Saga Tours of Mali - West Africa Adventure Travel
Tel/Fax +223.2020.2708
Fax +223.2020.9002
sagatours@sagatours.com

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Mali Travel Tips
Travel Tips
Practical facts and advice for more enjoyable travel in Mali and West Africa

Please see About Mali page for more useful information.

Entry Requirements
  1. An visa is required for everyone except citizens of:

    • ECOWAS member countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo
    • Algeria
    • Cameroon
    • Andorra
    • Monaco
    • Chad
    • the Gambia
    • Hong Kong
    • Morocco
    • Mauritania
    • Tunisia
    • South Africa


  2. Yellow Fever immunization
Malaria prophylaxis is recommended; consult your physician.
Tourist Visa
A visa is required to enter and visit Mali. The website of the Malian Embassy in Washington DC has all of the pertinent information to apply for a tourist visa. Click here to access it now - you will be able to download the instructions and application form.

NB: only 5-day entry visas are available upon arrival at Bamako airport.
With the entry visa, you must apply for a standard 30-day tourist visa in Bamako (visa office of the Frontiers and Immigration Police) if your stay in Mali will exceed five days. This process requires 24-48 hours, Monday-Friday.

NB: We highly recommend obtaining a visa prior to your trip—airline security procedures are such that flight boarding may be refused by the airline to any traveller without a visa.

Before traveling, you should also make sure that your passport is valid for at least six more months, and that it has sufficient blank pages for entry and exit stamps in each country that you will visit.

Contact the Mali Embassy or Consulate:


1900 L Street NW
Washington DC 20036 USA
Telephone (+001)202 332 2249
Fax (+001) 202 332 6603
www.maliembassy.us

89, Rue du Cherche-Midi
Paris 75006 FRANCE
Telephone +33 1 45 48 58 43
Fax +33 1 45 48 55 34

Mali Consulate
111 E. 69th Street
New York NY 10021 USA
Telephone (+001) 212 737 4150 / 794 1311

Mali Embassy ('Botschaft Mali')
Kurfürstendamm 72
10709 Berlin GERMANY
Telephone: (+49) 3031 99883
ambmali@01019freenet.de

Via Antonio Bosio 2
00161 Rome, ITALY
Telephone 0039 06 4425 4068
Fax (+439) 06 4425 4029
amb.malirome@tiscalinet.it

487, Avenue Moliere
1050 Brussels BELGIUM
Telephone +322 340 8130/8132; +322 345 7432
Fax +322 344 5700
www.ambamali.be
ambamali@skynet.be

14, Rue du Rhone
1204 Geneva SWITZERLAND
Telephone (+412) 2 819 1795
Fax (+412) 2 819 1996

Mali Consulate (honorary)
Spalengerg 25, BP 1204
CH-4001 Bale, SWITZERLAND
Telephone (061) 295 38 88
Fax (061) 295 38 89
www.maliconsulat.ch

Mali Consulate
64 Rue Pelleport
75020 Paris FRANCE
Telephone +33 1 48 07 85 85
Fax +33 1 48 07 07 39
www.consulat-mali.fr
contact@consulat-mali.fr

Mali Consulate (honorary)
47 Rue de la Paix
13001 Marseille FRANCE
Telephone +33 04 91 33 76 30
Fax +33 04 54 19 91

Mali Consulate (honorary)
29 Allées des Chartes
33000 Bordeaux FRANCE
Telephone +33 05 56 00 82 82
Fax +33 05 56 81 51 76

Mali Consulate (honorary)
8 Rue du Professeur Grignard
69007 Lyon FRANCE
Telephone +33 04 78 72 96 99

50 Avenue Goulburn
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 8C8 CANADA
Tel. (+613) 232 1501 or 1502 or 3264
Fax (613) 232 7429
Website: www.ambamalicanada.org
email: ambassadedumali@rogers.com

Consulate of the Republic of Mali
Suite 6 / 29 Ord street
West Perth 6005 AUSTRALIA
Tel/Fax: +61 8 9486 7016
Mob: 0417326447
Email: perth@mali.org.au
Website: www.mali.org.au


Health and medical issues
You will need a Yellow Fever vaccine to enter Mali. See your physician, public health office, or travelers' clinic; you can also visit the Centers for Disease Control website for more information. It would also be a good idea to make sure other vaccinations are up-to-date, such as tetanus, rabies, etc.; best to get a physician's advice.

Also, don't forget to ask your doctor about malaria prevention - this is usually mefloquine (Lariam), doxycycline, or Malarone in tablet form, taken for the length of your trip plus a short period before your departure and after your return. In the U.S., malaria prevention tablets are sold by prescription only; they are not available in Mali. Another important and complementary preventive measure is to cover your arms and legs, especially in the evening, and to utilize mosquito repellant.

Tip: the availability of medications in West Africa is limited, and the brands available will probably not be familiar ones, so bring along all medications that you're likely to need as you travel. And be sure to pack them in your carry-on bag, not your checked luggage.

Tip: food and water precautions - only drink boiled or bottled liquids, and make sure the intact bottle cap is removed in your presence; don't eat anything raw that you haven't peeled yourself. To avoid dehydration, do make an effort to drink more water than you normally do, even if you don't feel thirsty.

Tip: sports bars, dried fruit, trail mix or other snack foods can be very handy on long days, or if local food does not satisfy your palate (chocolate is not a good choice, as it melts). This is especially noteworthy for vegetarians, who should consider bringing along protein supplements and other items to complement the limited local variety.

Tip: Wash your hands every chance you get; this will help prevent many bacterial and viral infections.

Here is a list of suggested items for a travel medical kit; this list is only a guideline, and you should carefully include or exclude items according to your particular needs.

Insurance (See Terms & Conditions)

Insurance is not required, but is always a good idea. Check your other policies (health, homeowners, student, etc.) to see what coverage you may already have. Otherwise check into one of the specialist travel insurance companies such as Access America (800 284 8300; www.accessamerica.com) or International SOS Assistance (215 245 4707; www.intsos.com). Saga Tours does not offer travel insurance.

Money and Credit cards
Foreign exchange: Euros and USDollars are readily exchangeable in Bamako and other capital cities.

NB: Large denominations ($100, 100€, 200€, 500€) are preferred and provide a better exchange rate than smaller bills.

Travelers checks are also exchangeable, but not as readily as cash—you should expect to pay a commission of 5-20% on travellers checks.

**Be prepared for lengthy procedures to exchange travellers checks, and be sure to have your purchase receipt — some banks and exchange bureaus will not exchange travellers checks without the purchase receipt.

In the interior of Mali and other countries, cash may also be exchanged (not quite as easily as in the capital cities), but travelers checks likely not.

Credit cards: Please note that credit cards are very little used in our local cash economies — only at a few banks, large hotels and restaurants in large cities. Visa card is usually the only card accepted, and occasionally, MasterCard or American Express. In the interior of any country, do not count on using credit cards at all. It is nevertheless a good idea to bring a Visa card for emergency use in the capital cities.

There are a few ATMs in Bamako and other country capitals. These generally accept only Visa card, and provide a maximum cash advance of 200,000 CFA (approximate value $450 USD, at current exchange rate).

There are also Western Union outlets in Bamako, Sikasso, Kayes, Segou, Mopti, and Timbuktu, as well as in all medium to large cities in all countries, where cash can be transferred and accessed the same day.

Local currency, exchange rates
The local currency is called 'CFA' and is utilized in several other West African countries, namely: Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

Approximate exchange rates as of July 2010 are:
500 CFA = $1 US
650 CFA = 1 Euro
1 Euro = $1.30 US

When checking the exchange rate with a Currency Converter, remember that these sites typically list the interbank rate, whereas the retail rate is what you will get locally. Click here to access a currency converter now.

Food and meals
Restaurant meals are not cheap; in the smaller towns, expect to pay approximately 5-8 € for lunch, 7-12 € for dinner; in the larger cities, approximately 6-10 € for lunch, and 12-25 € for dinner (in the major hotels of capital cities, up to 20 € for lunch, up to 35 € for dinner).

Local street-corner food is cheap but not recommended for the uninitiated; it is a prime source of infection leading to diarrheal disease.

Bottled mineral water is approximately 1 € in stores (1.5-liter bottle), and 2-4 € in hotels or restaurants.

Tipping
Tipping is discretionary, not required. A small tip is a traditional way of expressing one's respect, as well as appreciation for good services.

Here are some guidelines and local norms:

- tour guide/escort: approx. 6-8 €/day (~4000 to 5000 CFA/day)
- tour driver: approx. 3-5 €/day (~2000 to 3000 CFA/day)
- local guide: approx. 1-2 € (~1000 CFA)
- boat crew (for 3-day sail to Timbuktu): approx. 45 € (~30 000 CFA total, to be shared among the crew)
- restaurant staff: 1 €/person/meal (~200-500 CFA/person/meal)
- bag porters: 1 €/bag (200-500 CFA/bag at hotels; 500 CFA/bag at the airport)

Tips should be offered in CFA local currency.

Suggestion: Always save your small bills (1000 cfa, 2000 cfa) and coins (500 cfa) for tipping, and always use larger bills (5000 CFA or 10,000 CFA) in hotels or restaurants. Many vendors do not have any change, and it can be quite frustrating to not be able to do or buy something, for lack of the correct change.


Clothing : What to wear
In West Africa as everywhere, clothing is adapted to the climate, which is generally warm-to-hot; so you will see local people wearing loose and light items, and it is a good idea to follow this lead.

Men and women can wear bermuda shorts, but it is best to cover the thighs, down to the knees. Women need not cover their hair, shoulders or arms, but they should cover their legs down to the knees, and avoid any tight-fitting clothing.

Cotton and other natural fabrics are more comfortable in this climate than man-made fibers. You should pack a light jacket or sweater for the months of December or January, especially for Timbuktu or for any camping nights. And a rain jacket or umbrella might be handy during the rainy months of August and September; during the high season of November-February, it is unlikely that you will see a drop of rain.

For protection against malaria and/or other mosquito-borne disease, we recommend wearing long trousers and a long-sleeve shirt in the evening hours.

Tip: In Mali as in other Muslim countries, better to err on the side of modesty.
Tip: Except on the playing field, shorts are considered children's' wear.


Luggage
Soft luggage is preferred over trunks or hard-sided suitcases. Luggage allowance on flights to/from the US and Europe is normally two bags of up to 70 pounds (32 kgs) each, for each ticket holder. But on domestic flights in Mali the baggage allowance is 15 kilograms (33 pounds) per person, plus one small carry-on item; you will need to pay excess baggage fees for anything over that amount.

Tip: Always use locks on your luggage.

Tip: Do not place medications in your checked luggage, which can be lost or delayed; always keep medications in your carry-on bag.

Packing : What to Bring
Tip: Make photocopies of your passport (the ID page and the Mali visa page) and your airline tickets; obviously you should carry these separately from the real items.

Tip: If you require a hair dryer or travel iron, you'll need to bring your own, as they are not available in the hotels.

Tip: Disposable razors are more convenient than electric ones (lack of plugs in bathrooms).

Suggested packing list:

Domestic flight excess baggage
(Jan. 2010) On domestic flights, the baggage allowance is 20 kg/passenger, plus one piece of hand-luggage maximum 5 kg. Excess baggage charges are approx. 2.00 Euros/kg of excess weight (price subject to change; 1 kg = 2.2 pounds).


Airport tax
There is no airport departure tax in Bamako; this fee is included in the price of air tickets.


International airlines servicing Mali from the US and/or Europe :

Air France http://www.airfrance.com
U.S.: 800 237 2747
Canada: 800 667 2747
France: 802 802 802
U.K.: 020 8 742 6600

Royal Air Maroc http://www.royalairmaroc.com
(flight may include an overnight layover in Casablanca)
U.S.: 800 344 6726 or 212 750 5115
Canada: 514 285 1435
France: 01 44 94 13 10
U.K.: 020 7 439 4361

Connecting flights may also be found on:

Afriqiyah
Aigle Azur
Air Algérie
Air Burkina
Air Guinée
Air Ivoire
Air Mali
Air Mauritanie
Cameroon Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines
Kenya Airways
Trans Air Benin
Tunis Air

Travel Advisory

Most of Mali is entirely peaceful and safe, the crime rate is very low, but there are areas to be avoided.

Visitors are strongly advised not to travel into desert areas in the north of Mali especially along international borders with Algeria, Niger, or Mauritania—banditry, car hijackings and more recently threats of kidnappings have been carried out by criminal bands in the desert with links to terrorist organizations.

All travel plans should be made with local agencies, who can advise on the areas to avoid.

Please remember that New York, London, Madrid, Bombay have all suffered severe terrorist attacks—that is not a reason to avoid these cities, and there is also no reason to avoid Mali.

You will be as safe in Mali as anywhere in the world—perhaps safer, because Mali is not a high-value target—but do avoid the desert.