Mauritania and Mali desert adventure holiday

country:	Mali, Mauritania
departures:	This trip can be tailor made anytime between May and December
price:	From £2450 (14 days) excluding flights. Price includes transfers, accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner, transportation in 4x4 cars, English/French-speaking guide
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

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introduction to Mauritania and Mali desert adventure holiday

Discover the Mauritania of the ancients, its beautiful Oases, the spectacular desert and all the other special and unforgettable places of this deserted country.

We will start by Terjit oasis where an oasis with thermal springs and marvellous pools awaits us for bathing. Then we depart to Chinguitty, the seventh holy city of Islam declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, taking tours in its libraries, quarters and its oases. We will discover on our way some others beautiful villages in Mauritania before joining Kayes- the first colonial capital city of Mali- to admire the colonial monuments. We will continue to Bamako via Kita, arrival in Bamako and visit the national museum, the city market and the artisan village for the end of your trip.

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Arrival at Nouakchott: Airport pickup and transfer to hotel. Night in hotel. Nouakchott: this name reflects the fact that the Neolithic site of the present city was occupied by the sea, and today there are still many shells on the coast.
Day 2:	Nouakchott – Terjit oasis: Departure to Terjit, the most beautiful oasis in Mauritania, where an oasis with thermal springs and marvelous pools awaits us for bathing. Camping with tents.
Day 3:	Terjit oasis - Chinguitty: Departure to Chinguitty, the seventh holy city of Islam declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Having tour in its libraries and quarters and its oases. The ancient city was a center of religious and cultural influence from which Mauritanians spread Islam and the Arab-Muslim culture thorugh the entire of West Africa. Night in a Motel.
Day 4:	Terjit oasis - Chinguitty: Another day to explore Chinguitty.
Day 5:	Chinguitty – Tenewchert oasis - Ouadane: Our journey will take us across 80 km, a true desert sand dune, where we will experience the isolation of the lost cities of the desert. Visit Tenewchert , magic big oasis in plein desert, arrived at Ouadane, Founded in the 6th century of the Hegira (XIIth after J.C), Ouadane was an important step in the trans-trade caravans. Visit the ancient quarters and libraries that displays the surprisingly glorious past of this country. Night in Motel.
Day 6:	Ouadane - Passe of Amogjar – mount of Zarga: The pass of Amogjar is a fascinating canyon where we will have the opportunity to see rock paintings and visit the Fort Saganne, built by the French. We will continue to the mount of Zarga. Camping.
Day 7:	Mont Zarga – Trarza desert – Rashid - Tidjikja: We enter the massive desert of Tagant, which offers immense dunes, stony areas, valleys and oases inhabited by welcoming nomads, which offer the traditional camel milk accompanied perhaps by dates, butter and fresh goat. Visit Rachid oasis and fortress, created in 1723. Reach Tidjikja, administrative capital of the region, an oasis divided into two by a valley bed. Night in motel in Tidjikja.
Day 8:	ksar El Barka – Matmata –Moudjria- Letftar: Visit Ksar el Barka, an ancient city buried in the sand. One can imagine the caravan trade and the opulence of its stores in times gone by. Visit Moudjria Colonial City Founded in 1905 accessed by a steep descent but with a splendid view. Camping on the dunes of Letftar.
Day 9:	Letftar – Djouk - Kiffa: Departure to kiffa, across the beautiful passage of Djouk. Arrive Kiffa, see the beautiful beds made by the women of the city , visit popular markets and beds market. Night in motel
Day 10:	Kiffa – Kankossa – Mali border: Departure to Mali, across some Mauritanian villages, Konakossa villags, arrive border, formality and take the road to Kayes, camping.
Day 11-13:	Kayes – Bafoulabe - Kita - Bamako: Across the Malian villages, Visit the town of Kayes and its historical monuments, the station, Hotel du Rail and its Sudanese architecture, with a boat ride on the River. Visit Bafoulabe abd Kita, discover the culture, 2 nights with camping in Bafoulabe and Kita, arrive Bamako, night in Hotel.
Day 14:	Bamako – Flight: Visit Bamako, the National Museum, the city market, the artisans' village; in the evening, transfer to the airport for flight home.

travelling with a local operator

This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.

how this holiday makes a difference

We believe strongly in low impact or rather positive impact tourism. Broadly speaking this means that we try to minimize the negative aspects of tourism on the local cultures and environments that we visit and highlight the positive aspects. During this trip we will use local transport where possible to help minimize our impacts.

Community
We stay in small-scale locally owned accommodation and home stays, we will also be camping during this trip- for example in Terjit, mount of Zarga and Letftar, we spend the night in a Touareg camp watching a desert sunset and feasting on local delicacies. Where possible we will visit local restaurants and markets during this trip for dining, retaining revenue in local communities.

During this trip we visit kiffa, known for its beds , the Beds of Kiffa , the beautiful beds made by the women of the city and visit popular markets, and we should be able to see some women making beds. We also visit the local market in Kiffa, where you can visit one of the many restaurants you can try local food, like roast meat and couscous with a vegetable sauce. During this trip you will find many artists shops that sell all kinds of Tuareg artisan work. We encourage our customers to buy these local products because we know that it is only through responsible tourism that local people can benefit.

Using local guides is also the best way to get in depth information on not only the historic and cultural aspects of villages but insider information on day to day life and learning to respect local traditions. Mauritanians and Malians are very friendly and hospitable people and we try to find as many opportunities as possible for you to meet the people in a fun and positive way for both sides.

We support a charity project from a customer who wants to give school supplies, cow and chicken to ten villages in January 2010

Environment
Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. We have a strict environmental policy to make sure that the fragile eco-structure of the desert is not damaged or spoilt in any way. Our guides are trained to uphold this policy and all clients are fully briefed on appropriate/responsible behaviour whilst in wilderness areas

Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people.

We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel.

'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left).

We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays.

We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism.

This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards.

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