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Every foreigner, except the French, needs a visa before entering the country. You can apply for a visa in Brussels at: Av. Moliere 487, 1060 Brussels Tel. 02/345.74.32 or 02/345.75.89. When leaving the country, airport tax is 10.000 CFA (11/98).
Visa Every foreigner, except the French, needs a visa before entering the country.
You can apply for a visa in Brussels at:
- Av. Moliere 487, 1060 Brussels
- Tel. 02/345.74.32 or 02/345.75.89.
When leaving the country, airport tax is 10.000 CFA (11/98).
Money matters Cash
It's best to bring cash French Francs with you, since they can be changed everywhere at no cost and at a fixed rate of 100 CFA = 1 FF.
Notes of 100, 200 and 500 FF can be changed without problems, smaller notes will sometimes be refused.
Often you can also pay with FF immediately, but not for small amounts.
Credit cards
Not useful in Mali.
Traveller cheques
You can only change TC's in Bamako, but there's a charge of 3 to 4%.
Flights within Mali I don't have much info on flights within the country.
Transportation on the Niger Getting from Mopti to Timbuktu by pinasse
- A pinasse is a big motorized pirogue used to transport cargo. Passengers simply live on the cargo. We had 30 passengers on our boat. It's not very comfortable of course sitting and lying on the cargo, and there's no toilet. It's best to have a sleeping mattress. However, the boat stops regularly to load or unload cargo.
- For Mopti-Timbuktu, we probably payed too much (15.000 CFA pp). Rice is extra at 2.000 CFA for the whole trip. Take your own extra food as well as drinking water.
- Count on 3 days for the Mopti-Timbuktu trip.
- To find a pinasse, just go to the harbour in Mopti and ask around, there are always boats doing this trip. However, make sure you take one with 2 motors: it's faster and more reliable.
Getting to Gao by Steamboat from Timbuktu
- The boat only goes once a week from Timbuktu to Goa. It is a floating city with shops. Everywhere the boat stops, people will start trading goods. You also have a great view in the morning and the evening from the roof. It's too hot during the day.
- The boat only goes from July till December/mid January depending on the water. When the water gets low, they'll first cancel the trip from Koulikoro to Mopti.
- There are normally 3 boats, but there seems to be one out of order all the time. Also all schedules are purely theoretical. When we were there we were supposed to leave Timbuktu on Saturday morning, but we left only Tuesday morning.
This is how it should look like in theory:
- Koulikoro: departure Tuesday evening
- Mopti: departure Thursday evening
-Timbuktu: departure Saturday morning
- There are different classes:
- In luxury class you have a cabin for 2 persons with private toilet, but I advise against this because your room will smell because of it.
- First class gives you a double cabin with washbasin.
- Second gives you a 4 persons cabin and looked good.
- Third class is a cabin for 8 to 12 persons and is not recommended.
- It's best to have a reservation for first class. If not, you might have to spend time in 3rd class till Timbuktu. After Timbuktu, the boat gets less full, and the scenery is very special: floating with a boat through the desert.
- A ticket Timbuktu-Gao costed 34.800 CFA pp including food which is reasonable. The trip from Mopti to Timbuktu costs 30.000 CFA. It's best to take your own water, but you can get refreshments on board at usual prices.
Bus
- Always try to take big buses for larger distances, since they don't stop that often and thus are faster.
- There are also "bachés" (pick ups), leaving when full, but expect to wait sometimes a few hours.
Travel guides There are no budget oriented travel guides for Mali itself, so you'll have to buy a bigger guide on West Africa, like the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide. My personal favourite was the Rough Guide, but everybody has to decide for himself. Also, as long as the Rough guide did not get an update, the LP is the preferred option.
Lonely planet
Edition 4/99.
Order the Lonely Planet West Africa for 23.96 US$!
West Africa Rough Guide
Edition 12/95, there should be a new edition soon I guess.
Order the West Africa Rough Guide now for only 24.95 US$!
Mali Blues
This book was originally written in Dutch by a Belgian writer, Lieve Joris. She quite famous with several books with travel stories like "The gates of Damascus" and a book on a journey on the Congo river. This book is about her trip to Mali starting from Senegal where she describes her trip as a white woman in an African society. The book has now been translated into English and published by Lonely Planet.
Order Mali Blues now for only 10.36 US$!
Hotels Don't expect to get good value for money accommodation in Mali. count on 10.000 to 15.000 CFA for a basic but clean double room. Putting up a tent usually cost 2.000 CFA pp.
Medical matters Malaria
Mali is a WHO area C meaning that Lariam is the drug of first choice here. For info on how to take Lariam and possible side effects, have a look at the Medical Matters chapter.
Yellow Fever
You are obliged to get a vaccination against Yellow Fever, and this will be checked when you enter the country ! Go to a tropical disease unit to get your shot, it protects you for at least 10 years. The following persons can not get the vaccine: Pregnant women will preferably not get the vaccination, in case of need it's better to get it in the last trimester. Children less then 12 months, but in case of need it can be given from 9 months onwards, but definitely not before 4 months. Patients with immunodepression due to diseases like AIDS, cancer, lymphomas or certain drugs.
Hepatitis A
If you travel with a backpack and don't mind eating in cheap restaurants, it's easy to catch Hepatitis A. Chances of getting infected range from 1/300 to 1/50 per month depending on your standard of travelling. It's not dangerous, but you will be sick for some weeks. There is a good vaccination for Hepatitis A nowadays, so ask your doctor. You need 2 shots (used to be 3 shots) at 0 and 6 months, although if you can it's even better to postpone the second shot till after 12 months. They are expensive, but they protect you for 10 years.
Hepatitis B
You can only get this through sex and blood transfusion. Since prevalence of Hepatitis B is much higher in developing countries then in the Western world, it might be wise to get vaccinated. Get your shots at 0, 1 and 6 months. They are equally expensive as hepatitis A.
Typhoid fever
There is also a good vaccination consisting of 3 pills to be taken every 2 days. Take them early enough before you leave since it's better not to combine them with malaria pills, although these guidelines have recently changed (meaning you can combine them). The vaccination works for 3 years.
Travellers diarrhea
It might be a good idea to have antibiotics at hand in case of diarrhea. Take Ciproxine 250 mg two tablets at once and then another 3 tablets, one tablet every 12 hours.
Weather It's always extremely hot in Mali, but there's a distinction between a wet season (June to September), and a dry season (rest of the year). Between October and February, temperatures may drop a bit. If you want to take a the steamboat on the Niger, it only goes from July till December/January depending on the water.
What to take It's a good idea to bring the inner side of a tent with you. Also bring a water purifier or tablets. Bottled water is available but expensive.
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