Itinerary

Day 1:	Bamako to Djenne (7 hrs). A beautiful World Heritage town on an island between two tributaries to the Niger River, with its World Heritage mosque, the largest mud building in the world. We stay 2 nights in a hotel.
Day 2:	Djenne. One of the largest market days in west Africa – Djenne.
Day 3:	Leave Djenne and transfer to the Dogon Country. The 200km Dogon escarpment and the villages of the animist Dogon have, again, World Heritage status. A strange and other-worldly landscape is home to a fascinating people. Each day we trek between the villages and there is some escarpment climbing requiring reasonable fitness. We camp in gite-type accommodation in the villages.
Day 4-5:	Dogon trek.
Day 6:	Dogon, transfer to Mopti.
Day 7:	Pinasse boat trip. 1 hour drive to Konna to begin the pinasse boat trip up the Niger River and across the Inland River Niger Delta, a region of outstanding natural beauty and great historical and cultural significance to west African and Saharan civilisations over the ages. We stop in the Peul and Bozo villages and camp out in the open after crossing Lake Debo.
Day 8:	Pinasse. From Lake Debo we continue to Niafunke, home and inspiration to Ali Farka Toure, the Godfather of Malian blues. We camp on the sand dunes which mark the changing landscape as we approach the desert.
Day 9:	Pinasse. Niafunke to Dire for the weekly market and on to Timbuktu.
Day 10:	Day in Timbuktu. I leave to the imagination!
Day 11:	Festival au Desert. Travel to Essakane, site of the Festival Au Desert. At the festival we have our own camp.
Day 12-13:	Festival au Desert.
Day 14:	Transfer to Timbuktu.
Day 15:	Drive to Mopti.
Day 16:	Drive to Bamako. End of tour.