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MALI
Festival in the Desert Tour
8 Days
A brief tour which features Mali's Festival in the Desert and a
few days to see a little of Mali.
5 January 2009: Arrival in Bamako, Mali
International flight arrives in Bamako in the evening; airport to
hotel transfer; overnight in Bamako (hotel)
6 January 2009: Bamako - Mopti (B)
Full day's drive to Mopti; enjoy a relaxing sunset sail on the Niger
river; overnight in Mopti/Sevare (hotel)
7 January 2009: Mopti/Sevare - Timbuktu (B)
6-hour drive across the Sahel, to the legendary city of Timbuktu
! overnight in Timbuktu (hotel)
8, 9, 10, January 2009: Desert Festival days (B,L,D x 3)
City tour of Timbuktu, and onward to Essakane for the festivities:
music, dancing, sword-play, poetry, arts and crafts, camel races,
and more ! overnight camping in Essakane
11 January 2009: Essakane - Timbuktu - Sevare/Mopti (B)
Return to Timbuktu and continue to Mopti; overnight in Mopti/Sevare
(hotel)
12 January 2009: Sevare/Mopti - Bamako - final departure (B)
Full-day return drive to Bamako; check-into your day-room; in the
evening, transfer to the airport for your onward flight home
(B) = breakfast
(B,L,D) = breakfast, lunch, dinner
Hotel check-in: 2:00 pm; check-out: 12:00 noon
Day-room (date) check-out: 6:00 pm (later check-out is at the traveller's
expense)
Price: £1345 per person. Single supplement £175 Festival
Pass £100
Tour does not include international airfare to/from Mali, entry
visas, non-specified meals, tips, personal expenses and sleeping
bags.
8-day Desert Festival Tour includes:
· All meals during the festival, prepared on-site: 3 breakfasts
(B), 3 lunches (L), 3 dinners (D)
· 4 nights hotel (twin share), including breakfast (B)
· Bottled mineral water (3 litres/day/person) on festival
days
· Sunset sail on Niger River
· English speaking guide for the whole tour
· Airport transfers for Bamako arrivals / departures. You
will need to provide your Bamako arrival/departure flight details
· All hotel taxes, local tourism taxes and site visit fees
as per itinerary
· Day room in Bamako on the last day
· 3 nights camping at the Desert Festival site (tents provided
but not sleeping bag)
· All ground transportation by 4 x 4 vehicle
· Festival entry pass (priced separately but included in
tour package)
Mali's Festival in the Desert, a music and Tuareg culture festival
is one-of-a-kind, modelled on traditional gatherings and celebrations
of the Tuareg people, the "Blue Men of the Desert."
It is a musical event, drawing musicians from Mali, Mauritania,
Niger and other countries.
It is also an opportunity to interact with the Tuareg people, as
it is their event, and the festivities will include traditional
singing, dancing, swordplay, camel races and artisans' exhibits.
The festival is held in the desert oasis Essakane, 65 kilometers
from Timbuktu. Accommodation consists of Tuareg tents and ground
mats (NB: there are no hotels); hot meals are prepared on-site.
Desert temperatures in January are hot during the day (~35 C / 100
F), but quite cold at night (~5 C / 40 F) - travellers must bring
sleeping bags !
This is not a luxury holiday, but a unique cultural experience
that requires adapting to local conditions.
Mali's music and Tuareg culture festival in the desert is one-of-a-kind,
modelled on traditional gatherings and celebrations of the Tuareg
people, the "Blue Men of the Desert."
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