Mali travel is such a historical and beautiful nation that every tourist would love. Unfortunately, the culturally-rich country had suffered several political instabilities in the past.

That is why people don’t quite talk of the beautiful nation. So, should you abandon your plans to come here?

No!

Mali is not as unsafe as you might have heard. As opposed to the stories, Mali is safe for tourists.

Want to know more? Then, keep reading this piece.

Mali Travel Guide: The Basics You Should Know

Safety Concerns About The Mali Travel

Let’s first handle the elephant in the room – security. Indeed, Mali suffered mass social unrest as recently as 2012.

Even at that, you needn’t exercise fear. Tourists are safe here.

Besides, not all parts of the country are prone to such worries. If you’re coming, and you should, stay away from the northern regions. 

In particular, keep regions such as Gao and Timbuktu off-limits – unless your tour guide advises otherwise.

Other northern parts like Dogon, Kidal, and Mopti are relatively safe. There are allied forces (heavily-armored) guiding those grounds.

So, where can you rest assured of top-notch security?

The capital city, Bamako, is safe. Other areas down south, such as Segou and Sikasso, are equally secured.

Visa Requirements

When coming to Mali, it is best to get your visa before your travels. Indeed, you’d read that you can get such on arrival.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t work! 

Nevertheless, you can get your visa in embassies in your country. If it’s not too much stress, you can check the Malian embassy in neighboring regions such as Burkina Faso and Niger.

That said, even with your visa, you yet need other documents to gain entry into Mali. Some of those essentials include:

• Your passport – with at least 6month’s validity
• Evidence of vaccination for yellow fever/malaria

Also, note that there is a new airport in Bamako. As such, check with your travel aid to make the right plans for you.

Health Concerns

The first worry here is malaria. Regardless of if you’d only visit cities or go to the parks, get repellants.

Another thing you should worry about is water. Stay away from the tap water. Only Bamako’s is manageable.

Even at that, the water system in Bamako has irritable levels of chlorine. So to avoid complications, get bottled water.

Lastly, and most importantly, get health and travel insurance before coming to Mali. The hospitals here can be oddly primitive.

You could try the expensive ones. Even with those, 100% expertise is questionable.

The worst case: you might need to fly to another country for medical emergencies. If you had insurance, it would save you such expenses.

People And Culture In Mali Travel

Malians are friendly people. Though french speaking, you’d yet find a few who understand English.

Also, the people here are predominantly Muslim. They even have historical and heritage sites to prove such standards.

Nevertheless, you can dress as you please. Even the locals wear shorts and loose clothes because of the heat.

But make sure you don’t wear provocative wears. You might want to avoid tight and revealing dresses.

In essence, Mali isn’t as bad as the media has portrayed her. With a great travel agency, you’d enjoy your trip here.