages: Banani (note the ancient Tellem cave dwellings in the cliff face), Ireli, Amani (visit the sanctuary of sacred crocodiles, totem animal of the Dogon people) and Tireli village, where we may (optionally) witness a fascinating traditional Dogon mask dance - this is an authentic reproduction of a traditional funerary rite, where the masks ask the spirit of the deceased person to depart the village and rejoin the ancestors.
Return to Sangha for an overnights stay.
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Dogon country expand_more
On our final day in Dogon country, we will drive to the southern end of the escarpment to visit the villages Endy and Teli: observe the ancient Tellem grottos in the cliff face, which are now used as burial chambers.
Go to Nando to see the interesting mud-castle mosque.
Onward to Niongono, perched on a cliff like medieval citadel (NB: climbing is required to visit Niongogo).
In the late afternoon, we return to Bandiagara for overnight stay.
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Dogon country – Bamako (695 km,9hr) / final departure expand_more
After breakfast, we return to Bamako for transfer to the airport for onward return flight.
What's Included
Mopti (Malian) tour guide service.
Car rental with driver fee, fuel for the car and guide and driver accommodation during the circuit.
What's Excluded
Clients' hotel and food.
Know before you go
Please get in direct touch with me for more information.
This program can be modified to do some trekking, and/or to visit other villages instead of those mentioned in the itinerary; let us know if you have any different villages in mind.
The Dogon tribe originated in the south of Mali, where they fled to preserve their animist religion from the spread of Islam. When they arrived at the Bandiagara cliffs, they found the Tellem people occupying grottos carved in the face of the cliff. They eventually displaced the Tellem people and used the grottos to bury their dead—funeral rites are an important part of the Dogon culture.
Cancellation Policy
For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -
Refund of 80% of the tour price.Price Details
The group size and price | |
2 To 10 | USD 2750 Per Group |
This is a group tour |