from MOPTI to
TIMBUKTU; 3 days/ 2 nights
An early start in the morning – at sunrise we embark the pinasse to set sail to Timbuktu (which is about 450 kms. away).
It is also a nice trip to
take along your books, magazines or a crossword puzzle; an ideal time to relax
and enjoy the scenery at the same time .
Different tribes live along the Niger, like: Bozo, Peul and Sonraï.
The Bozo are the
fishermen; you will encounter them regularly when they cast their nets,
balancing in their pirogues; the Peul are the herdsmen, who lead their cattle
along to the pastures; the Sonraï are the cultivators, the farmers; you can see
them with their tools to work in the mango-orchards, their vegetable gardens or
the rice fields etc.; along the shores you see the special water pumps, used to
irrigate the land. And they are also the merchants/ the piroguiers, who glide
their loaded boats over the water
Hardly a mile without a village – everywhere you can see the red-ochre colours of these villages with their own, characteristic mosques; and women who are pounding the millet , children waving enthusiastically.
Along the shores and on
small islands you will see the encampments of the Bozo; their huts of reed with
palm leafs are easy recognizable. In the rainy season they leave their islands
to higher grounds.
We will stop ever so often to visit a few of these villages, like Kotaka , Togonrogo, Aka and Youvarou; do not be surprised if you will be met by a welcoming committee of children.
You have time to meet the
villagers and get to know a little about their daily life. The guide can help
you overcome the language barrier.
We will cross the Lac Débo; it is considered to be the most important and the largest fishing area in Mali ; you will see a lot of fishermen, casting their nest and hoping for a good catch of capitaines (Nile perch), carps or catfish. All around you will see small Bozo villages. The lake is a special Unesco zone for migratory birds; and birds you will see many. Numerous and colourful are the cormorants , which are standing on the sand banks, drying their wings; or the king fishers, eagles, large flocks of herons etc.
After crossing the lake we will sail via Attara to Niafunké (the birthplace of the famous artist Ali Farka Touré, where he also lived until his death in 2006)
Tonka and Diré to Timbuktu.
The roof of the pinasse provides a perfect place to watch the landscape go by; at the banks more and more dome shapes huts of the Bella appear; they are a nomad tribe, which trade wood and charcoal.
Regularly you see the donkeys with a towering pile of wood on their backs .
You will see a change of scenery when approaching Timbuktu; more and more sand dunes will appear .
We arrive at the port of
Korioume in the afternoon; the 4x4 are already waiting to transport you the last
12 kms. to (your hotel in) the city.
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.
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Youvarou is a nice, large village; during a stroll you can see the village-life. It also has a lot of schools, a market, shops, a water tower, a hospital, a mosque and a radio station.
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TONGOROKO
The most interesting features in this little village on the riverbanks are its mosque and the ceramist quarter. You can see the pots, hanging to dry.
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| copyright: Olivier Aubert |
KOTAKA
Kotaka is a village, not very well known, but it is worth visiting. It has a precious little mosque with a labyrinth of mud helmets.
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Niafunké is
a large sized village; it has a hotel; an airport and a bustling market, where
lots of things are sold – like food, cookware, meat, plastic articles and where
bread is baked in an open stove.
You can
also see a lot of Peul herders.
It is the
birthplace and was the residence of the famous musician Ali Farka Touré; he died
in 2006.
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Diré is practically only visited by pinasse tourists. It has a picturesque port, a market and a mosque, built from bricks and plastered in a yellow-orangy colour.
The advancing desert is already visible.
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LAC DÉBO
The big Lac
Débo measures 30x30 kms. and can be crossed in 4 hours when it's full of water
during the rainy season and the months afterwards.
But during
the dry season the water level drops considerably and parts of the lake can be
crossed on foot.
It is
considered one of the greatest fishing areas of
Surrounding
the lake are the Bozo villages; and you may see a lot of birds as well;
migratory and others, like white herons, kingfishers and finches
The lake is
classified by the Unesco as a special zone for migration birds.
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 copyright: Olivier Aubert |
