Mini Tours of Mali

These brief excursions are popular with visitors who are already in Mali — for travellers coming to Mali specifically to visit our beautiful country, our longer standard tours are more worthwhile because Mali is vast and there is so much to see.

These short tours are private, and arranged upon request; there are no group departures, no fixed departure dates.

• private ground transportation
• all accommodations outside Bamako, with continental breakfast
• experienced English-speaking guide-escort
• all hotel taxes and local tourism taxes
• all sightseeing and entry fees, as per itinerary

Not included are travel to/from Mali, non-specified meals, drinks/bottled water, tips, optional items and personal expenses.

NB: If Timbuktu is your primary interest, we recommend allowing enough time in Mali to go overland — domestic flights are not reliable, and driving is the only way to be sure of really getting to Timbuktu in a limited time. Also, spending time on the ground is always a better way to discover a new destination.

See our Highlights of Mali tour, which includes all the "must-see" sites in Mali: Timbuktu and the Sahara Desert, Dogon country and the Bandiagara escarpment, Bamako, Djenne, Mopti and the Niger River.

3-day / 2-night Tours

Tour M302 - Djenne, pearl of the Niger delta: visit the Great Mosque, the weekly market, mudcloth artisans in their workshops, the Djenne Jeno archaeological site

Tour M303 - Mopti, Mali's melting pot: visit the port, the market; afternoon river cruise in a traditional pinnace

Tour M304 - Dogon country: visit two or three Dogon villages, as time permits; some hiking possible on the Bandiagara escarpment

4-day / 3-night Tours

Tour M401 - Mopti, Djenne, Segou
This trip to the center of Mali will show you old and the new in the heart of the ancient Bambara kingdom, including traditional mud-brick architecture, a busy port and the mighty Niger river

Tour M405 - Dogon country, Mopti, Djenne
Visit Dogon villages and attend a traditional mask dance; Mopti city tour; Djenne city tour

Tour M406 - Riverboat outing
Drive to Segou, city tour, hotel lodging; next day begin your riverboat sail to Mopti; visit Bozo fishing villages along the way; overnight camping on the riverbank; arrive in Mopti, city tour, hotel lodging; return drive to Bamako

5-day / 4-night Tours

Tour M501 - Dogon country
Visit seven villages: Songo, Ireli, Tireli, Amani, Banani, Yuga and Yenduma; attend a traditional mask dance; see sacred crocodiles

Tour M502 - Dogon country and more
Visit three Dogon villages (attend a traditional mask dance; visit a circumcision grotto) plus Mopti and Djenne

Tour M503 - Trekking on the Bandiagara escarpment
Includes three days on foot to visit the Dogon villages Tiogou, Arou, Koundou, Yuga, Banani, Amani and Ireli; two nights camping in villages; see sacred crocodiles and a traditional Dogon mask dance

6-day / 5-night Tour

Mali Express tour (see the complete itinerary)

See all the basic sites in Mali, in only 6 days: Mopti and the Niger River; Djenne and the Great Mosque; Dogon country, Segou and Bamako