Though underdeveloped and wracked by violence in some areas, this West African country offers the adventurous some extraordinary off-the-beaten-track experiences - cultural, eco, and of course the haunting, legendary cities of Timbuktu and Djenné.

Note: as of January 2026, in retaliation for having its citizens banned from receving visas to the United States, U.S. citizens are now being denied entry to Mali.

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6 of Mali's must-see destinations

Ousmane Garba Kounta With a population of around 22 million, this vast landlocked country in West Africa is a bit larger than California and Texas combined, and about five times the size of the entire United Kingdom. It´s a place of sweeping Sahel landscapes, ancient cities, and extraordinary cultural depth, with a climate ranging from hot, dry desert in the north to semi-arid and tropical zones farther south. Travelers visit for its legendary heritage—Timbuktu, Djenné, Dogon Country—its…

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Started by Helen Brown
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A Mali shoutout in 'West Africa Christmastime'

In the UK we usually associate Christmas with family, eating and drinking (often to excess!), giving presents, Father Christmas and a Christmas tree. But how is the tradition celebrated in West Africa, a region of the World where Christianity is at its freshest, where missionaries have only been preaching for about 150 years? West Africa is a culturally diverse region; comprised of 16 countries, where Islam and Christianity dominate thousands of different tribes speaking hundreds of different…

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Started by Tripatini
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  • West Africa Discovery January 27, 2010 at 5:01pm
    We are currently looking for Responsible/Sustainable tourism (http://http//www.westafricadiscovery.co.uk/responsible-tourism.html) ventures to list them on West Africa Discovery, a portal dedicated to raising awareness towards the west African region, and to create a database of tours, accommodations and volunteer projects which benefit the local communities whilst respecting the Historical, Cultural, Natural and Social heritages of the destination. If you have any information which may help us in going forward in our mission, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
  • West Africa Discovery January 12, 2010 at 8:44pm
    West Africa Discovery (www.westafricadiscovery.com) , a web portal aiming to raise awareness towards West Africa and to promote sustainable/responsible tourism development through the listing of tours, accommodations and volunteer projects that strive towards the fulfilment of criteria outlined in the Cape Town, Kerala and Belize declarations on responsible tourism practices in destinations (http://www.westafricadiscovery.co.uk/responsible-tourism.html). We also aim to make West Africa Discovery the first port of call in the UK for referring tourists to Western African based Responsible Tourism projects.

    As a company we aim to help in the development of Responsible/Sustainable development in all West African countries by linking like minded people together to facilitate the sharing of ideas, educating by distributing Responsible Tourism related material to Tourism organisations and helping locally based individuals to develop ideas which will help to develop the concept in their country.

    We are committed to putting West Africa on the map as a destination that tourists would like to visit, and our vision is that through the West Africa Discovery project the listed accommodations and tours will provide benefits for local communities whilst respecting the natural, cultural, social and historical heritages in the destination.

    If any of you know of tour operators or accommodations based in Mali who would be a candidate to be listed on West Africa Discovery, don't hesitate to get in touch.
  • David Paul Appell January 7, 2010 at 5:45am
    Kathy, thanks so much for your observations! I see parallels with other countries/experiences I've had.

    Anyway, where were you exactly? What was your impression of Timbuktu in particular?
  • Kathy Moroney January 7, 2010 at 3:01am
    I spent 3 weeks in Mali and Burkina Faso in October/November. At the time there was a U.S. travel warning. The travel warning has gotten stronger with the November 19 release. But when I was there I didn't see/feel anything that gave me pause. Americans were welcomed. People didn't look like they had too little food and thus were rebellious or susceptible to radical persuasions. The general society is extremely tolerant of religious differences. Neither Christianity nor Muslim beliefs divide society. Problems in the north of the country were explained as attempts by outsiders to establish drug routes through the country, which were being fought by Mali-- and the drug traders were fighting back. People were totally mystified as to why there was any sort of a U.S. travel warning.

    What are other peoples' experiences?
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