Not to miss

Timbuktu

Timbuktu is smack in the middle of desert and surrounded by, well, more desert. Getting there may be the best part of a visit (plus the 'I've been to Timbuktu and back' T-shirt) because once there you may find that it doesn't have a hell of a lot to offer apart from some mosques and plenty of sand.

During the Mali Empire, Timbuktu was a major stop on the trans-Saharan route. Its fortunes began to fall as the route declined and the city was gradually abandoned, acquiring its reputation as inaccessible and remote. However, it's not quite as difficult to reach as legend would have it.

Sand is piling up on the outskirts of the city and you now have to step down from street level to get into many of the houses. Timbuktu has three of the oldest mosques in the world that you might consider visiting, although they're neither particularly interesting nor in good repair. Despite the lack of monuments, Timbuktu remains an enigma and its faded sense of mystery gives it a unique feel among towns on the Niger.

Djenné

Djenné is often missed by travellers because it lies off the main route between Bamako and Mopti but it is well worth the visit. It lies on the Niger River delta and is particularly picturesque in the rainy season when it turns into an island surrounded by water.

Djenné claims to be the oldest city in West Africa. Here the childish pastime of mud pie making is an art form; they've built an entire town from the stuff. Mud houses with thatched roofs, wooden window shutters and doors decorated with paint and metal objects give the town its other-wordly charm.

The much-photographed Djenné Mosque intensifies this air of strangeness. Built entirely out of mud, complete with turret-like projections, it rises from the desert floor like an over-achiever's sandcastle. It is the largest mud structure in the world and is one of the finest examples of Sudanese architecture. The only drawback is that it tends to melt in the rain and major mud pie sessions are required after the rainy season to keep it from disintegrating. Unfortunately, non-Muslim visitors are banned from the interior due to the actions of a thoughtless fashion photographer in times past, but you can get a view of the outer walls from the roof of the Petit Marché opposite the mosque.

Dyingerey Ber Mosque

Of Timbuktu's three great mosques, Dyingerey Ber is the oldest, dating from the early 14th century. The interior is a forest of 100 sturdy pillars, and there are a series of interconnecting rooms with holes in the walls through which worshippers, unable to hear the imam, could look through into the main prayer hall to see when to pray.

You can go into this mosque, west of Place de l'Indépendance, but sometimes only with a guide.

Djenné's Monday Mosque Market

This colourful market takes place in front of Djenné's fairytale mud mosque, the largest mud-built structure in the world. By mid- to late-morning, Djenné is awash with traders selling everything from cloth to calabashes, spices to spaghetti, pottery to pungent local foods and prize goats.

Jenné-Jeno

The ruins of Jenné-Jeno are an archeological site gradually being excavated by a team of professionals. It was once a thriving capital but was abandoned in the 15th century for unknown reasons. It is now a barren plain carpeted by a thick layer of broken pottery and debris, although iron implements and jewellery have been discovered there suggesting it was one of the first places in Arica where iron was used.

Jenné-Jeno is three kilometres from Djenné so getting to the archeological site is a matter of travelling to Djenné and then getting a bush taxi the rest of the way.