1

Are you serious with your question?
The area controller by government doesn't reach much further north of Mopti and Dogon Country is considered unsafe as well. You also already know there was a kidnapping recently in Nioro which is a part of Mali that has been previously considered safe.

Probably one could do Bamako, Segou, Djenne, Mopti and maybe even Dogon safely, but I wouldn't push my luck.

2

I see that this post is old, but I hope that you are no longer planning your trip to Mali. My husband and I are here now, we arrived January 7 and fighting broke out unexpectedly only a few days later. There is credible threat to travel overland anywhere outside of Bamako, and the sheer number of military check points makes it nearly impossible. We were planning to take the bus from Bamako to Dakar, but give that we have cancelled a village visit just 1 hour SOUTH of the city, we are forced to fly. Mali is unfortunately not safe at this time. Our travels in the interior of Senegal and even up in Morocco may also be cancelled, we just have to watch very carefully. Once the islamists are driven out of Mali, they only have a few places to go!

3

Probably the military in all the neighboring countries is annoying the hell out of travellers with roadblocks, so I would not go anywhere within 300km of the borders of Mali at the moment.
This includes southern Morocco / west Sahara, northern and eastern Senegal, the north of Cote d'Ivoire, most of Burkina Faso, northern Nigeria etc etc.

Maybe go to the Gambia, Casamance, Ghana or Gabon if you want to be in west Africa. :-)

4

If west Africa so Cameroon is worth to travel too, interesting country and safe!

5

Desinformation!11....you will not notice anything of the war in neighbouring countries, except for south Algeria which is mostly off limits for tourists after the latest events.

South Mali will also be ok as things cool down and the state of emergency s lifted.

I drove through the region in January.

6

Any news about the situation for traveling? I know that the north may still be off limits, but what about Mopti and Dogon country?

7

I have just returned from Mali, spent a week in Bamako Feb 2013. No problems at all, increased security, felt safe all the time.
Its business as usual in Bamako, everything is open - the clubs, restaurants, hotels and museums. There were other tourists travelling in the country at this time- visiting Dogon Country, Segou etc. I used Aly Dicko of Malimystere Expeditions who met me at
airport and organized my hotels, touring etc. He and his team made it all so easy for me, I will definitely be returning for a longer visit later in the year. The people of Mali have had a tough time, but with smiles on their faces they are hoping to welcome the tourists back. Mali is an amazing country, with a fascinating culture and some say the best music in the world.