Saturday 30th January – Bamako

• Arrival into Bamako at your convenience
• Meet in the hotel lobby before we head out on a city tour of Bamako
• We will visit the Rose Market of Bamako which will give you an idea of the hustle and bustle of the Malian capital.
• A visit of the National Museum of Mali, with an astounding collection of masks and traditional outfits.
• We visit the tower of Africa, the highest tower in Mali.
• Lunch at Bating Restaurant for some local fare.
• We ascend the Point G hill to get a view of the whole of Bamako
• Head out for dinner where we’ll also have a short orientation about the dos and don’ts of travel in Mali.
• Bamako and Segou being the only two towns of Mali with somewhat of a nightlife, we will head out and see what we can find!
• Overnight in Bamako

Sunday 31st January – Segou

• Up nice and early to hit the road to Segou.
• On the way to Segou, we stop in Segoukoro. In the old days, Segoukoro was the capital of the Bambara kingdom
• There, we have an appointment with none other than the village chief, who is a direct descendant of the kings of old. We have tea with him available to answer all of our questions about the history of Segou and its royalty
• The King’s descendants show us the rebuilt vestibule, where the king used to receive his guests
• We tour the village, home to four mosques, the most famous being the waterfront one which the very famous king Biton Coulibaly built for his mother.
• We leave Segoukoro by a pinasse, the Malian boat of choice, to go on a cruise along the Niger river, the third biggest river of Africa. We can expect to see the lifestyle of the people on the banks, most of them being from tribes of nomadic fishermen
• On the way, we stop in one of the fisherman villages to say hello and then stop again in a village of potters
• Lunch on the boat as we sail back to Segou. Meeting back with the team, our passports are given back to us.
• We will stop on the way to grab breakfast near a plantation and then stop again at the entrance of the city at the monument to the kings that have ruled Segou, where our guide will introduce us to the history of Segou..
• We head in the old neighbourhood to meet a local family who will cook us a classic Malian dish of peanut sauce.
• We head to the Somono neighbourhood, which has some of the oldest adobe buildings around, the traditional architectural style of Segou meant to keep the house cool in the intense summer, there we’ll take part in a traditional Malian tea ceremony.
• We venture out of Segou proper to visit artisan villages where we’ll see how calebasse bowls are made and a village of blacksmiths.
• This evening, we are free to explore Segou’s culinary scene. Having been mostly left out of the troubles, Segou still has a lot of varied restaurants with very good variety.
• As well as restaurants, Segou has a lot of bars to check out
• Overnight in Segou, hotel l’Auberge, or similar

Monday 1st February – Segou/Djenne

• For those who will go to Burkina Faso, we stop by the consulate in the city at opening time so that our visas are processed during the day. We will leave our passport there and they will be prepared while we are touring
• We head to the Somono neighbourhood, which has some of the oldest adobe buildings around, the traditional architectural style of Segou meant to keep the house cool in the intense summer, there we’ll take part in a traditional Malian tea ceremony.
• We venture out of Segou proper to visit artisan villages where we’ll see how calebasse bowls are made and a village of blacksmiths.
• We head in the old neighbourhood to meet a local family who will cook us a classic Malian dish of peanut sauce.
• Picking up our visas for Burkina Faso, we then jump in the cars for the 4-5 hours drive to Djenne.
• Djenne, or the capital of mud, is a one of a kind city of narrow streets and buildings made of mud. While it used to be one of the jewels of tourism in Africa, it has been neglected in recent years. We will thus have the whole town to ourselves to explore.
• We climb a nearby building to get a view of Djenne’s Great Mosque, the world’s biggest mud building. The inside of the Mosque can only be visited by Muslims.
• While we head out for dinner in a restaurant specially opened for us as the local economy has collapsed and restaurants aren’t opened daily, our team installs our tents in a local family’s compound
• Overnight camping in our host family’s compound, people with single supplement stay at a nearby hotel.

Tuesday 2nd February – Djenne

• Up in the morning for our city tour of Djenne.
• We visit coranic schools as well as the museum of Djenne’s manuscripts, where a single man protects the documents of days gone by.
• We stop by the sacred well, where it is said the ancestors of the town were consulting the spirits to plan their next moves.
• We visit the shrine of Tapama, a young virgin who was sacrificed to appease the bad spirits.
• For lunch, we try the local speciality of Djenne, the Tion Tion, a delicious fish fried rice
• In the afternoon, we head out of the walled city and into the different surrounding villages. Each village is profoundly different from the others, as they were built by different tribes, such as the Bozo, Fulani, Bambara and Songhai, with their own cultures and ways of life. We’ll be going around in style, as we’ll blaze off on dusty roads on our own horse-cart!
• We head back for dinner with our host family.
• Overnight in Djenne camping in our host family’s compound, people with single supplement stay at a nearby hotel.

Wednesday 3rd February – Mopti

• Today we head north to Mopti
• Mopti is right under the security corridor established by the UN Forces but also an interesting city full of life
• We grab lunch on the way to Mopti with plenty of stops for photos and rests along the way too
• Our afternoon will be dedicated to exploring Mopti and its bustling streetlife. It has a magnificent mud mosque similar to the one we saw in Djenne as well as a women’s market.
• In the late afternoon, we head for a boat ride around the busy port of Mopti. Here, the Bani River and Niger river meet. It is an important hub of transportation in Mali, with people here embarking on the dodgiest 3-day trip aboard a shabby pinasse to Timbuktu of all places! This boat ride is one of YPT’s favourites around the world!
• Dinner and overnight at our hotel

Thursday 4th February – Mopti & Dogon Country

• After breakfast, we make our way to Dogon Country
• Our first stop within Dogon Country is the town of Songo. Here we’ll get to see a traditional Dogon village. The people here used to live up the rocks to keep their animistic beliefs and flee persecution from muslims.
• We get to the place where this village organise the circumcision ceremony for the surrounding villages. Here, we find a big rock painting retelling the stories of the villages as well as the circumcision ceremony. Our guide will explain to us all about the ceremony, which lasts more than a week
• From there, we’ll climb up the mountain for an impressive view of the town
• We stop for lunch in Bandiagara, the biggest town in the area
• Our 4WD drops us in Aindelou, from here we’re heading to an isolated Dogon village which we can only reach by a short 4km trek through rocky scenery like nowhere else.
• We arrive in Begnimatu, YPT’s favourite Dogon village, actually three villages in one, with a muslim, Catholic and a Christian neighbourhood. The village is perched on the mountains in a canyon and sunsets here are really a sight to behold
• The locals prepare a feast for us
• Since we’re in the Christian neighbourhood, we can have a party with the locals. It is also our last night with those doing only the Mali part of this trip so a farewell party is in order!
• We sleep in Begnimatu, camping on the houses’ rooftop under a very starry sky

Friday 5th February  – Dogon Country & Ouahigouya

• TRIP HIGHLIGHT – After breakfast, we are invited to a traditional Dogon mask ceremony. Here, the elders of the village chant in order to chase bad spirits while the very sacred Dogon masks are taken out of their hiding places to be worn for a dance. All members of the community, muslims, Catholics and animists alike unite to reenact ancestral dances
• After the ceremony, it is time for us to trek down the rocks, stopping by the villages of Doundiourou and Bagourou, where we can see traditional Dogon Justice Halls. Those justice halls, with ceilings too low for people to stand, are where family elders meet to discuss and solve issues peacefully
• We arrive in Ende and eat lunch there, meeting our drivers
• It is here that we part ways with those heading back to Bamako
• GROUP A (MALI ONLY) starts a 4 hour road trip to the town of San
• Dinner and overnight in San
• GROUP B (MALI AND BURKINA FASO) starts making its way toward Burkina Faso. We cross the border and go through the necessary car and immigration formalities
• Arrival in Ouahigouya, where we have dinner
• Overnight in Ouahigouya

Saturday 6th February – END OF MALI ONLY GROUP

• Group A wakes up in San, where after breakfast we visit the outside of the adobe mosque as well as the rest of the village
• Drive back to Bamako, stopping in Segou for lunch
• Arrival in Bamako, where we stop at a hotel to refresh and have dinner
• Airport drop-off according to your flights
• End of tour
• Group B wakes up in Ouahigouya.
• After a good breakfast we head down toward Bobo Dioulasso but it wouldn’t be a YPT trip if we didn’t stop in Yako.
• Yako is the birthplace of Thomas Sankara, the Che Guevara of Africa. While his time in power was very short and abruptly ended by the treason of his best friend and subsequent murder, Thomas Sankara is a very important figure of Africa. While he was ruthless, Sankara did a lot concerning education and empowerment of women and, as he didn’t last long, is mostly remembered fondly!
• We arrive in Bobo Dioulasso in the late afternoon
• We head out for dinner and then visit the maquis, typical Burkinabe open-air bars which turn into nightclubs when the time is right!
• Overnight in Bobo Dioulasso

Sunday 7th February – Bobo Dioulasso

• Today, we spend the morning visiting the second largest city in the country.
• We visit the old neighbourhood to get a feeling of what life used to be like in old Burkina Faso, or, as it was called in colonial times, the Upper Volta
• We then head for a short ride followed by a 1km trek to Dafra which is known as a famous pilgrimage site in Burkina Faso where people come from very far to sacrifice animals to the local catfish! Things get very real as we get up close to those animist rituals. Please note that it is taboo to wear red clothes and take photos on this site.
• We stop by the Sudanese-style mosque in Bobo Dioulasso
• In the afternoon, we head out for nothing less than horseback riding to the countryside. If you don’t feel comfortable riding a horse, you can also get there in our 4WD.
• Tonight, we will be bush camping! Our delicious dinner is arranged here on our campfire, you’ll be surprised what our local friends can whip up on a campfire and drinks are included!
• Overnight camping in a village.

Monday 8th February – Sindou

• After our bush breakfast, we can pay a visit to the nearby maternity clinic where a doctor will introduce us to the health situation in Burkina Faso.
• We ride the horses back into town where we leave them and jump back in our 4WD to head to Sindou, a couple of hours away.
• We check into our huts in Sindou before carrying on slightly past Sindou to visit Kawara – a village of potters. It will take a bit of convincing but with luck and using the great contacts we have, we’ll try and convince the locals to organise their traditional pottery dance for us
• We head back to Sindou, checking out the village as well as the impressive rock formations for which it is renowned. It is the highest point of Burkina Faso. People used to live here as it was an easy to defend location.
• Each rock formation has a story, and our local guide is sure to tell us some of them!
• Those who want to stay around longer to see the sunset are most welcome!
• Dinner in Sindou, arranged by the locals.
• Overnight in huts in the village of Sindou

Tuesday 9th February – Banfora

• After breakfast, we drive back towards Banfora, where we’ll visit the Fabedougou Domes, natural rock formations which have to be seen to be believed! Here, the population used to hide from the neighbouring tribes.
• From there, we take a short hike of 1.5kms to the Karfiguela Falls
• Picnic and a dip in the refreshing basins next to the falls
• We wouldn’t want to miss an epic sunset boat trip. On the way, we are sure to spot some hippos. Here, hippos are seen as sacred animals and the beasts live in harmony with the locals. The hippos are used to humans, so we’ll be hopping on a barge to go right next to them, despite their reputation as the deadliest creatures in Africa!
• Dinner in Banfora, there are plenty of options, from local maquis to nice and cozy french restaurants.
• Overnight in Banfora

Wednesday 10th February – Ouagadougou

• Today is our last bit of road but it’s a long drive so we have to wake up early 7 hours or so on the road
• We make a few scenic stops on the way to stretch our legs including a last stop in Bazoule where there is a sacred crocodile pond. The people of Bazoule live in harmony with the crocs, which they never hunt, harm or kill. In exchange, the crocs do not eat them! We’ll get to literally go and play with the crocodiles.
• Arrival in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso
• TRIP HIGHLIGHT – While its successors have tried to erase any trace of him, the memory of Thomas Sankara is still very much alive in the people of the city, this is why we’ll spend the day touring the city along with friends and relatives of Thomas Sankara, who will be there to tell us about the man himself. We’ll also make sure to visit his brand new statue.
• We head to Ouaga 2000, the weird futuristic city roject where we’ll visit two monuments of great importance: the Monument to National Heroes and the Monument to the Martyrs. If you’ve been to North Korea, you’ll think that these monuments would fit right in there!
• We visit the roundabout of the Second of October, commemorating the day Sankara announced the revolution
• Dinner in Ouagadougou at a phenomenal restaurant for our farewell dinner.
• It wouldn’t be right to leave Burkina Faso without a proper sendoff in the city’s busiest maquis!
• Overnight in Ouagadougou

Thursday 11th February – Ouagadougou

• Airport drop-offs are organised depending on your time of departure
• For those leaving later, visits of the National Museum, Music Museum and handicraft market of Ouagadougou are on the menu!
• End of tour for those not carrying on to Togo and Benin with YPT able to organise your connection to your next destination or organise other individual trips in West Africa such as in Togo, Benin or Senegal!