Things to do in Mali
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Centre de Recherches Historiques Ahmed Baba
An amazing collection of ancient manuscripts and books are kept at the Centre de Recherches Historiques Ahmed Baba. Home to (at last count) 23,000 Islamic religious, historical and scientific texts from all over the world, the centre is the focus of a South African-funded project to protect, translate and catalogue the manuscripts.
The oldest manuscripts date from the 12th century, but there are countless other priceless works, including some of the few written histories of Africa's great empires, and works of scholarship carried to Timbuktu from Granada after Muslims were expelled from al-Andalus in 1492. Documented family histories (often over 400 years old) of…
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Restaurant Bar Bozo
While the food is average tourist fare and the service is incompetent (a two-hour wait for your meal to arrive is not unusual), Restaurant Bar Bozo is superbly located at the mouth of Mopti harbour. The passing panorama of Mopti river life could easily occupy an afternoon, so even if you don't eat here, stop by for a drink, preferably at sunset. It's a shame it starts running out of everything by 20:00.
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Azima Ag Mohamed Ali
An experienced English-speaking Tuareg guide, and a wonderful desert companion.
reviewed
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Grande Mosquée
Djenné's elegant Grande Mosque was constructed in 1907, though it's based on the design of an older Grande Mosquée that once stood on the site. Famous throughout the world, the Grande Mosquée has dazzled travellers for centuries - much as it does today.
It was first built in 1280, after Koi Konboro - the 26th king of Djenné - converted to Islam. It remained intact until the early 19th century when the fundamentalist Islamic warrior-king, Cheikou Amadou, let it fall to ruin. The modern form - a classic of Sahel-style (or Sudanese) mud-brick architecture - is faithful to the original design, which served as a symbol of Djenné's wealth and cultural significance.
The…
reviewed
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Salt Caravans
Like a vestige from another age, Salt Caravans still travel between Timbuktu and Taoudenni. The return trip takes between 36 and 40 days. Trucks also make the journey - a fact which is lengthening the expedition for those who travel by camel, as the trucks sometimes exhaust salt supplies at the mines for a few days. But with fuel costs high and camels costing very little, it is extremely unlikely that the camels will be replaced by four-wheeled transport any time soon.
These are commercial operations and trips are extremely gruelling; they're not to be taken lightly - there's no escape if you find you can't hack it or get sick. Expect to spend between 15 and 18 hours a…
reviewed
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Dyingerey Ber Mosque
Timbuktu has three of the oldest mosques in West Africa. While not as visually stunning as some in Mali, they're still extremely impressive and represent classic and well-preserved examples of the Sudanese style of architecture which prevails throughout much of the Sahel. The oldest, dating from the early 14th century, is Dyingerey Ber Mosque.
You can go into this mosque, west of Place de l'Indépendance, but sometimes only with a guide. The interior is a forest of 100 sturdy pillars, and there are a series of interconnecting rooms with holes in the wall at ground level - in the days before microphones, worshippers who could not hear the imam could look through into the…
reviewed
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Grand Marché
Every Monday, the wide open area in front of the mosque is transformed into the clamorous Monday Market, which has barely changed since the days when Saharan camel caravans brought salt across the sands to the gates of Djenné. Thousands of traders and customers come from miles around, and many of these itinerant traders follow the calendar of local market days in the region's villages, their week culminating in Djenné.
Most arrive the night before, and by 06:00 on market day traders are already staking out the best sites (ie those with shade). By mid- to late-morning (the best time to visit the market), the open square in front of the mosque is filled with traders…
reviewed
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Massina
From the pleasant Fula village of Massina, you can start a trip along the Niger by public pinasse (large canoe). A good first stop is Diafarabé, where vast Fula herds cross the Niger in one of West Africa's most picturesque annual rituals.
Every late December or early January (the exact date of the crossing is not set until November because much depends on water levels), Diafarabé (and other places along the Niger with large Fula populations) is transformed into a hive of activity as hundreds of thousands of cows are driven southwards and across the Niger to greener pastures.
The crossing, known as Dewgal, dates back almost 200 years and is a happy time for the Fula…
reviewed
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Jenné-Jeno
About 3km from Djenné are the ruins of Jenné-Jeno, an ancient settlement that dates back to about 300 BC. Implements and jewellery discovered here suggest that it may have been one of the first places in Africa where iron was used, and exposed the myth that no organised cities existed in West Africa before trade began and external influences were brought to bear upon it.
In the 8th century AD, Jenné-Jeno was a fortified town with walls 3m thick, but around 1300 it was abandoned. Today, there's nothing much to see - some mounds and millions of tiny pieces of broken pottery - so a visit is of greater historical rather than aesthetic interest.
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La Dune Rose
Gao's premier tourist attraction is a sunset trip to La Dune Rose, known locally as Koïma, a wonderful sand dune on the right bank of the Niger, visible from town. As it turns pink with the setting sun, there is magic in the air, not least because it was once believed by locals to be the home of magicians.
If you're coming here (only possible from September to February when water levels allow), consider also hiring a pirogue to drift further along the river as the dunes come alive. Upstream at Quema and Hondo (a three-hour trip) there are more stunning dunes, while you're almost guaranteed hippo sightings at Tacharan.
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Musée National
The Musée National houses a stunning collection of masks, statues, textiles, archaeological artefacts and a fine model of the Djenné mosque. The grounds are tranquil, and the excellent bookshop and restaurant make it relaxing place to spend an afternoon. French and English-speaking guides can be arranged.
The museum holds an impressive collection of Dogon masks and there are also hats and loincloths belonging to the mysterious Tellum, the small people who once inhabited the Bandiagara escarpment.
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African Grill
African Grill is a wonderful place to sample African specialties like foutou (sticky yam or plantain paste), kedjenou (slowly simmered chicken or fish with peppers and tomatoes) and poulet yassa (grilled chicken in onion and lemon sauce). There's a different plat du jour every day, a delightful oasis of a dining area, friendly service, and a steady stream of regulars. They also do sandwiches and have a branch restaurant in the Musée National.
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Heinrich Barth's House
Heinrich Barth's incredible five-year journey began in Tripoli and took him first to Agadez, then through Nigeria and finally, in September 1853, he reached Timbuktu disguised as a Tuareg. He stayed for the best part of a year before narrowly escaping with his life and eventually returning to Europe. East of Sidi Yahiya Mosque, Heinrich Barth's House, where he stayed, is now a tiny museum containing reproductions of Barth's drawings and extracts of his writings.
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Satimbé Travel
Boat trips from Mopti on the Niger and/or Bani Rivers are one of the highlights of any trip to Mali, but they're also among the most daunting to organise. Satimbé Travel, an excellent company run by Issa Ballo, has been recommended as a pleasant and reliable local operator to deal with and most guides can make the arrangements on your behalf. Remember that longer boat trips are only possible from July or August to December when water levels are high.
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Dyingerey Ber Mosque
Of Timbuktu's three great mosques, Dyingerey Ber is the oldest, dating from the early 14th century. The interior is a forest of 100 sturdy pillars, and there are a series of interconnecting rooms with holes in the walls through which worshippers, unable to hear the imam, could look through into the main prayer hall to see when to pray.
You can go into this mosque, west of Place de l'Indépendance, but sometimes only with a guide.
reviewed
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Bar Restaurant Amanar
Our favourite restaurant in Timbuktu, Amanar has a mellow atmosphere with a soundtrack of Malian blues (think Ali Farke Touré and Tinariwen), chilled and friendly waiters and a small and intimate garden. They do all the travellers' staples, but the soups are outstanding. Right outside the door stands the Flamme de la Paix monument and the Sahara. From Thursday to Saturday, they stay open late as a lively bar with a DJ from 22:30.
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Bakaye Minedou Traore
Bakaye Minedou Traore operates a big pinasse to Timbuktu, while the 80m-long Baba Tigamba (known as Petit Baba) makes the journey on Friday afternoon. It has proper seats and even a small upper deck called, somewhat ambitiously, the cabine luxe! Smaller public pinasses should take about three days from Mopti to Korioumé, but with breakdowns and cargo stops they can take up to six.
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Pama Sinatoa
Djenné is famous for bogolan, or mud-cloth. Although the cloth is on sale all across town, the most famous female artisan is Pama Sinatoa, whose workshop is near the town entrance. The quality is top-notch, the selection enormous, and in the showrooms they do demonstrations on how the cloth is dyed. The sales pitch is more encouraging than hard-sell and they tend to be open daylight hours.
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Ethnological Museum
The Ethnological Museum occupies a hugely significant site near Sidi Yahiya Mosque, containing the well of Bouctou, where Timbuktu was founded. There's also a variety of exhibits including clothing, musical instruments, jewellery and games, as well as interesting colonial photographs and pictures of the ancient rock carvings at Tin-Techoun, which have since been stolen or destroyed.
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Nomadic West Africa Eastbound
- Mali, The Gambia, Senegal, Dakar, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Accra, World
- Tours › Overland
by Intrepid
Not LP reviewed
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Ségou Koro
During the 18th century, the beautiful village of Ségou Koro was the centre of Biton Mamary Coulibaly's Bambara empire and the great man is buried here. Its crumbling Bambara buildings are interspersed with three ancient mosques (including one right on the riverbank) which are compact and pleasing. Introduce yourself to the chief who collects the tourist tax.
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Tomb of the Askia
The Tomb of the Askia, north of town, was built in 1495 by Askia Muhammad Touré, whose remains lie within. It's an amazing building and a classic of Sudanese (Sahelian) architecture, with its combination of mud-brick, wooden struts and a tapering tower. It may be possible to climb the 10m-high tomb for good views of the city and river.
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San Toro
The décor here is charmingly African and the specialties are quality Malian dishes (the poulet au coco is especially good), which can take a while to appear, but are always worth the wait. There's no alcohol, but there are tasty fruit juices. In the evenings from around 20:00, there's live kora music.
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Patisserie Asco
The friendly Patisserie Asco does a range of pastries, the croissants are dense and stodgy, but their local specialties (Tuareg, Songhaï and Arab) are excellent. The riz alabadja (rice, cow butter, meat and lemon) is a highlight. The only drawback are the hangers-on who seem to appear whenever tourists do.
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Restaurant Sigui
This popular place gets the thumbs-up from travellers for its hybrid of European, Asian and Malian dishes, with a few vegetarian options thrown in. It's the best place to eat in town. They cook up a mean capitaine a la Bamakoise (fried Nile perch with bananas and tomato sauce) among other dishes.
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