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More than a legend: Timbuktu a cultural wonder

Timbuktu. The name alone conjures mystery, obscurity and curiosity: Is that really a place? Where the heck is it?

Timbuktu is in Mali, a West African country bordered by seven others, including Algeria, Niger and Senegal. Unless you fly from the capital of Bamako, it’s difficult to reach — somehow fitting for such a place of legend.

Like scores of travelers, I’ve been fascinated by the mystique of Timbuktu since the days when my mother threatened to banish me there as a child. After hearing about the Festival au Desert, a three-day music fest based on traditional gatherings of Tuareg nomads, I decided it was time to banish myself.

Though on a budget, I took the official Festival au Desert bus rather than chance public transport from Bamako to Timbuktu. Faster it was not, as the usual 24-hour trip turned into a 72-hour odyssey. Stops for food, fuel, prayer, transmission trouble, dead headlights (the driver wanted to duct tape flashlights to the bus hood but was vetoed), and catching air and hitting our heads on the roof as we traversed the bumpy Sahel (the stark, flat, shrubby zone approaching the Sahara), all made for an unforgettable if uncomfortable journey.

After those three grueling, dusty days, we were stunned to see the desert give way, replaced by water on all sides as we approached the Niger River ferry landing that led to Timbuktu. At dawn, under a rich blue sky, we stumbled from the bus, stiff and blinking. A surreal sunrise greeted us, along with steamy, sweet Tuareg tea and fresh-baked bread from a mud oven. Suddenly, the journey was all worth it.

The legendary city felt as exotic and remote as one would imagine, very much like the end-of-the world trading outpost and learning center it once was — minus the prosperity. The main road is now paved, but sand constantly blows over it as though fighting modernization.

Powered by two generators, the city is small and walkable. Foot-deep sand fills the hot, dusty streets on the outskirts. Donkeys and camels share the roads with motorbikes and taxis, and you can catch rides on any of them, with locals eager to practice their English. French is the official language, but Arabic, Bambara and other tribal languages are also spoken in the city, parts of which were named a World Heritage site in 1988.

Main event

Despite its legendary status, Timbuktu doesn’t see many tourists, so the Festival au Desert is a big draw and boon to the economy as thousands of people — most of them from Mali — flock into the city every January.

The music festival began in 2001, and though now open to the international community, it still features traditions such as Tuareg poetry, crafts and camel racing. Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin helped the festival gain popularity when he played there in 2003.

Festivities begin dramatically as hundreds of Tuareg, adorned in traditional blue robes and turbans, gallop into the grounds on camels while nomadic music blares. Spectators sit in the dunes’ fine powdery white sand at sunset to witness the amazing sight. Dancing and music continue into the cool early morning hours.

Add a ton of sand and repeat for two more days.

Make it official

Festival aside, if you’ve come all this way, you may as well spend some actual Timbuk-time. You can explore the city in one or two days, but a full cultural experience will require four or five days to see the three main mosques, market and ancient manuscripts, take a camel trek, and navigate the back alleys and outskirts of town.

Visitors can’t help but notice the city’s most prominent landmark, the Flamme de la Paix, a large monument of melted guns and concrete that commemorates the 1990-1995 and 2007-2009 Tuareg rebellions. It makes for good photos.

To prove that Timbuktu really exists, you can get your passport stamped at the tourist office on the main road. No one staffed the desk on my Sunday arrival, but the office was open, so I helped myself to the stamp pad in the upper-left hand drawer. The tourism director caught me red-handed, but fortunately, he was a good sport.

I joked in my limited French: “Votre maison, ma maison, oui?” (“Your house, my house, yes?”)

Mix it up

The locals are friendly, yet reserved. The best way to get to know them is to hit the clubs that often feature live bands. Even during non-festival times, you can hear a ton of local music in Timbuktu’s clubs.

One of the highlights of my stay was a night of Tuareg blues music and dancing at Amanar, across from the Flamme de la Paix. Being a musician myself, it was a treat to jam on bass and drums with these amazing performers in the many clubs throughout Mali.

Despite the strict Muslim culture, the club served beer, and there was a long line outside on a Sunday evening. There is something truly surreal about Westerners and robed Tuaregs dancing together in dim light to John Lee Hooker-type blues infused with infectious Malian desert riffs.

Another treat was a daylong camel trek from Timbuktu. Since ancient times, the Tuareg have organized trading caravans across the Sahara, and travelers can still take trips with them. If you’re even remotely into camel riding and desert culture, don’t miss this opportunity, whether it’s just a day trip or the 40-day, 700-kilometer trek to the Taoudenni salt mines to the north.

Our guide Mohammed spoke excellent English and took us several hours into the desert to a small nomadic camp where he lived with his family. Having prior horseback experience was a plus, as I was able to trot and gallop the camel through the dunes as opposed to being led by a guide on foot, like a child on a pony.

On the river

There are many modes of transport in Mali, but by far the most interesting way to travel to Timbuktu is the relaxing boat journey from Mopti along the Niger River.

I did the reverse trip, traveling and jamming with festival musicians on the boat. The three-day journey on a tourist pinasse (a long, narrow boat with a thatched roof that you can sit upon) is filled with beautiful scenery, wildlife and stops in local villages.

You can sleep aboard the boat if you’re lucky enough to claim a cushion, or on shore in tents that some outfitters provide. Most of the camping spots are on sandy, secluded banks, where you can watch fishermen cast their nets from narrow dugout canoes. If you’re lucky (as we were), you may even spot a family of hippopotamuses bathing in the inner delta.

Like many third-world countries, Mali is one for the seasoned, patient traveler. Bring that attitude, and you will be immensely rewarded. And afterward, you can say you’ve been to Timbuktu.

Sign me up for banishment anytime.

IF YOU GO

Festival au Desert

If you’re visiting Mali, I highly recommend coordinating your travel dates to coincide with the Festival au Desert in Timbuktu, which is held in early January. It usually takes place in Essakane, an oasis town about 35 miles from Timbuktu; security concerns moved it closer to the city in 2011.

Thirty or more artistic groups showcase their arts in a festival that mirrors traditional Tuareg festivities. The Tuareg, or Tamashek as they call themselves, are somewhat stoic and reserved, yet also humorous and curious. They’re known as the “Blue Men of the Sahara” for the deep indigo robes and turbans they wear. Those I met, such as Ali Baba, one of my festival dance partners, seemed eager to share their culture, offering lessons in turban tying and the Tamashek language.

Though it may seem an odd choice of locale, the desert is actually a perfect fit for musicians, who are notorious the world over for staying up late and sleeping all day. With temperatures nearing the triple digits, the Sahara is for resting by day; the festival comes alive at night as the blazing sun gives way to cool darkness.

The incredible variety of music continues until 3 or 4 a.m., featuring such Malian artists as Habib Koite; Vieux Farka Toure, son of the late Ali Farka Toure; Oumare Sangare; and Bassekou Kouyate, as well as international artists who include the Bay Area’s Joe Conte of Sausalito. Conte assembled a Malian band called JeConte and the Mali Allstars and played the festival for the first time this year.

“Being in the desert, for me, is something that kind of brings me back to who I am as a human being,” Conte says. “Beautiful cultures are what inspire us to be beautiful human beings.”

Details: Next festival is Jan. 12-14 in Essakane; www.festival-au-desert.org; 011-223-4438-5780.

Trip details

• Dogon Country: To see a beautiful land of ancient cliff dwellings and traditional villages, arrange guides through the Y Ne Pas de Probleme Hotel in Mopti. Ask for Adama from the village of Nombori, if he’s available. He speaks excellent English and is very knowledgeable. At least two nights are recommended, but you can arrange treks for a week or more if desired.
• Where to stay: Sahara Passion — on the northwest corner of town near the Flamme de la Paix; 011-223-7631-9145. Rooms with two twin beds and a private bath from $22, dorm rooms from $11 per person, and a mattress for camping on the roof from $6.50 per person per night. The food is excellent. The hotel also can arrange camel treks, ranging from one hour to overnight, and Niger River cruises. L’Auberge du Desert, Quartier Djimdjarey Ber; 011-223-7644-9425. Basic and clean accommodations with doubles from $26 a night; also features an open-air restaurant with floor seating, low tables and cushions. Hotel la Palmeraie, Route de Kabara; 011-223-2198-0175. Opened in 2009 with a pool exclusive to hotel guests and a wine cellar and rates from $55 a night. La Maison Rouge — Quartier du Fleuve, Mopti; 011-223-2922-179; lamaison.hotel@gmail.com. Featuring 10 air-conditioned rooms with beautiful decor and rates from $68 a night.
• Visas: Visas are required and cost $131. Obtain one through the Mali embassy in Washington, D.C.