Mali trip description: Tour to Mali in West Africa, discovering the cities along the Niger river and its branches, before visiting the Dogon country on the Bandiagara cliff. This trip to Mali starts in Bamako where I meet my personal guide and driver, whom will bring me to the various places along the planned itinerary, by an air-conditioned 4x4 car.

The first stop is made in Mopti, one of Mali's most important city because of its strategic position over the confluence between Niger and Bani rivers, where there is a very active river port, with its traditional wooden pirogues and colorful markets along the shores. The trip continues to the Dogon Country visiting the villages along the Bandiagara escarpment, above and below the cliff. Here the people still live on unique traditional culture and build beautiful oddly shaped buildings, almost entirely made of dried mud. This place is also very interesting because of the amazing landscape, easily one of the most beautiful that I've seen during my trips to Africa. The tour to Mali continues to Djenne, a city made almost entirely of dried-mud bricks. Here, there is the famous Great Mosque, the world's biggest dried-mud building, which is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Djenne is visited on a Monday, during its very busy and colorful market, where people sell, buy and exchange everything. The trip continues to Segou, visiting the interesting Traditional Painting Institute, before going back to Bamako, where I visit the national museum and do a brief city tour. Then, an evening Airfrance flight brings me back to Italy via Paris.

A trip in Mali is recommended to every enthusiast traveler looking for traditional cultures, different ethnics experiences and extreme landscapes. I've found the places that I've visited to be safe, with many friendly people very open to the visitors. Accommodations into hotels were comfortable, into air-conditioned rooms. The road was paved for most of the places, except for some segment far into the Dogon Country. The weather has been always fine, but very hot (this is typical for the month of April, other periods offer different weather, which can be cooler or even rainy depending on the chosen month). Mali is served by daily Airfrance flights operating onto Paris CDG (best schedule and service), but also by Royal Air Maroc and other smaller West Africa airlines.

Please note that these notes are valid for the trip review period, made in April 2010.

Trip by 4x4 from Bamako to Mopti with a stop in Segou <<-- GO
April 2nd and 7th 2010

The road trip from Bamako to Mopti requires about 8-9 hours and is about 640km long, over paved road. The trip can be done non stop in a day, or can be broken into two days, with an overnight in the very interesting city of Segou. Along the way, you will cross the african savannah, full of baobab, with the road going across many smaller towns on the way.

Mopti day tour: visit Komoguel mosque, market, fishing port <<-- GO
April 2nd 3rd 6th, 2010

Mopti is one of the most important city and trading place in Mali, because of the geographical position over the confluence of great Niger and Bani river, where there is an important fishing port full of activity. Mopti is also a city where many different ethnic groups and cultures meet together, like Dogon, Bozo, Bambara, Tuareg and more.

Dogon country mini trekking <<-- GO
April 3rd, 2010

A two hours trek brings me from Sangha, on the top of a plateau, down to other Dogon villages, below a beautiful cliff where there is one of the most spectacular landscape that you can find in Africa. Along the cliff there are archaeological remains of ancient buildings and below there are the more "modern" dried-mud buildings of the Dogon people.

Tour of Sangha and other towns above and below Bandiagara escarpment <<-- GO
April 4th, 2010

The trip to Dogon Country continues with a day tour to the village of Sangha on the top of the plateau, then with a transfer by 4x4 to other towns below the Bandiagara escarpment. At sunset, visit the major Dogon village Songho, near Bandiagara, while a circumcision ceremony is in progress.

Day tour to Djenne: the mud-brick Great Mosque and monday market <<-- GO
April 5th, 2010

Djenne is a very interesting city in Mali, largely made of dried mud bricks. The city stays actually on an island created by Bani river and its many branches. On mondays, people coming from many corners of Mali, meet here for the important trading market held in front of the Great Mosque, the world's biggest mud building and UNESCO site.