Flights to Bamako with Air France from $1,396*

Discover Bamako

The city's 2,992 km² are spread out along the banks of the Niger River. Bamako has become an important hub in Africa, and boasts a high-end airport, located just 15 km outside the centre. The city has various districts, 6 in total, and is home to more than 3,335,000 inhabitants. Both vibrant and welcoming, the city hosts its visitors with great pleasure and offers many sites and cultural places for them to see. It also has a large business centre: you can easily travel to Bamako with an Air France flight.

A flawless tour of Bamako

As soon as you get off the plane, you will be surprised by the joyful atmosphere that reigns there. To get to the city centre, you can choose between renting a car, taking a taxi or riding the bus. You will of course drive right in front of the Tower of Africa. This monument, shaped like a baobab, represents for strength and unity of Africa's countries. Rising 46 metres up, you cannot miss it. Once you have reached the centre, you must absolutely go to the Sacré-Coeur-de-Jésus cathedral. It will surprise you with its unique Roman-Byzantine style and impressive size: it measures 48 metres long. It is made up of a main building and 5 parish sectors, welcoming an increasing population every day. Construction began in 1924 and lasted 12 years. Nowadays, this orange brick building - made with local earth - is the site most visited by tourists. Yet there are many others to be discovered if you stroll through the city centre streets. Indeed, the large mosque will no doubt charm you with its two slender minarets, reminding us of Middle-Eastern architecture. To better understand its inhabitants, what better way than going to the market? There are several in town. The Médina Coura market and Pink Market have lots of shops to look in. The Raïda Market is also very interesting and you can easily chat to the locals working there - they are always happy to share their culture. If you are looking to buy some crafts, then head to the Craft Centre. There you will find a wide array of traditional objects.

The city also has lots of sculptures scattered through its various squares. You can thus discover the Maternity statue, that of the Three Caimans or the Hippopotamus, as well as the monument dedicated to Black Army heroes and the statue of Samory-Woyowoyanko, symbolising the defeat of the French colonial forces in 1882.

To further discover local history, you could also visit Mali's national museum.

Then, why not step away from the city centre and explore the surroundings? To do so, you could rent a car and go on your own adventure.

To find out more about the Mandinka people, head out to the sacred Kangaba hut. It is a very small yet highly important room for this population. This is where all major discussions are held. Every seven years, the Mandinka people replace the roof and celebrate with a festival.

For a unique view of Bamako, take the Koubala path then the submersible Sotuba route. You can enjoy breath-taking landscapes all the way along.

Siby is also worth visiting. Located 47 kilometres outside Bamako, you can delve into local culture and traditions. The place bears testimony to its past: the old furnace, Niekema anvil, Fafamba grotto and Kamadjan Arch.offers many direct flights to Paris departing from major US airports.

When you arrive at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airportyou can easily reach your hotel with the Super Shuttle, Air France buses, Citybird taxis or the Paris public transportation network (RER, metro, etc.).

You may reserve a flight for Paris or you may also reserve your flight + hotel and/or car rental when you reserve your ticket.

Flying off to Bamako

Depending on when you are planning your trip to Bamako, you may get very dry or humid tropical weather. If you do not like the heat much, you had best opt for December. The temperature at that time is 25°C on average. If you do not mind the rain, July and August are perfect. At that time, nature takes its course again. The savannah will be at its very best in September. Throughout the year, the city also hosts lots of festivals: percussions, photography, music, etc.

To be sure not to go wrong when preparing your trip to Bamako, remember to look up information on the formalities https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mali.html required beforehand. You can then book your flight. You can also visit Mali's own Tourist Office website.