Timbuktu Festival Tour
Six days timed around the Timbuktu Festival — two full days in the city itself (UNESCO mud mosques, manuscript library, Tuareg music, camel races), followed by Ségou, Segoukoro and the Manding country at Siby.
A six-day journey built around the annual Timbuktu Festival. Fly in from Bamako and spend two unhurried days in the UNESCO mud city — the three Great Mosques, the manuscript library, Tuareg concerts, camel racing and the local bread-making workshops — then loop back through Ségou, the former Bambara capital at Segoukoro, and the Manding country at Siby before departing from Bamako.
This tour also pairs beautifully with our Burkina Faso Mask Festival departure, which picks up a few days later in Ouagadougou.
Day by day.
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Day 1
16 Dec 2026Bamako
Bamako
- Meet your guide and transfer to the hotel
- Overnight in Bamako
Overnight
Bamako hotel — Twin room
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Day 2
17 Dec 2026Bamako — Timbuktu
Bamako · Timbuktu
- Morning flight from Bamako to Timbuktu
- Visit the three mud mosques — UNESCO World Heritage architectural gems
- Explore the explorers' houses and the manuscript library with its historical texts
- Ethnological museum
- Evening cultural performances: traditional music that brings Timbuktu's heritage to life during the festival
Overnight
Timbuktu lodging — Twin room · 24/7 security
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Day 3
18 Dec 2026Timbuktu — festival day
Timbuktu
- Morning exploration, deeper into the city's history and culture
- Tuareg traditional music — integral to the cultural identity of the Tuareg people
- Afternoon camel race celebrating the region's nomadic lifestyle
- Timbuktu bread-making workshop
Overnight
Timbuktu lodging — Twin room · 24/7 security
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Day 4
19 Dec 2026Timbuktu — Bamako — Ségou
Timbuktu · Bamako · Segoukoro · Ségou
- Morning transfer to the airport and flight back
- Continue to Ségou along the Niger River
- Stop at Segoukoro, former capital of the Bambara Kingdom
- Meet the village chief; visit the royal palace and the two mud mosques built by the last Bambara king
- In Ségou: explore the old neighborhood, meet locals, visit a mud-cloth (bogolan) production center
Overnight
Hotel Djoliba — Twin room
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Day 5
20 Dec 2026Ségou — Siby — Bamako
Bamako · Siby · Manding country
- Drive to the Manding country — home of the Mandinka people, descendants of the 13th-century Mali Empire
- Arch of Kamandjan — a natural stone formation that served as a meeting place for warriors, councils and scholars since the 13th century
- Sacrificial caves
- Specially organised Malinké mask dance (optional)
Overnight
Campement de l'Arche, Siby — Basic facilities
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Day 6
21 Dec 2026Siby — Bamako — departure
Siby · Bamako
- Breakfast and drive back to Bamako
- National Museum of Mali
- Recycling market
- Traditional medicine (fetish) market
- Grand Mosque of Bamako
- Relax before transfer to the airport
- Optional: join our Burkina Faso mask festival extension
Overnight
Bamako hotel — Twin room · day use
What's included
- Hotels based on twin room
- Breakfast at all hotels
- All lunches in Timbuktu
- All dinners in Timbuktu
- Return flight Bamako–Timbuktu–Bamako
- 24/7 security in Timbuktu
- Festival VIP tickets
- West-African English & French speaking guide
- Permission letters for sightseeing
- Entrance fees at all locations
- Airport pickup and transportation
- Fuel
What's not included
- International flights to/from Bamako
- Mali visa
- Lunches and dinners outside Timbuktu
- Tips for local guide and driver
- Drinks, souvenirs
- Personal expenses
Ready to join this journey?
Tell us your party size and any preferences — we'll come back with availability, a formal quote and next steps.