- traditional dances in Dogon, Bambara and Tuareg villages
- sailing excursions on the Niger River by private river boat
- hiking and camping in Dogon country, on the Bandiagara Escarpment
- camel caravan excursions on the dunes of the Sahara Desert, to visit Tuareg villages

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Welcome to Mali ! Home Tours Reserve a Tour FAQs Contact Site Map Mali is known as the jewel in the crown of West Africa; it is culturally and historically rich, but economically poor. You will be warmly welcomed, but do not be surprised by the "Third World" infrastructure and conditions in the smaller towns — the capital cities in general have good to excellent facilities. Visiting Mali and West Africa is best described as a soft adventure holiday, and not a five-star luxury vacation.   About Dogon country About the Niger River About Mopti and Djenne About Timbuktu Entry Requirements Climate / Best time to visit Mali Mali's Time Zone Distances / Driving times   Communications Electricity Holidays Mali's art, handcrafts, souvenirs Photography Money and Credit cards Statistics, Demographics Travel Advisory Dogon Country Dogon country is home of one of the most fascinating cultures in Africa. The Dogon people have retained much of their original culture and still practice their traditional beliefs. Funerary mask dances are still performed at the end of mourning periods, to encourage the spirit of a loved one to depart the village and join the ancestors. The Dogon people fled their original homeland to escape the spread of Islam, and settled in and around the cliffs of the Bandiagara escarpment. Agriculturalists, they practice subsistence farming on the plateau above the cliffs and on the plain below. The difficult terrain made an insular people isolated even from each other, and over the generations each village formed a cultural island and developed its own dialect, often incomprehensible to its neighbors. Today there are some 50 distinct versions of spoken Dogon. Photo: Dogon village on the cliffs See also: (external links) Sacred Sites of the Dogon Dogon Cosmology Dogon Myths Dogon Culture (BBC) TOURS to Dogon country : 9-day Mali / Dogon country trek tour 15-day Mali Adventure tour Dogon country trekking expeditions other Tours including Dogon country The Niger River The Niger river is one of the great rivers of the world. It marks an approximate boundary between the Sahara desert and the Sahel, and it provides a livelihood to thousands of fishermen. Even though it is a landlocked country, Mali is Africa's third-ranking fish producer. The Bozo people are the predominant cultural group along the Niger, and any river trip will be with them, in a traditional wooden pinnace powered by poling, by sail, or by outboard motor. River trips can be for a few hours, or for up to three to four days (the time required to sail from Mopti to Timbuktu, for example). River trips include visits to fishing villages, and overnight trips entail camping on the riverbank. Hippos can almost always be seen during the dry season ('Mali' means 'hippo' in a local language). Photo: Bozo pinnace on the Niger River See also: (external links) Niger River (Oxfam) The Bamana Segou State TOURS on the Niger River : 11-day Niger Journey to Timbuktu 11-day Mali Explorer tour 14-day Mali Classic tour 15-day Mali Adventure tour other Tours featuring the Niger River Mopti and Djenne Djenne was the sister-city of Timbuktu during its glory days, and it remains largely unchanged—a city of mud-brick houses lining narrow, winding streets. Formerly an important river port and a center of learning and Islamic culture, Djenne is now best-known for its weekly market, which draws thousands of local people to trade their goods, and for its Great Mosque, the largest mud-brick building in the world, originally built in the XVIIIth century and another of Unesco's World Heritage sites. Mopti was and remains a commercial center. It is the melting pot of Mali, where many ethnic groups come to trade: Bambara, Malinke, Fulani, Bobo, Bozo, Dogon, Songhay, Tuareg and Hausa cultures. Photo: Djenne's Great Mosque See also: (external links) Djenne historical notes Wikepedia entry See our Tours featuring Mopti and Djenne Timbuktu The city of legend truly exists, on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, in Mali. Timbuktu was once a world-renowned center of Islamic culture, as well as an important terminus of the trans-Saharan caravan trade—salt from the north, arriving on the azalaïs, exchanged for gold and slaves from the south; now the city is virtually a time-forgotten relic of its ancient glory. One of Unesco's World Heritage sites, Timbuktu is still worth a visit for its ancient mosques (former universities) or for the austere beauty of the surrounding desert. Also, Timbuktu is the departure point for camel treks or 4-wheel drive excursions into the desert, to visit Tuareg villages. An outing can be for an afternoon, or for several days. All overnight outings entail camping on the sand dunes and enjoying the legendary hospitality of desert tribes. Photo: Tuareg camp in the desert See also: (external links) New Realities for Ancient Timbuktu (BBC report Nov. 2009) Timbuktu Educational Foundation Timbuktu - City of Legends (BBC) Blue Men of the Sahara Timbuktu - World Heritage Site (UNESCO) Timbuktu - El Dorado Ancient Scholarship An 18th Century Visitor's Account Salt Caravans (BBC) Timbuktu Manuscripts (BBC) Timbuktu Manuscripts (Spiegel Online - Germany) About Timbuktu (History Channel) Timbuktu, the Mythical Site (UNESCO) TOURS to Timbuktu : 13-day Terminus Timbuktu tour 11-day Niger River Journey to Timbuktu Sahara Desert Tours (7-22 days) other Tours including Timbuktu Mali's entry requirements: an entry visa is required for nearly everyone (see Travel Tips for exceptions) Yellow Fever immunization (valid 10 years) Malaria prophylaxis is recommended; consult your physician. See our Travel Tips page for Mali Embassy contact information, to apply for your tourism visa. Climate October through March: dry and relatively cool April through June: dry and hot July through September: rainy NB: The rainy season (July - September) can be a very pleasant time to visit Mali — when it rains it doesn't last all day, nor does it rain every day; and the countryside is lush and green (dust-free). If you wish to avoid crowds, avoid December and January. Average Temperatures and Rainfall (Bamako) Month min. temp. max. temp. Rainfall (mm) January 16.6º C / 62º F 33.3º C / 92º F 0.1 February 19.5º C / 67º F 36.3º C / 97º F 0.3 March 22.5º C / 73º F 38.5º C / 101º F 2.5 April 24.9º C / 77º F 39.5º C / 103º F 20.8 May 25.3º C / 78º F 38.4º C / 101º F 54.8 June 23.4º C / 74º F 35.2º C / 95º F 127.6 July 22.0º C / 72º F 32.1º C / 90º F 225.5 August 21.7º C / 71º F 31.3º C / 88º F 284.2 September 21.5º C / 71º F 32.2º C / 90º F 200.4 October 21.0º C / 70º F 34.7º C / 94º F 72.3 November 17.7º C / 64º F 35.2º C / 95º F 6.1 December 16.3º C / 61º F 33.3º C / 92º F 0.8 For a current weather forecast, click the city name below: (this will take you to an external site) Bamako Gao Segou Mopti Timbuktu (Back to top of page) Time zone Mali is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT or UTC) GMT = Eastern Standard time +5 hrs, Pacific time +8 hrs GMT = Eastern Daylight Savings time +4 hrs, Pacific time +7 hrs Distance chart and approximate driving times Essentially, distances are long, roads are narrow and rough (even though most are paved). A typical two-week tour covers some 1800 km (over 1100 miles) of driving. Bamako to Sikasso 375 km 235 miles 4½ hours Bamako to Segou 235 km 150 miles 3 hours Bamako to Djenne 570 km 355 miles 7 hours + ferry crossing Bamako to Mopti 640 km 400 miles 7½ hours Segou to Djenne 335 km 205 miles 4 hours + ferry crossing Segou to Mopti 405 km 250 miles 4½ hours Sevare to Mopti 12 km 8 miles 10 minutes Mopti to Bandiagara 75 km 50 miles 40 minutes Mopti to Sangha 120 km 75 miles 2 hours(45 km unpaved) Mopti to Djenne 130 km 80 miles 1½ hours + ferry crossing Mopti to Timbuktu 550 km 345 miles 6 hours + ferry crossing(365 km unpaved) (Back to top of page) Communications Communication into and out of Mali can be difficult, as the telephone system is antiquated and cannot keep up with the demands made on it. Daily contact with home is possible, but not guaranteed. There are many cybercafes in Bamako and other capital cities, and a few in the larger towns; email is quite reliable. Cell phones are very common in all cities, but there is no network in rural areas. To learn if your cell phone will work in West Africa, contact your service provider. Mali's country code is 223; there are no city codes Electricity Electricity is 220 volts/50 hertz; electrical plugs are the of type used in France, with two round prongs (three round prongs on grounded plugs). See World Electric Guide for more information and photos. (Back to top of page) Mali's holidays January 1 - New Year's Day January 20 - National Army Day March 26 - National Martyrs' Day Easter and Easter Monday May 1 - Labor Day May 25 - Africa Day September 22 - Independence Day December 25 - Christmas Day Religious holidays, based on lunar calendar: Maouloud - o/a 26 February 2010 Ramadan - o/a 12 August to 09 September 2010 Eïd el-Fitr (end of Ramadan) - o/a 10 September 2010 Eïd el-Adha / Eïd el-Kebir (Tabaski) - o/a 17 November 2010 Malian arts, handcrafts, souvenirs Malians are highly creative and you will find a wide variety of beautiful hand-made items: textiles, including mudcloth (bogolan), indigo cloth, cotton or wool blankets, all hand-woven and dyed wooden sculptures, typically masks or statues traditional musical instruments (kora, djembe, balafon) silver or gold jewelry, swords, daggers leatherwork (wallets, purses, shoes, cushions, jewelry boxes) hand-turned pottery (Back to top of page) Photography There are no photography permits, but some subjects are considered sensitive and not to be photographed: government buildings, airports, bridges and dams, police, military personnel or equipment. And like anywhere else, sometimes people just don't want to be photographed, especially in Muslim countries such as Mali, because the Koran prohibits making human likenesses. Always ask before you snap. Money and Credit cards The local currency is called 'CFA' and is utilized in several other West African countries, namely: Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast and Senegal. Foreign exchange: Euros and USDollars are readily exchangeable in Bamako. Travelers checks are also exchangeable (with a variable commission of 5-20%), but not as readily as cash. In the interior of Mali, cash may also be exchanged (not quite as easily as in Bamako), but travelers checks probably not. NB: Large cash denominations ($100, 100€, 200€, 500€) are preferred and provide a better exchange rate than smaller bills. Travelers checks: there is a variable 5-20% commission on all travelers checks. **Be prepared for lengthy procedures to exchange travellers checks, and be sure to have your purchase receipt — some banks and exchange bureaus will not exchange travellers checks without the purchase receipt. Credit cards: Please note that credit cards are very little used in Mali's cash economy — only at a few banks, large hotels and restaurants in Bamako. Visa credit card is usually the only card accepted, and sometimes, MasterCard or American Express; despite American Express' publicity, it is not widely utilized in Mali. In the interior of the country, do not count on using credit cards at all. It is nevertheless a good idea to bring a Visa credit card for emergency use in Bamako. There is one ATM in Mali, located in Bamako. It accepts only Visa credit card, and gives a maximum cash advance of 200,000 CFA (approximately $400). There are also Western Union outlets in Bamako, Sikasso, Kayes, Segou, Mopti, and Timbuktu, where cash can be transferred and accessed the same day. Click here to access a currency converter now. MALI Facts and Statistics Capital: Bamako Area: 1,240,192 km2 (roughly three times the size of California) Population: 12,000,000 (est. 2007); annual growth rate 2.7% (49.5% male, 50.5% female; 48% under 15 years of age) Life expectancy at birth: 49.5 years total (47.6 for males; 51.5 for females) [CIA Factbook 2008)] Birth rate in 2007: 49.6 births per 1,000; total fertility rate 7.4 children per woman [CIA Factbook 2008] Infant mortality: 106 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2007.[CIA Factbook, 2008] Population density: 11 persons per km2 Religions: Islam 90%, Christianity 5%, Traditional beliefs 10% Languages: French is the official language Most commonly spoken languages are: Bambara 38%, Fulani 14%, Songhay 6%, Dogon 5% Ethnic Groups: Bambara 33%, Fulani 10%, Senoufo 9%, Songhay 7% Malinke 6%, Tuareg 5%, Dogon 4% Life Expectancy: 47 years (men), 48 years (women) (UN) Literacy Rate: 40% Urbanization: 28% Yearly per capita income: $531 USD (IMF 2008) Principal exports: cotton, gold, leather and animal skins, fruit and vegetables, sheep, cattle, grain Principal imports: petroleum products, agricultural inputs, pharmaceuticals, vehicles Travel advisory Most of Mali is entirely peaceful and safe, but there are areas to be avoided. Visitors are strongly advised not to travel into desert areas in the north of Mali; banditry, car hijackings and more recently the threat of kidnappings have been carried out by criminal bands with links to terrorist organizations. All travel plans should be made with local agencies, who can advise on the areas to avoid. Please remember that New York, London, Madrid, Bombay have all suffered severe terrorist attacks—that is not a reason to avoid these cities, and there is also no reason to avoid Mali. You will be as safe in Mali as anywhere in the world — perhaps safer — as long as you avoid the desert. Home Tours Reserve a Tour FAQs Contact Site Map Copyright © 2003-2010 Saga Tours / All rights reserved.