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.

NIGERIA TRAVEL GUIDE

Nigeria is named after Niger River and the turns and twists that make a trip to Nigeria adventurous, are just as curvy as the beds of the River Niger.

The country is among the most notable and popular destinations of the Western Africa. It is a developing nation that is known around the world for its unique cultural spectrum and of course, the Abuja carnival!

Nigeria has Benin bordering it at the West; the small country of Niger envelops its Northern border while Chad rests in the west and Cameroon rims along its Eastern borders. The country is blessed with a wide access to the Atlantic Ocean at its South on the Gulf of Guinea. The country proves to be a great neighbor for…READ MORE ABOUT NIGERIA TRAVEL GUIDE

Related posts:

Niger, The Bradt Travel Guide

Nigeria, the Bradt travel guide

Mali

Owen's ... directory & business travel guide

Nigeria tourist guide, Guide du tourisme nigérien