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Getting to Dogon country There are basically 3 ways to start trekking in Dogon:
- The most popular way is to go from Sévaré/Mopti to Bandiagara. You can already hire a guide in Mopti or Savaré, which will cost between 10.000 to 20.000 CFA pp depending on how many you are in the group. Or you can hire one in Bandiagara.
- Or you could go 45 km further to Sanga and hire a guide there.
- Another less touristic way is to start from Douentza. BTW, the campement there is pretty bad.
Trekking rules in general
Guides 1) You will need a guide to do your trekking, and you'll need to be a bit lucky with him.
2) It's not difficult to find one, most often they'll find you. You can already hire a guide in Mopti or Savaré, which will cost between 10.000 to 20.000 CFA pp depending on how many you are in the group. Or you can hire one in Bandiagara.
3) A recommended guide is Abdoulaye Ibrahim Maiga, tel 22 30 51, passport number 3673054. Check his passport to see you've got the right guy. He lives in Bamako. you can also reach him at the hotel Lac Debo, his nickname is "Pet". We payed 1.250.000 CFA for a 1 month trip including bus, food, hotel, a 10 day trekking in Dogon with carriers.
4) You can also hire a guide in Douentza, but make sure you avoid Abu Bakr Traore because he's more drunk then sober and doesn't really care about you. A better bet is his brother Amadou Bakr Traore.
5) In Bamba Abdoulaye Guindo was also good.
6) George Sutart recommended his guide (10/2000):
- I just returned from a two week trip in Mali, and would like to recommend our guide. He is Malick Napo, who is a Dogon himself. He and his driver took us from the airport to Hombori and back.We were all very impressed by his hardwork and commitment to serve the tourists in every way possible. He likes especially to get into the outback, camp, and he prefers the less traveled, less touristic spots. All together, we got our moneys worth. His english is great. He also knows Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. He can be reached at the Hotel Debo in Sevare, BP 72.
- Other reasons we recommend him:
- he arranged a traditional dance just for us in Tireli ( paid for with our fee to him, of course)
-he owns his own car and his driver has worked for him for 6 years
-he invited us to his home for a traditional meal, and invited musicians thereto play marimbas and drums
-he accompanied us everywhere until our departure on the plane, even when it seemed likely that he might prefer to visit with one of his many friends he ran into along the way
-he responded promptly to our faxes and letters from the States
-he rearranged the itinerary to better suit our needs i.e. when we hesitated to go as far as Timbuktu by car, he organized the camel ride and Taureg visit near Hombori
-he arranged for us to spend an afternoon with the Tuareg people, and found elephants near Douentz.
-he arranged all our accomodations
-he spoke 8 languages along the course of the trip and is fluent in French, and his English is very good.
-he has guided since he was 15, including for the Ambassador of France and his friends
-he was comfortable camping and hiking, and avoided the more touristy places. We were interested in the cultural side of life there, and we feel this was his forte. He is busy every Dec, Jan and August, but wants more steady clients the other months. We heard of him via Internet, and I told him I would try to help his business as best I could.
-He charged about 2100$US for the whole trip, or about $100 US per day. We split the cost amongst the three of us. That covered his fee - hotel rooms and meals for he and the driver, the fuel, and the entry fee for the Dogon villages, as well as the dance in Tireli that was organized for us and performed by the village men
7) In Sanga, a trekking will cost about 10.000 CFA pp per day all included. If you want someone to carry your luggage, it's 2.500 CFA extra per day.
What to take - A sleeping sheet, in cold season you'll also need something to keep you warm at night since you'll be sleeping on the roof.
- During rainy season take a mosquito net.
- Walking shoes.
- Take water purifying tablets. Bottled water is available but expensive.
-Cola nuts useful as gifts in the villages.
- A hat and clothing to protect you from the sun.
Tips It is very warm, so you'll start walking very early. In general you'll walk between 4 and 5 hours a day. It's best to rest between 10 am and 3.30 pm.
Trekking from Bandiagara From Djiguibombo to Dourou
This is the most popular route. You'll walk along the escarpment.
From Dourou to Sanga
This is less popular, and we thought it was a bit more beautiful naturewise. Apparently taxes of the villages here are a bit higher. The trekking from Djiguibombo all the way to Sanga is 70 km and we walked it in 10 days.
Trekking from Douentza to Sanga
This is definitely a less touristic route, since you enter Dogon from the backyard. The first 3 days you'll walk in sand. you will see rocks and mountains, but not really the escarpment like you would imagine.
Day 1: Douentza to Fombori is 40 minutes, it's a nice village with a museum. then you walk till Dianwely, and sleep at the local school.
Day 2: to Beni in 1 hour, houses in stone here. Then another 3h30' till Nende where we saw the market (once every 5 days).
Day 3: Nende to Bamba takes 3h30'. There's a market on Saturday, and you then have minibuses to Douentza. You can also rent your own car for 40.000 CFA.
Day 4: To Yenduma is 4h10', this is a marvellous villages built on the escarpment. From here, there are different possibilities to go to Sanga.
Day 5: To Sanga. |
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