Hombori and the Hand of Fatima

East of Mopti the Sahel throws up its most dramatic skyline: Hombori Tondo, Mali's highest point, runs its sheer-walled table to 1,155 metres above the plains, and beside it the Main de Fatima - the Hand of Fatima - spreads five sandstone finger-towers hundreds of metres tall, a formation that made this reach of the Gao road famous among climbers worldwide for some of the planet's great sandstone routes. Villages at the massif feet keep guiding and greeting customs, caves in the walls carry deep archaeology, and the towers at sunset - glowing rust over the thorn plain - are among West Africa's indelible images.

What you actually see

• The Hand of Fatima - the five finger-towers over the plain.
• Hombori Tondo - the country's highest table mountain.
• The sunset glow - rust-red towers over thorn savanna.
• The climbing legend - world-class sandstone routes on the walls.

When to go

November to February is the cool season the massifs deserve. Above all: current travel guidance governs this region's planning entirely - arrangements, if made, run through trusted local operators who know present conditions, and patience with what is possible is part of the terrain.

Honest expectations

Be direct: this region requires serious current-conditions checking before any plan, and access has varied greatly by period - treat the massifs as a when-possible aspiration guided by local partners, not a default itinerary stop. When visits do run, village fees, guides and courtesies are the framework, and the landscape repays everything.

Nearby

The Gao road's dune country and Douentza.