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Mali: Legendary Timbuktu
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Timbuktu in Mali is a popular tourist destination, not only for it's legendary history but because it is notoriously difficult to get there. Find out what boat to catch to reach this exotic town.
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Mali is not the place to go for safaris. What it does have is a smorgasbord of surreal landscapes, beautiful artwork, Timbuktu, castellated mosques made entirely of mud, pink sandstone villages carved into cliff faces, and undulating desert scenes that look like out-takes from Lawrence of Arabia .
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The city of legend truly exists, on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, in Mali. Timbuktu was once a world-renowned center of Islamic culture, as well as an important terminus of the trans-Saharan caravan trade—salt from the north, arriving on the azalaïs, exchanged for gold and slaves from the south; now the city is virtually a time-forgotten relic of its ancient glory. One of Unesco's World Heritage sites, Timbuktu is still worth a visit for its ancient mosques (former universities) or for the austere beauty of the surrounding desert. Also, Timbuktu is the departure point for camel treks or 4-wheel drive excursions into the desert, to visit Tuareg villages. An outing can be for an afternoon, or for several days. All overnight outings entail camping on the sand dunes and enjoying the legendary hospitality of desert tribes.
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It is possible to travel around Mali by boat... this is very seasonal. The most common option, only really possible in the wet season, is a barge to/from Timbuktu. There are also very small boats, "pirogues" in French, which are available to be hired almost anywhere - they are essentially large canoes. When the big boats are not running you can still charter a pinasse (like a big, motorised pirogue). Or use one of the public pinasses. These will run for another 3 months or so before the water levels being too low for them as well.
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Legendary Timbuktu