WEST AFRICA
Exploring Mali, by foot, camel or riverboat
Though largely unknown right now, Mali could be on the tip of every traveler's tongue before long. Where is it? On the western side of the African continent.
Though largely unknown right now, Mali could be on the tip of every traveler's tongue before long. Where is it? On the western side of the African continent. It's almost twice the size of Texas and a little tough to get to. So why bother? Because this is one of the most colorful and exciting countries in Africa.
A river runs through it
Mali is landlocked but varied: desert in the north, forest in the south, the Niger River sweeping right across it. It boasts a pretty stable government — it is one of the few nations where democracy and Islam prosper peacefully — and a population of about 10 million. The people are relaxed and welcoming to tourists.
Dazzling architecture
You can begin with one word: Tombouctou, also known as Timbuktu. Yes, Mali is home to the town with the most exotic travel name of all. It's also home to some of the most eye-catching architecture on Earth, the beautiful mud mosques, which can be found in tiny villages and big cities.
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Take a hike
Few places are more exotic than Dogon country. Within easy reach of Mopti, the villages of the Dogon people are dotted along the sheer face of the 90-mile-long Bandiagara Escarpment. The Dogon are an ethnic group of about 300,000 living in the central plateau region and are known for their mythology, masks and architecture. One of the best ways to explore this region is on foot, and Mali tour operators can arrange hiking trips lasting from a day to a week.
Shorter trips too
If trekking through Dogon country sounds too much like hard work, it's possible to get a taste of a handful of Dogon villages in a day-trip loop from Mopti. Although accommodations can be fairly rough and ready, it's worth the effort to stay a little longer.
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Welcome to Tombouctou
Sooner or later you have to go to Tombouctou. The most authentic way of getting there, if you don't have time to join a camel caravan, is to travel by riverboat. It takes about two days from Mopti to Korioumé, the port for Tombouctou, and this makes an excellent short introduction to Niger River travel — although even this short trip is strictly for the dedicated traveler.
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Camel crossing
Even today Tombouctou feels like another world. Tuareg caravans with 60 to 300 camels toting salt from the mines at Taoudenni — nearly 500 miles to the north — still arrive in the town every few days during the October to March cool season, after a desert crossing that typically takes more than two weeks. There are some fine examples of mud mosques, and visitors are welcome in the Dyingerey Ber Mosque, the oldest of the lot. The town also boasts the houses of several early European and American visitors.
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Edge of the Sahara
In truth, Tombouctou is a dusty and worn-looking place, more alluring in name than in fact, but its setting, on the very edge of the Sahara Desert, is truly spectacular. Traveling northwest from Tombouctou, you realize there's an awful lot of emptiness to cross before you reach Morocco.
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Rolling on the river
On the Niger, there's a constant bustle of activity, and you can get a good taste for river traffic at Mopti's active port. Close to the junction of the Niger and Bani Rivers, Mopti is a good middle point between Bamako and Tombouctou, and riverboats are constantly coming and going.
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Lodging and tours
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