Recession bustin' sounds

While the Government is implementing a variety of recession busting tactics – from VAT cuts to cash ‘Christmas presents’ for pensioners (no, dressing up as Santa won’t do), Dragoman is offering one of its own - a 25% discount on the world’s ultimate music festival in Mali.

Join Dragoman and an audience of Tuareg (plus their camels) in Segou, for Mali’s riverside Festival of the Niger (29th Jan-1st Feb 09), part of an extraordinary 21-night Sounds of the Sahara journey, and save £212. The tour departs Bamako 16th January 2009.

The main focus of this tour is Segou, set on the shores of the Niger River, where once a year the majority of the country’s musical and cultural talent converges for the Festival on the Niger (see festivalsegou.org). For 4 days travellers enjoy performances from a host of Malian and international musicians, dancers, puppeteers and storytellers making the event one of West Africa’s most important artistic expositions.

Dragoman’s journey also explores Mali’s most unusual tribal cultures during a 3-day trek through Dogon lands on the Bandigara Escarpment. Here, travellers experience village mask dances, the rhythms of Dogon drumming and the remarkable origins of the tribe’s Sirius B (the Dogstar)-worshipping beliefs. Elsewhere, a 3-day river boat voyage up the Niger explores the river’s inland delta and takes travellers to the anecdotally remote desert settlement of Timbuktu. Here, amongst dusty teashops and simple restaurants, Dragoman seeks out authentic Tuareg jamming sessions for more, memorable sounds.

Further highlights include the thriving river port of Mopti and the frenetic markets of Djenne, with its famous mosque – the world’s largest mud structure. The tour concludes back in Bamako with one last chance to hit Rue Dafake and the live bands at top venue, Le Hogon.

The Sounds of the Sahara tour now costs £638 p/p (was £850 – saving £212) plus kitty USD$810 (~£537) including transport aboard Dragoman’s expedition truck, camping accommodation, all camp meals and expert guiding. Flights are not included but are available through Dragoman.

For more information and bookings, log on to Dragoman.com.