Young Pioneer Tours
Mali and Burkina Faso Tour
Since YPT first visited Mali and Burkina Faso, we’ve encountered incredible people with many different fascinating cultures and unique history.
The tour begins in Bamako, the capital of Mali. The nation has been mostly abandoned by mainstream tourism leaving us with an entire country to explore without possibly encountering other foreigners. From here your adventure will lead you to Segoukoro, the former capital of the Bambara Kingdom where you’ll meet the village chief and hear more of an insight to how things were. You’ll then board a pinasse and sail down the Niger River passing small fishing and pottery villages until arriving at the small sleepy river town of Segou rich with an authentic culinary scene.
You’ll then head to Djenne, a town known as the capital of mud where the streets and structures are built entirely out of mud. The Great Mosque in town is the largest mud structure in the world. Here we’ll visit the local blacksmiths to learn how they keep up with this tradition. We’ll then make our way further out of town to visit four unique tribes by horseback to have an incredible insight to these traditional villages.
We then make our way to Mopti, a bustling city situated by the border controlled by UN forces. This will give you a further idea of the ongoing conflict taking place in this region.
Over the years we have built a great relationship with the locals at Dogon Tribe which grant you the visit and overnight stay within a totally isolated village by the rocky plains. The scenery alone justifies your visit. Here you’ll have the opportunity to watch a sacred mask ceremony where in the ancestral animist beliefs have the elders of the village scare bad spirits away and welcome the good.
Group A members return to Bamako via Segou where we’ll arrange your airport drop off. Group B members continue onto Burkina Faso and visit Yako, the birthplace Thomas Sankara who is referenced as Africa’s Che Guevara. Burkina Faso was the epicentre of the Pan-Africanism and anti-colonial struggle. During your visit in Yako you’ll meet Sankara’s relatives and hear more about his history and the impact he had on the nation.
You’ll then drop by Bobo Dioulasso where you’ll experience Burkina village life by visiting mosques, sorcery sites, and impressive rock formations which tribes used as their fortresses during their wars. You’ll explore remote villagers where it’s possible to have a very close (and safe) encounter with hippos and crocodiles than you ever thought was possible!
The tour ends up in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso where we’ll be accompanied by friends and relatives of Sankara, followed by a farewell party to be remembered within the maquis and open-air bars the Burkinabe swear by.
This Mali and Burkina Faso tour can be combined with our Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania Overland tour and then onwards to Togo and Benin Tour. Make the most out of your visit to Africa and combine all tours!
We will have our own 4WD cars and will stay in camping sites in places where accommodation isn’t readily available. This trip involves a fair bit of camping and might not be as comfortable as our other trips, but it is sure to offer an off-the-beaten-path experience. We will be staying in accommodation we vouch for with extraordinary people.
Due to the logistical and infrastructural limitations that come with a trip to Mali and Burkina Faso, this trip is capped at 12 participants with priority being given to people booking both countries.
YPT keeps fully up to date with the security situation in both countries, as with many of our tours this itinerary is subject to change depending on the situation on the ground, with the local guide and YPT guide having final say on all logistical decisions
Tour Extensions
Want to extend your YPT adventure? Join one of our great tour extensions
