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Travel Tips
(alphabetical order)

Accomodation

Hotels in Mali are graded by the Ministry of Tourism. The classification doesn’t correspond to any criteria in Europe.

Hotels offer rooms with fan or air conditioned, shared bathroom or private (with or without hot water), with or without swimming pool, garden and restaurant.

Two kinds of « hotel-campement » in Mali:

Bush camp Premium : tent « Igloo » and mattress 10 cm thick, pillow, sleeping sheets, sleeping bag or blanket and towel provided, table and folding chairs for your meals, a bottle of mineral water for 2 people during meals, shower, toilet paper, petrol lamps are provided.

Airlines to get there and away

Malikow Tours does not handle international air reservations and ticketing.

For an arrival in Bamako : Air France, Air Algérie, Afriquiyah, Point Afrique, Royal Air Maroc, …

For an arrival in Mopti or Gao, the company Point Afrique has charters flights (every monday between the 24th October and the 13th of March from Paris and Marseille). Website: www.point-afrique.com

For an arrival in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) : Air France, Air Burkina, Afriquiyah, Point Afrique,…

Baggages

Bring a soft travel bag (weight 12 kg if you travel on a charter flight). Suitcases are not advised (wheels do not work well in the sand).

We suggest you to bring :

Please kindly keep in mind Mali has a majority of muslim population.

Boat « Pinasse »

Called « Pinasse » in Mali. Long wooden pirogues with engine, outfitted and shady (roof), cushions, basic toilets.

Car rental

We propose car rental for your tour : 4WD’s Toyota air conditioned or not, minibus, car. Car rental includes a driver speaking french.

Children

Family trips with children above 8 years old are well adapted. Children love discovering the Dogon Land walking, by horse or donkeys carriage or 4Fwd vehicles. They love as well camel or donkey rides with Tuareg guides in the desert.

Tours with children (minimum 8 years old) are very safe and suitable. The children will appreciate Dogon country discovery walking, in horse or donkey carriage, in 4WD’s, camel riding in the desert, tours with donkeys.

Climate

The best period to visit Mali is from october to march. It is the dry season : no rain at all. The Saharian dry sand wind called ‘Harmattan » often starts blowing in january and nights can be cold.

The rainy season called «hivernage » in july, august and september is the time to discover green scenery (fields, desert flowers, waterfalls in Dogon country, animals grazing) and the temperatures are cooler (between 25 and 30°). Rains are mainly storms for a short period and often at night.

The warmest months are between april and june (before the rain starts).

Currency

The local currency is the Franc CFA. 1 Euro = 655,957 Fcfa.

Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Diners, Amex) are not accepted (except in Bamako in the banks). It is very difficult to change Travellers Cheques (except in the banks but it takes a long time and the banks are opened only in the morning). Banks charge a 2% commission. No change of Franc Cfa outside Africa.

Bring notes of 20, 50 or 100 Euros (better rate for notes of 100 Euros).
US $ do not enjoy a favourable exchange rate but can be exchanged at the bank.
Getting small change (small notes of 1000 Fcfa or coins) in Mali is nearly impossible.
Bargaining is a tradition that is part of the malian culture.

Drinks

Prices of drinks :
Mineral water : 1000 to 1500 Fcfa/bottle (1,5 liter) in hotels and restaurants ; 500 Fcfa in local shops
Soft drinks (Coke, Sprite, Fanta) : 500 Fcfa in restaurants, 300 Fcfa in local shops
Beers (Flag or Castel brands) : 750 to 1500 Fcfa/bottle (small or big size)

The Dogons drink their home made beer called « Dolo ».

Other alcoholic drinks (liquors) are sold in some hotels and restaurants.

Please don’t offer beer or any liquor to the population (muslims are not allowed to drink).

Electricity

220 V. Numerous electricity cuts in the cities. Petrol lamp, solar panels or generator in the Dogon country and in the desert. Bring a torch with spare batteries.

Environment

Treatment of rubbish does not exist in Mali. Most of the population consume fresh products (no packing). Do not be surprised if your guides are leaving behind empty tins or plastic bottles. The nomads and shepherds will take it and recycle it.
Litter, waste, toilet paper, cigarette butts spoil the landscape, please try to burn it as much as possible (be careful with the wind). Please bring back to your country your rubbish (plastic bags, batteries,…).
Drinking water is rare in the desert. Do not use it for washing (drinking is more important).

Festivals

Handicraft

Mali offer a large variety of handicraft depending on its origin. You will find:

Health

A vaccination certificate against yellow fever is compulsory. Check with your doctor before departure. Check also other vaccinations as tetanus…

Malaria treatment is advised. A variety of preventive treatment exist.

Bring a medical kit with you: please check with your doctor this list:

Locals pharmacies have got many medicines, but only in towns (Bamako, Mopti, Timbuktu, Gao, Segou)

Precautions: tap water is drinking water for locals only, we do not advise you to drink it. Rather use purification water tablets or buy bottled mineral water.

At the end of your trip, you can leave us the remaining medicine, which we shall distribute to dispensaries. Never give medicines to anybody yourself unless you are a doctor.

Internet

Internet points can be found in several towns (Bamako, Segou, Mopti, Bandiagara, Gao, Timbuktu).

Language

The official language is French but Bambara is widely spoken up to Mopti.

Others spoken languages are:
Songhaï in Gao, Timbuctu, Hombori and around Mopti ; Dogon is spoken in the Dogon country and Bandiagara ; Tamacheq (Tuareg language) is spoken in the Ifoghas region, Azawak, Gao and Timbuktu ; Fulfuldé is the Peul language.

English not very largely spoken.

Meals

Prepared with local products, depending on market availability. No dairy foods, cheese or green vegetables in Mopti, Gao and Timbuktu. You will eat mostly pasta, rice, couscous ; a luxury for locals that eat only « mil »… Meats: “bicycle” chicken, lamb, beef. A variety of river fishes : carp, “captain” (depending on season, sometimes very difficult to find even along the river).

Mosquitoes

Protect yourself as soon as it becomes dark. Mosquitoes are more numerous and more aggressive along the river and during the rainy season (july, august and september).
Check for Malaria prophylaxis before departure.

During the dry season (october to june), we don’t have mosquitoes in the desert and the Dogon country.

People meeting

To be more than simple tourists, we propose you to be careful guests and to meet people in order to learn more about the culture. We think that travelling is the best way to open your mind to different cultures and to understand them.

Photography

Before taking pictures of people please ask for permission. If they refuse, do not offer money.

Never photograph military bases, control posts, official buildings, airports…

Take enough films and batteries with you (difficult to find on the spot)

Presents/Gifts

Children and adults are often asking for presents (pens, sweets, money, medicines etc). Do not give them anything in order to avoid to see more people begging and not working to earn money. Children might stop going to school if they earn money begging. Keep in mind that the minimum salary is 30’000 Fcfa (46 Euro/month) and more than half the population does not work.

Public Holidays

Muslim holidays vary according to the moon calendar :

Religion

Muslim are the most important community. In Dogon country, animism is still a cultural tradition (depending on villages).

Respect

Respect of ecosystem, traditions, population, cultures, religions. Do not judge, rather try to understand. Be simple and humble with people.

Security and thieves

The country is secure and quiet (one of the rare democracies in Africa with so many different ethnic groups and different religions sharing the same land).
Thieves are rare but the country is very poor. Do not show your money around and bargain before buying (in order not to penalise the future travellers and locals).

Solidarity

Malikow Tours benefits are used for helping the country and its inhabitants. We invest in some programs such as building schools in Dogon Land, wells etc. We propose you to help us financing our projects.

Telephone

Country code : 223

Cellular phones are functioning in most of the cities (Bamako, Bandiagara, Segou, Mopti, Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal). You can make phone calls from local telephone centers for around 3 Euros / minute.

Time Zone

Sunrise between 5:30 – 6 am and sunset between 18 – 19:00 most of the year in Mali.
Time zone : GMT

Transportation

We use 4Fwd vehicles (Toyota mainly) with or without AC – upon request. For short distance transfers and according to group size, we might use a minibus (max 12 persons). Safety is very important to us and we choose very well our drivers.

Trekking

You don’t carry your luggage on our trekking. You have only your carry on with your daily needs (water bottle, camera, sunglasses, hat, suncream, light jacket…).
Your luggage are carried from one spot to the next one (depending on the track) by car, donkey, camels, carriage or porters.

Visas and permits

Entrance Visa is compulsory for most citizens and must be requested at any Malian Consulate or Embassy.
You need:

Time for obtaining the visa: between 72 hours and 15 days for request brought to the Consulate. 3 to 4 weeks for mail requests (send a stamped envelope for return).
Cost: please check with your consulate

Visa extensions can be obtained at the General National Police Headquarters in Bamako or by the Police in Mopti.

For citizens from Algeria, Bénin, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, Andorra, Principauty of Monaco, Tchad, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Sénégal, Togo, Tunisia, a valid ID card and/or passport is accepted.

For Burkina Faso :
Visa can be obtained at the border when arriving from Mali by car (cost around 10 000 Fcfa). Form to fill at the border.
Arrival by air: you must obtain your visa before departure (passport valid 6 months after date of return, yellow fever vaccination certificate, two visa forms filled and signed, with 2 identical ID photos, 16 Euros cash please check the cost)

Travel Tips (alphabetical order)