Bamako Things to Do

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If you have enough time, take an afternoon to visit the Musée National des Arts :
you can find a lot of beautiful masks and other objects from different groups in Mali.
They also organise some events (theatre, folklore,...) now and then so keep an eye on their website (posted below).
Enjoy!

The BCEAO Tower sits right in the heart of Bamako, along the Niger River, and is really a nice site to behold. It's the Malian headquarters of the Central Bank of West African States, and has some ATM machines outside. I never went in, and I'm not really sure if there is anything to do inside besides banking, but the building itself is something to make a point of seeing and probably taking a few pictures of (especially since several other impressive buildings in the city are off limits to photography, such as the presidential palace and whatnot).

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Something to keep an eye out for as you as making your way around the city is all the monuments that are scattered around Bamako, usually in the center of a roundabout.

The types of monuments vary greatly, ranging from war memorials to a soccer mascot (built for the 2002 African Cup of Nations, which Mali hosted). There are some pretty interesting ones, so definitely check these out as you go around town.

There is a lot to see in Bamako. You can call upon the city's many taxis to get to all of the sights. They should never cost you more than 1500 FCFA (3$ US). I recommend a visit to the National Museum, the Botanical gardens and to one of Bamako's many markets.

Nevertheless, I also want to recommend a small art gallery, FERE KENE, in the district Hamdallaye ACI 2000. This gallery space showcases the work of local artists. It was created in 2001 by the organization AJA MALI to provide local artists with a space to sell their goods, thereby appealing to a larger market. The organisation, more generally, works with the artists on a long-term basis and teaches them the importance of creating their goods according to fair trade standards, and the essentials of running their own business.

AJA's main goal is to eradicate unemployment in Mali by equipping the local population with the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and generate income. They provide training sessions to youth ages 15-35 in the arts, woodwork, tourism, metalwork, as well as instruction on how to run a small business

A trip to this gallery is well worth it as it offers tourists a chance to enjoy the wonderful artwork of local Malians and an opportunity to support the domestic economy. It is also a chance to do some one stop shopping at fixed prices in a tranquil environment before heading home!

There is a lot to see in Bamako. You can call upon the city's many taxis to get to all of the sights. They should never cost you more than 1500 FCFA (3$ US). I recommend a visit to the National Museum, the Botanical gardens and to one of Bamako's many markets.

Nevertheless, I also want to recommend a small art gallery, FERE KENE, in the district Hamdallaye ACI 2000. This gallery space showcases the work of local artists. It was created in 2001 by the organization AJA MALI to provide local artists with a space to sell their goods, thereby appealing to a larger market. The organisation, more generally, works with the artists on a long-term basis and teaches them the importance of creating their goods according to fair trade standards, and the essentials of running their own business.

AJA's main goal is to eradicate unemployment in Mali by equipping the local population with the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and generate income. They provide training sessions to youth ages 15-35 in the arts, woodwork, tourism, metalwork, as well as instruction on how to run a small business

A trip to this gallery is well worth it as it offers tourists a chance to enjoy the wonderful artwork of local Malians and an opportunity to support the domestic economy. It is also a chance to do some one stop shopping at fixed prices in a tranquil environment before heading home!

There is a lot to see in Bamako. You can call upon the city's many taxis to get to all of the sights. They should never cost you more than 1500 FCFA (3$ US). I recommend a visit to the National Museum, the Botanical gardens and to one of Bamako's many markets.

Nevertheless, I also want to recommend a small art gallery, FERE KENE, in the district Hamdallaye ACI 2000. This gallery space showcases the work of local artists. It was created in 2001 by the organization AJA MALI to provide local artists with a space to sell their goods, thereby appealing to a larger market. The organisation, more generally, works with the artists on a long-term basis and teaches them the importance of creating their goods according to fair trade standards, and the essentials of running their own business.

AJA's main goal is to eradicate unemployment in Mali by equipping the local population with the necessary skills to become self-sufficient and generate income. They provide training sessions to youth ages 15-35 in the arts, woodwork, tourism, metalwork, as well as instruction on how to run a small business

A trip to this gallery is well worth it as it offers tourists a chance to enjoy the wonderful artwork of local Malians and an opportunity to support the domestic economy. It is also a chance to do some one stop shopping at fixed prices in a tranquil environment before heading home!

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This is one of the main attractions of Bamako. Not really a treasure inside, but it's got interesting pieces of tribal cultures and some peculiar fabrics. In the gardens you can see reproductions of various malian monuments, such as the Djenne mosque...
Entrance: 2500 CFA

Maybe one of the few things to see in Bamako. The Cathedral is a red stone gothic style church in the middle of Bamako. Nearby is one of the few public gardens in the city, a good place for a rest after a morning in the market. The crocodile's fountain was really interesting...

National Museum is interesting and it's absolutely worth a visit. It's modern and nice. The museum is inspired from Bambara traditions, with the exception of the workshops.

The museum houses one of the best ethnographic collections in West Africa. The masks and statues collection is particularly interesting. You can find Bambara and Dogon masterpieces.

National Museum is open from 09:00 to 18:00 and It's closed on Mondays.

The entrance fee is about 2500 CFA

Mali has no money to take care of the incredible history of its people.
France financed a new museum in Banco in 1892 but the largest part of the collections consists of ceased items by the French custom.
It is a fact that many thieves visit Mali, helped by local populations who is one of the poorest of the world and come to illegaly search archeological sites to take the patrimony of the Malians and sell abroad.

It can take three hours to visit. I could make correlations between the old local people and some ancient Greeks or Yemen/Syrian history.

Conservators are not professionnal. Explanations are made sometimes on a too scinetific writing for a usual tourist to understand, and texts don't always keep the neutrality of the historian.

There is also a permanet exhibition of the Malian fabric (batik, bogolan, etc.).

The price is 2500 CFA for foreigners and if you add 500 CFA you have a good guide.