Things to see and do in Timbuktu, Mali
Posted:26 Nov 2008 11:37
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My top tips - local ideas, insider tips, special things to see and do
I had wanted to travel with the camel salt caravans to Timbuktu for ten years. In January 1999 my husband Ludo and I arrived in Timbuktu and met a woman who introduced us to a Berabish guide called Shindouk. He helped arrange for us to travel with the camel salt caravans who carry salt from mines in the Sahara to Timbuktu to sell in the market.
We loaded up a vehicle with petrol, rice, dates and nuts and set off into the desert in search of one of these caravans. But we broke down in the middle of nowhere and were resigned to turning back when we saw a caravan heading north. Amazingly, it turned out that they were members of Shindouk’s extended family – but not as high in hierarchy, so when we asked if they would take us on their journey the poor blokes had no choice but to agree.
The five-week journey in the desert that followed was the most incredible experience. We got involved in the routine of this extraordinary journey that they make twice a year. I learnt an incredible patience and resilience. At one point we were caught in a sandstorm for 48 hours. We had not tents; we just had to hunker down. You had to totally shut your brain down. You can’t go anywhere; you can’t even open your eyes.
When we travelled we’d get up at 2am. It’d be freezing cold and we’d walk in the dark for four hours, then ride for another ten. Those people became pivotal to our lives. I’ve never seen them since, but every journey I take I feel they’re with me.
Towards the end we found out they hadn’t originally planned to go to Timbuktu, but to their camp 200km north. They would keep the salt there until the summer when the price went up and sell it then. But they were going to take us to Timbuktu – it was a matter of honor.
Where they dropped us off, we ended up staying with a local family and visited the local school. The teacher asked if we had a map of the world, and then it hit me: it would have been so easy to have brought one with me if I had known how much difference it would have made to people there. That was the catalyst for the idea that became my website www.stuffyourrucksack.com [web link]
We loaded up a vehicle with petrol, rice, dates and nuts and set off into the desert in search of one of these caravans. But we broke down in the middle of nowhere and were resigned to turning back when we saw a caravan heading north. Amazingly, it turned out that they were members of Shindouk’s extended family – but not as high in hierarchy, so when we asked if they would take us on their journey the poor blokes had no choice but to agree.
The five-week journey in the desert that followed was the most incredible experience. We got involved in the routine of this extraordinary journey that they make twice a year. I learnt an incredible patience and resilience. At one point we were caught in a sandstorm for 48 hours. We had not tents; we just had to hunker down. You had to totally shut your brain down. You can’t go anywhere; you can’t even open your eyes.
When we travelled we’d get up at 2am. It’d be freezing cold and we’d walk in the dark for four hours, then ride for another ten. Those people became pivotal to our lives. I’ve never seen them since, but every journey I take I feel they’re with me.
Towards the end we found out they hadn’t originally planned to go to Timbuktu, but to their camp 200km north. They would keep the salt there until the summer when the price went up and sell it then. But they were going to take us to Timbuktu – it was a matter of honor.
Where they dropped us off, we ended up staying with a local family and visited the local school. The teacher asked if we had a map of the world, and then it hit me: it would have been so easy to have brought one with me if I had known how much difference it would have made to people there. That was the catalyst for the idea that became my website www.stuffyourrucksack.com [web link]
