MALI EXPEDITION: Introduction    
     
Our aim is to present Mali to the visitor as vividly and as intensely as possible. This vast and varied land ranges from the mountainous terrain of the Dogoland to the river country of the Niger; from the wetlands in the south to the deserts in the north of the country.


Naturally, any up-close experience will require changing transport with the terrain. But despite the extra logistics involved, we want to offer more than a two week trip on the well-trodden path of mass tourism. More importantly the contact to the people from the boats or on foot is so much director than that through a car window. This, we felt, is a vital part of the experience.

Our motto is "As much comfort as possible without infringing on the experience". With this in mind, our travel plans are as follows.

The trip starts in the capital Bamako before heading to Djenne, the oldest city in West Africa.  An undisputed highlight of West Africa, the town has a medieval feels as you wander through narrow alleyways past women drawing water from wells and oxen carts carrying wood.  It is also a major centre of religious learning for Muslims and the whole town revolves around the magnificent mud mosque for which the town is famous.

  
From Djenne, the trip heads north for a brief visit of Mopti, the energetic town that acts as a crossroads for the rest of Mali.  The next three days are spent aboard our pinasse as we cruise the Niger, stopping to visit local villages along the way.  Our destination is Timbuktu, a name that so inspired explorers of old with tales of streets being paved with gold.  It certainly was once an area of enormous prosperity, so much so that in the 14th century the ruler of Mali gave such a wealth of gifts to the people of Egypt  en route to Mecca that he devalued the market for gold for several years!   We spend a day exploring before heading south to Dogon country.
The Dogons fled to the Bandiagara Escarpment over six hundred years ago to seek refuge from Islamic persecutors.  They did not resume contact with the outside world until the thirties in conjunction with the ethnological publications by Marcel Griaule.  The most evident sign of their religiousness is the identification of the simplest household items with elements of the religious system of exegesis.  In 1931, M. Leiris, a French ethnologist stated that “visitors encounter an unusually strong sense of religiousness everywhere.  There is a sacred element in every corner, everything appears wise and grave.” Our two days trekking give us ample time to become better acquainted with the Dogon culture before heading back to Bamako for the flight home.
 
IMPORTANT ALTERNATIVE: Depending on actual wind and water conditions we may also drive to Timbuktu first and come back to Mopti by pinasse .

 

Our transport means adapt to the conditions of roads and geography:

  • By Minibus: Bamako - Segou - Djenne - Mopti
  • By 4x4 vehicles: Mopti - Dogon country - Timbuktu
  • By foot: Dogon country
  • By camel: in the surrounding of Timbuktut
  • By pinnace: Timbuktu - Mopti/ Konna
  • By Minibus: Mopti - Segou - Bamako