Sorry. There are no scheduled departures for this expedition.
Below please find the day-by-day itinerary for this expedition.
Unless otherwise noted, daily excursion options are included in the cost of the
trip. We do our best to adhere to the scheduled itinerary, but in the spirit of
our expeditionary style of travel we may deviate slightly to take full
advantage of encounters with the destination and its people, culture, and
wildlife.
An itinerary from a previous expedition is displayed below.
Day 1 Depart USA
Depart on your independent flight to Bamako, Mali.
Day 2 Bamako, Mali
Arrive in Bamako this evening and transfer to the Hotel Salam where we spend the next two
nights.
Day 3 Bamako
Today we tour the city of Bamako, a fascinating
mix of French colonial buildings and colorful
street markets that characterize much of West Africa. We visit the National Museum and enjoy lunch at a lovely restaurant on the Niger River, followed by a stop at the Artisans’ Market.
Day 4 Bamako / Timbuktu / Mopti
This morning we depart on our private
aircraft to the most famous named place on the planet: Timbuktu.
The ancient home of Islamic learning and a major stop on the gold and salt caravan route, we tour the city’s venerable mosques, Ethnological Museum, and the houses of the legendary explorers Rene Caille, Gordon
Laing, and Henry Barth. We then make our way to the encircling sand dunes to visit a Tuareg encampment. Here, the legendary Blue Men of the desert treat us to a special
performance, followed by a sumptuous traditional lunch. We return to the airport this afternoon for our private flight to Mopti and overnight at Hotel
Kanaga, our home for four nights.
Day 5 Mopti / Djenné
Today we visit Djenné, which claims to be
the oldest city in West Africa, and
little appears to have changed over the centuries. The small adobe city is a labyrinth of alleys lined with mud
houses adorned with thatched roofs, ornate window shutters, and doors decorated
with paint and metal objects that give the town its unique, otherworldly charm.
The centerpiece of the town is the justly famous red mud mosque, claimed to be
the largest mud building in the world. This is an outstanding example of
Sudanese architecture and provides a wonderful backdrop as we visit the weekly
Monday market. Here we discover a wide
variety of goods and have a chance to mingle with members of the many
ethnic groups living along the Niger River Valley.
Day 6 Mopti / Dogon Country
Today visit the celebrated Dogon Country
with its picturesque mud villages,
caves, and cliffside dwellings. The
scenery here has a breadth and scale
rarely seen elsewhere, with sweeping escarpments,
towering cliffs, and dark, brooding canyons. After a picnic lunch, we are
entertained with a Dogon mask performance, where energetic dancers don
elaborately-carved masks, some up to 10 feet
in height.
Day 7 Mopti
This morning explore the canal-laced city of
Mopti and visit the old Teikiri neighborhood, the Sougouni market, and
the local craft market. This afternoon board local canoes for a sun-downer cruise along this bustling
port that draws traders from across the shifting red sands of the Sahara.
Day 8 Mopti / Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso / Ouagadougou
The first leg of today’s private flight will
be to Burkina Faso’s second largest city, Bobo Dioulasso. Here we visit the Dioulasoba Mosque, the market, and, after lunch, view Banfora’s spectacular landscape of domes gently shaped by wind erosion. Our second leg brings us to the capital city of Ouagadougou for an
overnight at Hotel Laico Ouaga 2000.
Day 9 Ouagadougou / Tièbèlè
We continue our exploration of Burkina Faso, driving south to the village of
Tièbèlè, home to the Gouruonsi people. Here, we visit the king’s family and several local homes and conclude our
time in the village with a Nagla, or
warrior, ceremony. Return to Ouagadougou in the early afternoon to peruse the
handicraft village and overnight at Hotel
Laico Ouaga 2000.
Day 10 Ouagadougou / Kumasi, Ghana
This morning our private flight takes us to Ghana.
After check-in and lunch, we visit Kumasi’s Cultural Center and Museum
and the Central Market, considered one of the largest open-air markets in
western Africa. Overnight at the Golden
Tulip Hotel.
Day 11 Kumasi
Known as “The Garden City” because of its tropical climate and vegetation, Kumasi is the cultural cradle of Ghana and home of the
Ashanti King. Today, we have the opportunity to participate in Akwasidee, a
public ceremony to celebrate the culmination of the 42-day cycle of the Ashanti
religious calendar, and witness the gathering of various Ashanti dignitaries in
town for the celebration. After lunch we visit the handicraft villages of Ahwia
and Ntonso. Overnight at the Golden Tulip
Hotel.
Day 12 Kumasi / Elmina
This morning drive to Ghana’s coastal region
with our first stop in Elmina. After lunch, we explore the haunting grounds of Elmina Castle. Built in 1482 by the Portuguese, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was one of the
most important stops on the Atlantic slave
trade route. We also get a taste of seaside culture as we walk through Elmina’s
bustling market and along the harbor. Overnight at Elmina Beach Resort.
Day 13 Elmina / Cape Coast / Accra
After breakfast visit the acclaimed Kakum National
Park, home to Africa’s only walkway suspended
in a rain forest canopy. With heights
of up to 100 feet from the ground, the 1,000-foot-long aerial walk provides a marvelous vantage point to observe the park’s rare mammal and bird species.
For those who wish to explore Cape Coast at ground-level, we visit the Cape
Coast Castle and African Historical Museum, where slaves were once bought and
sold. We then make our way to Accra for a city tour and overnight at Labadi Beach Resort.
Day 14 Accra
This morning we visit the Artist Alliance Gallery of Accra, with a wonderful collection of contemporary Ghanaian and West African art. In
the afternoon we tour the Casket Market at Nungua to see woodworkers creating customized
coffins in the shapes of fruits, animals, and even automobiles to represent the
lives of the deceased. Overnight at Labadi
Beach Resort.
Day 15 Accra / USA
Transfer this morning to the airport to connect with your independent homeward
flights.
