MOPTI – GAO     6 DAYS-5 NIGHTS;

                   7 DAYS-6 NIGHTS with stay of 1 day in Timbuktu 

In the morning we leave the noisy Mopti for a quieter trip down river to Timbuktu. There is a lot happening on the water and along the shores; hardly ever a dull moment from early in the morning until the sunset.

The large merchant pinasses, which are heavily loaded with merchandise,  the smaller pirogues of the fishermen, who are casting their nets and the Peul herdsmen, who are letting their cattle graze; sometimes they drive their herd through a shallower part of the water to the other side.

Mainly they do so in the period of November – February; it is a fascinating sight – the mooing cattle, running through the water and behind them, the loudly encouraging herdsmen..

We will cross the Lac Débo ; a big lake and the most important one in Mali.

You will see the fishermen, casting their nets or putting their fishing baskets in the water.

Birds are countless there; herons, ibis, kingfishers etc., a real paradise for birdwatchers. We will spend a night at the shores and the chirping of the birds may wake you up.

Along the shores are numerous small villages with each its own characteristic mosque. You can see women pounding the millet, doing the laundry and children playing in the water or helping to scouring the large aluminium pots.

We stop regularly, of course,  at little villages like Togonrogo, Kotaka, Youvarou and Attara, to give you the opportunity to walk around, meet the inhabitants and it gives us time to buy fresh vegetables, fruit , chickens or capitaine (nile carp) for dinner.

We visit Niafunké, the city where the famous singer and artist Al Farka Touré was born and where he lived until his death in 2006.  After we go on sailing, passing Tonka, Diré and Nanga before we reach Timbuktu.

There we moor for a quick  visit of a few hours (or 1 day in case you have booked so).  Timbuktu is famous for its 3 mosques, the houses of the explorers and the azalai (the salt caravans). 
After that visit we leave swiftly for Gao; the landscape is beautiful – not only sand dunes or reed, but the area is being cultivated as farmland.

And the rocks you see in the water may be no rocks at all, but hippos.

High dunes on both sides of the river appear (some as high as 90 metres); because there are hardly any roads or piste, you will see less cars and maybe more camels.

We will visit villages like Ghourna Rharous, Bamba ( a nice market) and Borem      ( has an old fortress) and just before reaching Gao we will stop at the pink dune.

From Gao you can make an excursion to Ansongo,  to see the famous hippos. 

During this trip we will spend the nights in tents at the shores and all meals are included; they will be prepared by the co-traveling cook.

Lunches will be picnics  and the dinners are served at lamp light on the shores