Mopti Tourist Traps
Tips and photos of Mopti tourist attractions and tourist traps, posted by real travelers and Mopti locals.
Local Time 10:20 am Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Mopti Map
Mopti Map
on October 22, 2003
Mix those 2 items and as a result, you will get that tourists are harassed by guides offering their services.
Unfortunately, most of them are not serious at all. Friends of mine had a very nasty experience about it. It can even be dangerous. So... Take care and RESIST...!
Solutions:
1/ Try to hire a guide before arriving in Mopti. Problem: if you want to visit Dogon Country, you absolutely need a DOGON guide. Not easy of course! Better to go through agencies, but it's then more expensive. The pic gives address of the guide we hired. Amadou DOLO is a very good one, not very cheap (say around 120€ per day for 2 persons all included) but perfect. You can find much cheaper ones on the spot... but more risky.
2/ if you haven't hired a guide before, go to the Tourist Camp of Mopti and ask for "Pascal de la Falaise"
"Pascal de la Falaise" : an anthology...!
We are sitting in the Bar Bozo, having a cold beer that we will anyway sweat after a few minutes.
A thin tall Dogon arrives. One of his eyes is cooking fish while the other one is watching to the cat... Strange guy.
Puts his two fists on the table and says : "What are the five fingers of the Nommo?" (see page on Dogon Country for explanation on the Nommo)
Silence, expectations from our part. Then he recites:
"Daylight, humidity, fertility, order, life... If you want to choose a guide for the Dogon Country, ask him this question. If he doesn't know the answer... forget him!"
Silence, expectations again... during which the thin tall guy leaves... That's "Pascal de la Falaise".
We didn't hire him since we already had a guide (Amadou). But some friends did. "Pascal de la Falaise" looks half-crazy (maybe he is...), but he is a very good guide.
