In this 2 to 4 day journey along Africa's third longest river, the Niger, you will set out from Mopti in Mali and take a pinasse; motorized canoe with a domed grass canopy.
"The flood plains around Mopti provide a wonderful habitat for birds of all sorts, inccluding many migratory species, and the river itself is home to many fish and the occasional manatee. You may well see hippos too -- their large, irascible presence alerting you to the fragility of your craft. The river is full of activity: local boats carry goods and livestock, fast boats speed tourists to Timbuktu, men fish, women wash clothes at the river's edge or pound millet in a time-honoured fasion. This journey is fun: from time to time the pinasse stops at a village, which you can explore while provisions are bought, appreciating the Moorish mud brick architecture and meeting tribal people such as Fulani and Bozo. Lunch is cooked on board and at night, tents are pitched on the riverbank and dinner is cooked by the fire. Gradually scenery changes: marshlands give way to grasslands and finally, the desert. The trip ends at Korioume, just 6 miles along a paved road from Timbuktu."
*501 Must-Take Journeys. London: Octopus Publishing Group Lmtd, 2008.
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