Mali

Understand

The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France on 22 Sept 1960 as the Mali Federation. Senegal withdrew after only a few months, and the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. The country was then governed by dictatorships until 1991. In 1992 the country's first democratic presidential elections were held, but since then, Mali has regressed back into a military regime embroiled in a civil war with Islamist militants and Tuareg separatists. Just under half the population is less than 15 years old. The great majority of Malians are Muslim, some also practice indigenous beliefs, and a tiny number are Christian. Around 10% of the population is nomadic. Most Malians work in agriculture and fishing.

History

Mali was once part of three famed West African empires which controlled trans-Saharan trade in gold, salt, slaves, and other precious commodities. These Sahelian kingdoms had neither rigid geopolitical boundaries nor rigid ethnic identities. The earliest of these empires was the Ghana Empire which expanded throughout West Africa from the 8th century until 1078. The Mali Empire later formed on the upper Niger, and reached the height of power in the 14th century. Under the Mali Empire, the ancient cities of Djenné and Timbuktu were centres of both trade and Islamic learning. Mansa Musa, who ruled in the early 14th century, is regarded as the wealthiest person in history (est. $400 billion adjusted for inflation!) owing to the Malian Empire's production of gold & salt. He used this wealth to build some of the impressive mosques still to be found around the country. The empire later declined, and was being supplanted by the Songhai Empire. The Songhai people originated in current northwestern Nigeria. In the late 14th century, the Songhai gradually gained inde

See

The Great Mosque of Djenné, built in 1907, is made completely of mud, and it has five stories and three towers. Every spring the people replaster the Mosque. Regrettably, entrance to non-Muslims is not allowed. Apparently this prohibition is a consequence of a fashion photo-shoot held by Vogue inside the mosque in 1996, which was regarded by the locals as "pornographic". Sites and cultural landscapes making up the Mali Empire can be seen in different parts of the country.

Do

Cruise the Niger River on a traditional pirogue.

Buy

Money

The currency of the country is the West African CFA franc, denoted CFA (ISO currency code: XOF). It's also us

Getting there

Visa requirements

Mali is not a country you can just waltz into. There are few visa-free arrangements in place, and thus, almost everyone requires a visa to visit the country. Visas are not required for citizens of Algeria, Andorra, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Macau, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Tunisia. If you require a visa to visit the country, you must possess a valid passport and you must submit the following: visa application forms, passport photos, a travel itinerary, flight tickets, and an invitation letter from a Malian organisation or individual (a hotel reservation will normally suffice for a tourist visa). Visa fees tend to be expensive and will vary by country. At the Malian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, a 30-day visa costs CFA25,000 (2018).

By plane Direct air connections between Europe and Mali have been shifted due to ongoing regional diplomatic standoffs; Air France and other major European carriers have completely suspended the flight routes from European airports such as Paris Charles de Gaulle, to Bamako (and return). The most reliable modern routes from Europe now transition from alternative global hubs. Royal Air Maroc offers daily flights from Europe and New York via Casablanca in Morocco. There are also smaller companies, such as Point Afrique, who fly cheaply to & from Mali in the busy tourist season. Alternatively, Turkish Airlines via Istanbul and Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa have become the primary lifelines connecting Sahel to Europe and the rest of the world. Royal Air Maroc arrives and departs in the middle of the night - so even if you are planning a budget trip it may be worth splurgin

Getting around

By bus

The main cities along the paved road into the north are connected via bus (Bamako, Segou, San, Mopti, Gao). A separate paved loop runs through the south (Bamako, Bougouni, Sikasso, Koutiala, Segou) There are many different companies with different schedules but they all have more or less the same prices. Normally a ride to Mopti (600 km, half the way up), endures approximately nine hours; a ride to Gao at least 12. All times are very rough, however, and few bus companies will even give you an estimated arrival time as different drivers drive different speeds and it is not improbable that the bus breaks down and needs a repair or stops to help another bus. It is usually possible to make a reservation several days before, recommended during the tourist season, though one rarely has a problem just showing up 30-60 minutes before the bus leaves. More reliable companies include Bittar, Bani and Banimonotie (Sikasso region) among others. Bus companies:

Bittar Transportation

By taxi brousse To get around one can take the "Taxi - Brousse", the bush taxis. They are the main connection between towns which aren't connected via bus. They are very slow and they sometimes break down or stop to help other broken down taxis. So sometimes the ride takes longer than expected. Unlike the buses, these rarely run on a set schedule, so you generally just need to show up at the station (in a larger town) or sit by the roadside (in smaller villages) and wait for the next to come along - locals may be able to give you some idea what to expect.

By taxi In any larger city, taxis will be plentiful and are usually an easy way for the tourist to get where they are going without trying to figure out the local public transport system (if one even exists). Be prepared to bargain, as th