Festival in the Desert, 7 Days
Held annually, Festival in the Desert is staged approximately two hours from Timbuktu, a city that is often identified as a place faraway and unreachable. The festival celebrates the rich Tuareg culture. This itinerary includes tours of Timbuktu and Bamako, camel rides and three nights of camping in tents at ...
Read Full Description- Destination:
- Bamako, Mali; Mali
- Trip Length:
- 7 days
- Price Range:
- From $1870 to $1990 per person See what this includes and what this excludes
- Best Time to Go:
-
Jan 05, 2009 to Jan 11, 2009
- Recommended for:
-
Infants (under 2)
Adults (21 - 24)
Adults (25 - 29)
Adventure-seeker
Group Retreat
Detailed Trip Description
Held annually, Festival in the Desert is staged approximately two hours from Timbuktu, a city that is often identified as a place faraway and unreachable. The festival celebrates the rich Tuareg culture. This itinerary includes tours of Timbuktu and Bamako, camel rides and three nights of camping in tents at the unique Festival in the Desert that attracts not only local artists, but also renowned artists from throughout the world.
Trip Itinerary
Days 1-3 - Bamako
Adventure
Explore this capital city of Bamako situated on the Niger, one of Africa's great rivers.
Mali is a country of many tribal peoples, each with their own exuberant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is nowhere better to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of Bamako.
Bamako has a large art and craft center where sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers and metal workers exhibit their wares and skills. One area of the market is devoted entirely to traditional African medicines. Here you'll find the freshly shrunken heads of birds, monkeys and crocodiles, along with lizard skins and other gruesome treatments.
Days 3-4 - Mali
Adventure
Fly to legendary Timbuktu. Located at the terminus of the great trans-Saharan caravan route, Timbuktu became fabulously wealthy in the 16th century. Loaded with blocks of salt and other trade goods, huge convoys of camels would spend weeks crossing the unforgiving Sahara to reach Timbuktu. It was here that they would trade salt, pound-for-pound, with African merchants bringing gold and ivory along the Niger from the heart of Africa. Wander the dusty streets of Timbuktu, admiring such magnificent mud-brick structures as the Djinguiraiber Mosque, the Mosque of Sankore, and the Palace of Bouctou. See the houses of the various 19th century European explorers who used Timbuktu as a base.
Days 4-6 - Mali
Adventure
Festival in the Desert is one of the world’s most distinctive musical events featuring renowned local, regional and international artists. Held annually in January, the festival is staged near the remote village of Essakane, Mali on secluded sand dunes approximately two hours from the legendary city of Timbuktu.
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- Festival in the Desert, 7 Days
- Held annually, Festival in the Desert is staged approximately two hours from Timbuktu, a city that is often identified as a place faraway and unreachable. The festival celebrates the rich Tuareg culture. This itinerary includes tours of Timbuktu and Bamako, camel rides and three nights of camping in tents at ...
