The Dogon people have lived in these cliff villages for hundreds of years. Climbing up to a village means scrambling up narrow pathways with the valley far below you. From the top, the view stretches across a flat plain covered in millet fields, baobab trees and rocky outcrops. It feels like being on top of the world.
Dogon villages are famous for their beautifully carved wooden doors and shutters, decorated with figures, animals and patterns that tell stories about the community. Every building has a special purpose — granaries for storing millet, meeting houses for the elders, and tall, narrow towers with thatched rooftops that look like little hats.
The Dogon are especially known for their festivals and dances, which use spectacular wooden masks representing animals, spirits of nature and ancestors. The masks can be huge — some taller than two people stacked on top of each other — and the dancers wear them while performing acrobatic leaps and spins that take years to learn.