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Tour Operator

Palace Travel Inc

Offer

Offer valid through 3/31/2010

Duration

2 Days

Escorted

Escorted - Yes

Itinerary

Day

Destination

Description

Day 1

Segou

After breakfast on your own, we will drive to Segou, one of Mali's largest cities and former colonial administrative center. Upon arrival, we will explore Segou to admire the beautiful Sudanese-style colonial architecture, visit a number of centers to see women preparing local beer, the pottery market, traditional weavers and other artisans. Visit Sekoro village "the Old Segou", the former capital of the Bambara kingdom where you will see the tomb of King Biton Coulibaly. Following lunch we will take an afternoon cruise in a traditional pinasse on the River Niger to the Bambara village of Kalabougou. The village is known for its pottery and we may see the women creating and kilning their work. Overnight in Segou.

Meals included: None

Meal(s) Included: No

Overnight at Hotel Auberge or Similar

Day 2

Bamako

Enjoy breakfast before we return to explore the capital city of Bamako situated on the Niger River. Mali is a country of many tribal peoples, each with their own exuberant styles of clothing and jewelry. There is nowhere better to see this colorful diversity than in the streets and markets of the capital. In the city's craft bazaar we shall see sculptors, weavers, leather workers, jewelers and metal workers exhibiting their wares and displaying their skills. One area of the market is devoted entirely to traditional African medicines. Here you'll find the freshly shrunken heads of birds, monkeys and crocodiles, along with lizard skins and other gruesome treatments. Later we will visit the National Museum, providing an excellent introduction to the ethnic diversity of the country.

We will also have a tour of the Musokunda Museum where you will see the different types of women's clothing by ethnic group. Time permitting we will visit the recycling market of Bamako where local artists turn one man's trash into another's treasure.

Meals included: Breakfast

Meal(s) Included: No