Festival in the Desert is a world-renowned, three-day music festival held in
the desert village of Essakane, about 45 miles northeast of the legendary city
of Timbuktu in Mali. Music lovers travel from all over the world to experience
this exotic, one-of-a kind event in the Sahara Desert.
• Bamako tour
• Timbuktu tour
• 2 days at the festival
• Camel rides
• Dogon Mask Dance
• Mopti Tour
• Djenne Tour
• Dogon Village Tour
• Segou Tour
• 8 nights in hotels
• 2 nights camping in private tents
• Bamako tour
• Timbuktu tour
• 2 days at the festival
• Camel rides
• Dogon Mask Dance
• Mopti Tour
• Djenne Tour
• Dogon Village Tour
• Segou Tour
• 9 nights in hotels
• 2 nights camping in private tents
$2,540 Per Person* No Inter-Mali Airfare
$410 Single Supplement
*Prices per person are land only, based on double occupancy.
**Travel within Mali is by land.
Many Tuareg tribespeople attend Festival in the Desert, some traveling for
weeks by camel. Surrounded by men donning colorful head-wear, women draped in
flowing fabrics and gold, too many camels to count, and sand as far as the eye
can see, this is truly a look into the "real Mali" for foreign travelers.
During the three days of the festival, camel rides and races, traditional singing
and games, expos and conferences will take place during the day. In the evenings,
over 40 groups will perform an extraordinary mix of traditional, modern, and
Western music.
Festival in the Desert is so compelling that it has attracted artists as diverse
as Mali’s most popular female singer Oumou Sangare, desert blues performer
Ali Farka Toure, one of the world’s top kora players Toumani Diabate,
Native American rock group Blackfire, French rap group Kwal, English rocker
Robert Plant formerly of Led Zeppelin, and Malian political rock band Tinariwen.
The eighth edition of Festival in the Desert is slated for January 10-12, 2008,
and continually gains momentum and recognition. As such, a feature article on
the festival titled “Showtime in the Sahara” is currently running
in the July 2007 issue of Vanity Fair Magazine.
Festival in the Desert Videos (Click on the Play button to view)
Ali Farka Toure, Festival in the Desert - 5 minutes, 24 seconds
Oumou Sangare, Festival in the Desert - 2 minutes, 1 second
