Edition 43: Summer 2008

Clamorous cities overlaid with traces of the region’s stirring history, forays on foot into the Dogon Country, camel safaris deep into the Sahara or river journeys that allow you to slow down to an African rhythm – just about any kind of trip is possible in Mali.

The Malian Heartland
• Bamako
• Ségou
• Djenné
• Mopti

  Days 1-4: Bamako
Explore Bamako’s overwhelming and expansive markets and its top-class museums. By warm Sahelian night, dine in one of Bamako’s fine restaurants, then dive into the nightclubs and open-air bars to hear performers like Toumani Diabaté, Salif Keita and Oumou Sangare strutting their stuff.

  Days 5-7: Ségou
Catch a bus to Ségou and stroll around this engaging leafy town, especially along the riverbank at sunset. Then take boat excursions to nearby Kalabougou (famed for its pottery), the fishing village of Kala on the Niger’s far shore and Ségou Koro (Old Ségou) which is decrepit, beautiful and steeped in Bambara culture.

  Days 8-11: Djenné
Marvel at the mosque, lose yourself in the maze of mud-brick, shop for Bogolan cloth and visit the nearby Fulani villages of Welingare and Roundessirou. Make sure one of your days here is a Monday when Djenné’s wonderful market returns the town to the great trading centre it once was.

  Days 12-14: Mopti
Following market day, boats laden with locals and scarcely a tourist head upriver to Mopti where the riverfront views and mix of Mali’s ethnic groups could keep you occupied for days.

Take me to the river
• Mopti
• Niafunké
• Timbuktu
• The Sahara
• Gao
  Days 1-4: Mopti to Timbuktu
Take to the river, either by public ferry or private pinasse, for the slow river journey north, passing en route the seasonal fishing villages of the Bozo, Songhaï settlements and mosques standing like fairytale castles on the riverbank. Niafunké was the home and inspiration for the late great Ali Farka Touré, while Tuareg camps line the shoreline en route to Korioumé, Timbuktu’s port.

  Days 5-6: Timbuktu
While you’ll treasure Timbuktu’s sandy streets, priceless manuscripts and fossil-like mosques, it’s the stamp in your passport from ‘Tombouctou’ that will really impress your friends back at home.

  Days 7-11: The Sahara
Leave behind Timbuktu’s city limits and explore the Sahara astride a camel in the company of the Tuareg. Sleep beneath more stars than you ever imagined existed and let yourself be initiated into the patient rhythm of desert life.

  Days 12-14: Timbuktu to Gao
Travel by road or river to historic Gao, traversing a section of the country that few travellers glimpse. Watch for Mali’s desert elephants near Gossi, then enjoy the delicious sense of isolation.

Dogon trekking
• Mopti
• Bandiagara
• Dogon Country
  Days 1-2: Mopti to Bandiagara
Soak up the charms and bustle of city life in Mopti, then take a bus to Bandiagara, the pleasant gateway town to the Dogon Country. Alternative entry points include Sanga or Bankass.

  Days 3-14 Trekking in the Dogon Country
Move from Bandiagara to the gloriously named Djiguibombo, climb down the escarpment to Teli with its nearby waterfalls and then trek northeast through the gathering accumulation of Dogon villages. After Endé, consider climbing up the cliffs to Begnimato for stunning views, then back down through Nombori, Komokan, Tireli and the sacred crocodiles of Amani. Ireli, one of the largest Dogon villages with a fine market, offers the chance of seeing a Dogon masked dance. If you’re in need of a shower and a cold beer, head up to the relative luxury of Sanga, then on to Bongo with its sweeping panoramas, before continuing down through the beautiful villages of Banani, Arou, Kassa and on as far as your legs will take you. If you make it to Douentza, on the main Bamako-Gao highway, you’ve walked the length of Dogon Country.

Right time, right place
River journeys
The only months when the Niger is certainly navigable is from August to November. River journeys are sometimes possible in December and occasionally into January, but the mighty Niger River slows to a near-standstill for the rest of the year, with sandbars making boat travel perilous.

Saharan expeditions
You’ll struggle to find even a Tuareg guide willing to take you into the Sahara before the end of October or after the end of March. Mid-November to February is the ideal time for setting out into the sands, as the cooling alize winds from the northeast make for cool nights and pleasant daytime temperatures – don’t be surprised if night-time temperatures in the desert drop below freezing at this time so come prepared.

Festivals
The Festival in the Desert (www.festival-au-desert.org) at Essakane, 50km beyond Timbuktu, in early January has become one of the best-loved festivals on the world music circuit, while the musicians head downriver to Ségou for the Festival Sur Le Niger (www.festivalsegou.org) in late January or early February. As long as you don’t mind the heat and don’t plan to head to the desert, September is a good month to be Bamako (in even years) for the Biennal cultural spectacular with concerts and exhibitions.

Mali factfile
• Language
The official language is French. Local languages such as Bambara, Fula, Tamashek, Dogon, Bozo and Songhaï are widely spoken. Very basic English is sometimes understood in popular tourist areas.
• Time zone GMT
• Visas
Five-day visas are available on arrival and can be renewed once inside Mali, although it’s much easier to arrive with a one-month visa (available from any Malian embassy) already in your passport. The nearest Malian Consulate-General for UK travellers is in Paris (www.consulat-mali.fr).
• Health
Travellers to Mali require proof of yellow fever vaccination and vaccinations against typhoid, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio are recommended, as is protection against malaria.
• Money
Mali’s currency is the West African CFA franc, UK£1 = 878, €1 = CFA656, US$1 = CFA446. Cash (especially euros) is king in Mali. Travellers cheques, and, even more so, credit card cash advances, are difficult in Bamako and almost impossible elsewhere. Functioning ATMs are almost non-existent.
• Costs
Mali is one of the more expensive West African countries. Mid-range hotels start at CFA12,000 for a double, although you’ll more likely pay CFA25,000 and up for a decent place. Cheap meals start from CFA500, but expect to pay up to CFA5000-10,000 for a meal in a nice restaurant. Guides to the Dogon Country cost around CFA10,000-15,000 per day, while expect to pay at least CFA50,000 for a 1st-class ticket on the ferry from Mopti to Timbuktu.
• Getting there
Royal Air Maroc (www.royalairmaroc.com) flies to Bamako via Casablanca, while Air France (www.airfrance.com) and Air Sénégal International (www.air-senegal-international.com) also serve the Malian capital. Point Afrique (www.point-afrique.com) fly from Paris, Marseilles and Mulhouse to Bamako, Mopti and Gao for reasonable rates. 
• Getting Around
Private bus companies run between Bamako and Gao, stopping in most towns in between. Comanav public ferries connect Koulikoro with Gao via Ségou, Mopti and Korioumé (for Timbuktu) from August to November; a private pinasse from Mopti to Timbuktu and seating ten people will cost at least CFA450,000, plus CFA15,000 per person and can be arranged through tour operators. Compagnie Aerienne du Mali (CAM) and Mali Air Express (MAE) fly from Bamako to Mopti, Timbuktu and Gao at least once a week.
• UK operators
Fulani Travel (www.fulanitravel.co.uk) and Tim Best Travel (www.timbesttravel.co.uk) are the pick of the UK-based operators.
• Local operators
Toguna Adventure Tours (www.geocities.com/toguna_adventure_tours/)
Tara Africa Tours (www.tara-africatours.com)
• Safety
Mali is quite safe, although standards of plane and bus maintenance aren’t always what they should be. The region north and west of Gao is currently off-limits due to banditry.
• Books
Lonely Planet’s West Africa (6th edition, 2006) and Bradt’s Mali (2nd edition, 2004) are excellent companions for your Mali visit. The Gates of Africa, by Anthony Sattin is a stirring tale of the search for Timbuktu. Butabu – Adobe Architecture of West Africa, by James Morris, is a stunning photographic record of Mali’s mud-brick architecture, while The Strong Brown God, by Sanche de Gramont, is an engaging history of the Niger River and its peoples.