6-Day Mali Culture Tour from Bamako with Mopti and Dogon Country

• Arrival in Bamako. International flights arrive in Bamako in the evening; our staff will meet you in the Arrivals hall of Bamako airport and provide your hotel transfer.

Overnight stay in Bamako.

• After breakfast, depart from Bamako at 08:00 am for a long and scenic drive through the heartland of Mali, following the Niger River all the way to the port city of Mopti, with sightseeing en route.

Overnight stay in Mopti.

• Spend the day exploring Mopti, the "melting pot" of Mali, located between the Bani and the Niger rivers.

• See the Sudanese-style Komoguel Mosque, the fishing port, where pirogues are made by hand, and the bustling market where many of Mali's ethnic groups come to trade: Bambara, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Fulani, Tuareg, and Songhay. Shop for gold or silver jewellery, hand-made cotton or wool blankets, or some of Mali's beautiful wood carvings, including masks and statues.

• End the day with a relaxing private sunset sail on the Niger River in a traditional riverboat.

Overnight stay in Mopti.

• After breakfast, depart at 08:00 am for our excursion to Djenné, Timbuktu's historical sister-city. Djenné was one of the first commercial centres of the Sahel region: it was the meeting place of the nomads from the Sahara, the local farmers and cattle herders, and the fishermen from the inland delta of the Niger.

• Stroll the ancient alleys and narrow streets, and see the oldest house in Djenné, dating from the 12th century. Also see the magnificent Great Mosque, the world's largest mud-brick architecture.

• Visit the Djenné Museum on our way out of town as we drive to Mali's fascinating Dogon country.

• Arrive in Sangha with your Malian tour guide.

• Enjoy a walking tour of this large agglomeration of 10 distinct villages, including Ogols and Bongo; see the traditional women's house and the fetish altar of the Hogon, the Dogon people's traditional and religious leader.

Overnight stay in Sangha.

• After breakfast, descend into the Bandiagara escarpment to visit the village of Banani, reputedly one of the most beautiful of the cliff villages.

• On our departure from Dogon country, visit the village of Songo on the Dogon Plateau. Songo is renowned for its circumcision grotto rock paintings; circumcision ceremonies are held here every three years for all Dogon boys aged 9-14 years old, and the rock paintings are historical representations of noble Dogon families.

• Continue onward to Ségou for an overnight stay.

• Visit Ségou, Mali's former colonial capital, for its interesting mix of traditional and colonial architecture.

• Visit the market and the Kasobane boutique for its high-end traditional and contemporary textile art.

• Stop by the Nieleni Cooperative, which makes hand-woven high-quality wool rugs.

• Drive to Bamako with your Malian tour guide.

• Visit the National Museum for its impressive collections of textiles from the 11th to the 20th century, ancient Bamanan, Dogon, and Senoufo sculptures, terracotta objects from archaeological sites, and contemporary African paintings and sculptures. Try to squeeze in a visit to the artisans village before it closes for some last-minute shopping, if time permits.

• Head to the airport for final departure in the evening.