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MALI,
WEST AFRICA SECTION PAGE
Mali travel is
a historical sojourn across the country's esoteric landscape, dotted
with numerous cultural and historical sites. Every year thousands of
tourists travel to Mali to experience the beauty and charm of this
country. Mali travel has a lot to offer in terms or leisure and
recreational activities.
The cities in Mali are
enchanting and evoke an old world charm. Timbuktu, perched on the
southern most tip of the rigorous Sahara desert is an ancient city.
It is famous for the University of Sankore, which is the seat of
Islamic learning. The city of Gao till today shows traits of the
cultural legacy of the Songhai empire. Mopti is the center of
tourist attractions. Timbuktu and Pays Dogon have been declared
World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The different World Heritage Sites,
National Parks and culturally and historically significant places
are the chief attractions in Mali tourism.
Mali tour and vacation allow
the traveler to explore the country through different perspectives.
The boating tours along the Niger River offer a quick glimpse of the
beautiful countryside. Hiking tours offer ample opportunity to
rediscover the Dog on country. Tours on camel caravan across the
Sahara desert is a wonderful experience.
Tourists can travel to Mali by air, land or water. Flight is the
most convenient and easy way of reaching Mali. Most of the European
aviation majors have flights to different airports in Mali. Gao
International Airport receives several international and domestic
flights. Senou International Airport, Kayes Airport and Mopti
Airport receive flights from major destinations of the world. Since
Mali is a landlocked country, the only way to Mali by road is
through Algeria. Road journey is viable for short sight seeing
trips. Ferries along the river Niger link various cities in Mali.
The best time for traveling to Mali is between November and
January.
Mali hotels assure
a pleasant and a hassle free stay to the travelers. Various types of
hotel can be found in Mali and they offer different category of
rooms, according the individual tastes and needs of the traveler.
Mali hotels offer excellent amenities. Numerous luxury hotels,
budget hotels and bed and breakfast hotels are available in cities
like Bamako, Mopti and Gao.
Mali Culture Tours
Mali culture tours provide tourists an opportunity to take a
closer look into the tradition and culture of the beautiful
country of Mali. Mali is one of the largest West African
countries where the majority of population belongs to the Muslim
community. Mali culture forms an integral part of the nation.
The rich culture of the country is visible in its people,
artworks, architectural constructions and all. Diverse forms of
culture can also be observed in food and music of Mali. Cultural
tours in Mali include the religion, language and festivals of
the region.
Mali is a perfect tourism destination for the tourists looking
for an adventurous and exciting vacation. Mali is blessed with
the fabulous mosque, fishing port, bustling market and the
traditional colorful festivals. The desert festivals of Mali
draw huge number of tourists from all over the world.
While on a cultural tour to Mali the tourists get to gather
information about the country's religious customs. As the
country of Mali is home to diverse ethnic tribal group, the
cultural activities of Mali vary accordingly. The largest tribe
that occupies Mali is the Bambara. The Dogons and Tuareg also
practice their individual traditional way of life. Mali cultural
tours take tourists to the villages and towns inhabited by these
tribal communities. It includes trips to the unique Dogon
villages clustered in and around the Bandigara escarpment. The
Niger River, Mopti and Djenne are also covered by the cultural
tour of Mali.
Mali Eco Tours and Vacations
Mali Eco tours and vacations are among the popular tours in
Africa. These tours help the tourists to experience the surreal
landscape of the country. Eco tourism in Mali allows the
tourists to explore the natural regions of the country. It also
enables the travelers to enjoy the picturesque beauty of Mali.
Mali is the largest country of West Africa, which is surrounded
by Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast in the south, Senegal in the
west, Mauritania in the west and north-west, Algeria in the
north and north east, Niger in the south and east and Guinea in
the south-west. The country is blessed with a desert landscape.
It is, in fact, one of the famous destinations of eco tourism.
Some of the tourist sites in Mali that form an indelible part of
Mali Eco tours and vacations are:
- Mopti - It is one of the popular sites of Mali. Tourists
willing to make a trip to Mopti can visit the town between
August and November. During this time, Mopti experiences a
pleasant weather.
- Bandiagara Escarpment - Bandiagara Escarpment is
situated near Dogon and is one of the popular destinations
for trekking in the country. It is a sandstone ridge that
rises about 1,000 feet above the adjoining areas.
- Segou - Segou is known to be a greener and colonial
version of Djenne. It is located about 200 kilometers from
Bamako.
- Djenne - Djenne is one of the important tourist sites in
Mali. It is known to house beautiful mud architecture and
mud mosques. It is also famous for its Monday market.
MALI
On the junction of Black Africa
and North Africa, Mali is a vast territory where the
majority of the population kept the ancestral way of life of
the nomads, the peasants or the fishermen. Its history goes
back to highest antiquity and it was the cradle of several
great medieval empires of Western Africa whose fame of
wealth related to gold caused many covetousness's.
Since, this country was done
discrete but still has in its centre a priceless wealth: the
Plateau of Bandiagara. By its geological, archaeological,
ethnological characteristics and its exceptional cliff
landscapes, it is one of the most imposing sites of West
Africa.
Indeed, it shelters very
beautiful architectures (dwellings, altar stones,
sanctuaries and men shelters called Togunas) and has
prestigious social traditions still alive (masks, ritual and
popular festivals, worships to the ancestors through several
ceremonies) perpetuated through the centuries by Dogons one
of the most astonishing people of all Africa.
Cut off since from the
centuries to the chaotic universe of cliffs of Bandiagara as
in a fortress, they knew to safeguard their culture which is
deeply influenced by a single cosmogony.
From sandy dunes of the north
to savannas of the south, there are many things to see in
Mali:
-
Superb landscapes, villages
with animated and colorful markets, majestuous mud-made
mosques.
-
The River Niger, this
attractive river, a casting of similar life in the Nile
which traverses the country liberally and comes to be
lost in an interior delta, by giving life to the arid
grounds.
-
The legendary cities of
Timbuktu and Djenne, but also cities and areas less
known but not less interesting. With this trip, we
invite you to go to discover Mali, this country whose
human wealth does not find its similar elsewhere!
Bamako: "Bamako is a Bambara word meaning
"Crocodiles River". In 1806 Bamako was a Bozo fishing and
trading community of about 6000 people. In 1883, the French
captured the town and in 1908 Bamako became their regional
seat of power and they built their residence on the hill of
Koulouba. At the independence in 1960, Bamako was chosen as
the capital."
Essakane: Created in January 2001, the "festival au desert"
is held every year in Essakane, two hours from Timbuktu in
Mali. This Festival seeks its origin in the big traditional
Tuareg festivities, as Takoubelt in Kidal and Temakannit in
Timbuktu, which represented for long time a place for
decision making and exchange of information among the
different communities. At the beginning, there were songs
and Tuareg dances, poetries, camel rides, games, etc. Today,
the Festival is opened to the external world and welcomes
artists from other Malian regions, other African countries,
but also from Europe and from the whole world. During three
days, around 30 artistic groups are invited from all around
the world to present their art. Due to the attention of the
media and to the huge logistic effort that it is mobilizing,
the Festival is now included among the Big Modern Festivals,
though it maintains its traditional cultural aspects.
May 18, 2014
UN, EU TEAM UP TO RESTORE
TIMBUKTU'S CULTURAL HERITAGE
NEW YORK, NY - The United Nations and the European
Union have forged an agreement today to fund the
restoration of cultural heritage in Timbuktu that
was destroyed by extremists after fighting broke out
in 2012 between Malian government forces and Tuareg
rebels.
With 500,000 euros provided by the European Union,
the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) will coordinate the
reconstruction of destroyed mausoleums, the
rehabilitation of mosques and private libraries, as
well as ancient manuscript conservation projects.
Local personnel will also be trained to ensure
lasting preservation.
Timbuktu was an economic, intellectual and spiritual
capital and a center for the propagation of Islam
throughout Africa during the city's golden age in
the 15th and 16th centuries.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova welcomed the
support extended to Mali and the heritage
reconstruction project by the European Union and
other donors.
“The agreement signed today shows that we are on
track,” she stated in a news release. “Two
mausoleums have now been rebuilt and this new
agreement comes at an opportune moment to speed up
work underway and ensure that the people of Mali can
reclaim heritage that is essential to their identity
and that can contribute to reconciliation.
“This is vital for Mali and is important for the
rest of the world because World Heritage is common
to us all,” she said.
Fourteen of the 16 mausoleums of Timbuktu inscribed
on UNESCO's World Heritage List were destroyed by
armed groups during the conflict. The manuscripts of
Mali constitute a unique documentary collection that
bears testimony to the history of Africa and of
humanity as a whole.
During the conflict, more than 4,000 of the 40,000
manuscripts kept at the Ahmed Baba Institute were
lost. Some were burned or stolen, while more than
10,000 remain in a critical condition. Local
communities secretly transferred more than 300,000
manuscripts to the capital, Bamako. They are now
conserved in conditions that are not optimal for
their safeguarding, according to UNESCO.
The heritage project will be led in cooperation with
the Malian Ministry of Culture, Higher Education and
Scientific Research, with logistical support from
the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization
Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)
TRAVEL AND TOURISM AGENCY
Incentive - Cultural and adventure travels - Car Rental -
Handling
Bamako MALI
West Africa Tours:
Mariama, the
manager and owner of West Africa tours (www.touringmali.com)
is a native of Timbuktu. For more than 15 years, as a
founder and owner, she has been managing the first
female-owned travel agency in Mali which brought hundreds of
foreign visitors to the ageless lands of Mali and the
Sahara.
Mariama's expertise in promoting and conducting unique
journeys to Mali and to other parts of West Africa is
well-established in Europe and the American continent. Her
dedication and commitment to quality travels combined with a
profound respect for diversity made her one of the early
promoters of the Essakane desert festival.
Mariama is a an active member of the International Board of
Directors of the US- based Africa Travel Association (ATA).
Awards:
Our team of experienced
personnel pay particular attention to your requirements in
Mali and will make you feel at home away from home. Welcome
to our World!
For more information
contact:
Mariama Ludovic de Lys, Director
West Africa Tours
email: mariamaludovice@yahoo.com
Land Line/Mali: + 223 20288157
Mobile/Mali: + 223 76466124
FAX/Mali: 223 20285232
Mobile/Senegal: +221 775101558
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