Mali Practical Information

Burkina - Benin - Togo | Practical Info

Stichwortverzeichnis

Flugverbindungen

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Fotografieren

Geld

Gesundheit

Kleidung

Klima

Literatur

Reisegepäck/Checkliste

Sicherheit

Stromversorgung

Telekommunikation

Trinkgelder

Übernachtungen

Zeitunterschied

Und noch etwas....

Pinasse arriving in the river-port in Mopti

Accommodation On our trip through Mali we stay in clean thoroughly selected 2-3-stars-hotels. The rooms have en suite facilities, electricity and water supply and air condition or fan. At Sangha we stay in a basic so called “campement” with en suite facilities. The hotels at Bamako, Ségou, Mopti and Bandiagara have clean swimming pools. www.hotelbamakoplage.com www.hoteldjennedjenno.com www.bambara.com www.hotel-la-falaise.net www.teryabugu.com

Airlines Airlines with scheduled flights from Europe to Bamako include Air France, Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines. For more information please consult the following websites: Air France: www.airfrance.com, Ethiopian Airlines: www.flyethiopian.com, Turkish Airlines: www.turkishairlines.com If you book a tailor-made trip with us you can fly the airline of your choice and we can coordinate your flight arrangement with the land itinerary. We will be pleased to provide you with our consultation and support.

Clothing Light short-sleeved cotton clothing is recommended for the days and a long-sleeved shirt and trousers for the evenings which will help you to fend off mosquitoes and face the cooler temperatures in the winter months). In Mali shorts and short skirts are ill-advised for women. It is also unusual for men to wear shorts in Burkina. In the rainy season you need a waterproof jacket and/or an umbrella. (see chapter “when to go”). In many hotels there is a laundry service on offer, so you can get your washing done. As for footwear, you should carry with you a good pair of walking shoes for our hiking tours and a pair of sandals. Thongs are useful in shower and pool areas. Don’t forget your swimwear! You will have the opportunity to swim in some of our hotels’ swimming pools.

What to take • Passport • Air ticket • International yellow vaccination card • Photocopies of your documents (it’s good to keep them in a separate bag) • Cash money, credit card • Hard top suitcase or tear resistant travel bag + day bag • Protective cover for your suitcase • Swimwear • A pair of flip flops (for shower and pool etc.) • A pair of sandals • Comfortable footwear, non-slip hiking boots • Long lightweight trousers, shorts, long-sleeved shirt for the evening, light thin cotton clothing • Sunhat and sunglasses • Suncream • Umbrella and/or waterproof jacket • Towel • Toilet paper, tissues, wet wipes • Torch with spare bulb and batteries • Swiss knife • Personal first-aid kit • Insect repellent • Photographic equipment, memory cards/film rolls, batteries • Binoculars

When to go Climate Mal is divided into three climatic zones: the desert zone in the north, the Sahel zone, situated in the middle of the country, and south to it the Sudanic zone.The country has a primarily tropical climate with two alternating seasons: a long dry season and a short rainy season from June to October when in the southern part rainfall figures are highest and heavy downpour is common, whereas the northern region generally experiences little rainfall. Average annual rainfall measures around 1,400 mm in the south and only 130 mm in the dry northern part of the country. During the wet season, the vegetation is lush green and seasonal waterfalls can be found in the Manding Highlands and Dogon Country. The dry season lasts from November to March/April. The temperatures average between 25°C and 33°C, the coolest months are December and January when temperatures can drop to 15°C and less in the south and even to 5 °C in the desert. April and May are the hottest months, temperatures can rise up to 40°C and more. During the dry season the harmattan winds blow, bringing dust from the Sahara. Best period for this trip: from November to March/April

What you should know before you go … Mali is a wonderful country to visit, but remember that Africans have a different perception of time. A trip through West Africa requires a high degree of flexibility, patience and tolerance, western standards regarding service, punctuality, comfort and hygiene cannot be applied here. Although we thoroughly choose our vehicles and use only vehicles in good condition, flat tires or other car breakdowns can happen. The road conditions in African countries can change unexpectedly due to heavy rainfalls requiring a detour or bridges can suddenly become impassable. We do our utmost best to ensure a smooth journey but please understand that delays may occur. Technical defects or service inconveniences in the hotels such as the lack of towels can often be rectified within a few minutes. In case of any inconvenience please contact your tour guide! All information, opinions and advice contained on our Website are provided without any guarantees, conditions or warranties as to its accuracy and for general information only.

Communication International and national calls can be made from post offices and hotels. The prefix for UK is 0044, for USA and Canada 001, for Mali 00223. As in many other African countries, the mobile industry in Mali is booming, and coverage is excellent across the country. For detailed information please contact your provider prior to departure. If you have a GSM phone and it has been „unlocked“, it is possible to buy a local SIM card for about 3 - 4 $ and buy top-ups. Providers are Malitel or Orange. International calls to UK and USA cost about 200 to 300 CFA per minute. Internet access is widely available in Bamako and in the larger cities and prices not expensive, although connections are often slow.

Electric Supply & Plugs 220 volts alternating current. The power sockets that are used are two-pin continental-style plugs of type C / E, so you will probably need an adapter. Generally, you can recharge your batteries in your hotel room without a problem.Please note that power cuts are frequent.

Food and Drinks In the itinerary we state which meals are included on each day. Food included in the breakfast varies according to hotel standard. Most hotels serve bread, butter, jam, sometimes honey and processed cheese or omelette for breakfast. It also includes tea or coffee. Upmarket hotels usually serve buffet breakfast. Dinner we usually take in the restaurants of our hotels or in clean, thoroughly selected restaurants in town. In many places international cuisine is served. The Malian staple is the rather tasteless tô, a millet-, sorghum- or fonio-based dough mixed with water, that is usually combined with a various sauces. Sauces made of groundnuts or edible leaves are very popular. Meat dishes usually consist of pieces of mutton, beef, chicken or goat, in areas with a Christian population they also serve porc. Along the Niger River fish dishes are very common, a speciality is capitaine fish from the river. Popular side dishes in restaurants are fried plantain known as aloco and fried sweet potatoes or yam. Depending on the season they sell mangos, oranges, papaya, bananas or melons on the markets. Apples, pears, pine-apples and grapes are imported. Tap water should be boiled or filtered before you drink it. In all bigger cities you can buy mineral water in bottles. You should try bissap, a thirst-quenching juice made of the purple petals of the hibiscus flower. Other tasty juices are available like tamarind or ginger juice and depending on the season baobab juice. Tea is very important in the Malian culture, it is “celebrated”, especially in the north of the country. The glasses are filled three times, Malians say the first cup is bitter as death, the second gentle as life, the third sweet as love. Despite Mali being a Muslim country beer is also produced, the most popular brand is Castel. Locally brewed millet beer known as dolo, it is served in typical calabashes.

Health A Yellow Fever vaccination and certificate is a compulsory requirement for entry into Mali (see visa requirements). You should always carry the certificate with you while being in Africa. Immunisations against tetanus, diphtheria, polio and hepatitis A are recommended by the World Health Organization, regardless of your destination. For other vaccinations and prophylactic measures please consult your doctor, travel clinic or tropical medical bureau before departure. For further information please consult our Infoportal. To prevent traveller’s diarrhoea, peel fresh fruits before eating them and avoid fresh salads and ice cubes in basic restaurants. Be careful and very selective when eating or drinking in street stalls and make sure that meat is always well cooked and plates and serving utensils are clean. Don’t drink hastily ice-cold drinks. Consult your doctor before departure for appropriate medication and rehydration mixtures. The best prevention of malaria is to avoid being bitten. The evening wear clothes covering your entire body and use mosquito repellent. Sleep under a mosquito net and/or turn AC or fan on. For further prophylactic measures consult a specialist for tropical diseases. Keep away from street dogs, monkeys and other mammals that could carry rabies. Avoid bathing in standing bodies of water because they are high-risk areas for bilharzia.

Literature Travel guides: • West Africa, Lonely Planet, 7th edition, published Oct 2009 • Mali, Bradt Travel Guide, 3rd edition, published September 2009 • The Rough Guide to West Africa, 5th edition, published June 2009 Fiction, adventure and explorer reports: • Park, Mungo: Travels in the Interior of Africa, Wordsworth Editions, 2002 • Condé, Maryse: The children of Segu, Ballantine Books, 1990 • Joris, Lieve: Mali Blues, Lonely Planet Publications, 1998 • Challis, Sarah, Footprints in the Sand, Headline Review, 2007 • Caillié, René, Travels Through Central Africa to Timbuctoo: And Across the Great Desert, to Morocco, Performed in the Years 1824-1828, Volume 2, Ulan Press 2012 • Barth, Heinrich, ITravels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa 5 Volume Set, Cambridge University Press • Boyle,T.Coraghessan, Water Music, Little, Brown and company, 1980 • Kris Holloway: Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali,

Money The CFA franc (Communauté Financière Africaine) represented on international banking systems by XOF, is the common currency of Mali. Exchange rates are $1 = 585 CFA, £1 = 760 CFA, 1 CAD = 446 (October 2016), €1 = 655.95 CFA. The CFA franc is pegged directly to the Euro. Notes are in denominations of CFA 10,000, 5,000, 2,000 and 1,000, coins come in CFA500, 250, 200, 100, 50 and 25. Coins of CFA 10 or 5 exist, but they are extremely rare. Please note that finding change can be very difficult at times, particularly in small shops, restaurants, taxis and street stalls, so you should always have a good supply of cash money in small denominations or coins. Banking hours in Mali vary according to the bank and its location. The main banks are open from 08.00 am to 04.00 pm Mondays through Fridays, and from 09.00 am to 12.00 noon on Saturdays. Some of them close for a lunch break and reopen in the afternoon. A few branches close at 12.30 on Fridays and are open even on Sunday mornings. You can change cash money in banks, some hotels, foreign and exchange bureaus (Bureau de change). The best hard currency to bring is euros, some banks and money changers also change US dollars. In Bamako and in other larger cities BOA, Ecobank, BDM, BICIM and other banks are equipped with ATM machines, allowing you to withdraw money using your Visa card. Cashpoints are sometimes not working or malfunctioning, so do not count on them. Please note, that most banks and cashpoints only accept Visa card. Mastercard, American Express or other credit cards are rarely accepted. Only very few big hotels, restaurants or supermarkets accept payment with credit card. EC Maestro card is an absolute no-go everywhere in Mali. While travellers’ cheques offer a greater security, changing them can be time consuming and commission is very high. You will be asked to produce both your passport and the receipt you get from your bank when purchasing them. Travellers’ cheques are only accepted by some bigger banks. They should be issued in euros or US dollars.

Photography Both countries are real treasure troves for passionate photographers. Whether the picturesque rock formations of the Dogon Country, the Great Mosque of Djenné, the spectacular mask dance of the Dogon or the beautiful mud villages of the Bozo and Fula tribes, there are countless photographic subjects. Before you snap people please ask permission. A small friendly conversation can help you to break the ice and win your subject’s sympathy. Particularly in the animistic parts of the countries there are sacred places where photography is not allowed. Please follow your local guide’s instructions. Taking pictures is not allowed inside the museums. It is strictly forbidden to take pictures of military buildings and people wearing uniforms, airports, dams, bridges, power plants, police stations, control posts along the roads and border posts!

Safety Mali still faces security challenges. Although a peace agreement was signed there are still military operations and attacks conducted by extremists, especially in the north of the country. Due to the ongoing fighting and attacks there is a current travel warning for Mali. Please For up-to-date information and safety and security advice about your destination please check your government’s travel advisory: www.fco.gov.uk, www.travel.state.gov, www.voyage.gc.ca The danger most likely to affect a tourist is pick-pocketing, particularly in busy markets, bus stations, in crowds in the streets or in shared taxis. Bag snatchers are few, but can occasionally strike, speeding past on mopeds. Do not wear expensive jewellery or carry large amounts of cash or expensive items such as cameras. You should keep belongings close when walking down streets. We recommend you to keep your documents, cash money, credit card and cheques in a skin-hugging hidden money-belt or a button-up chest pocket. Always travel with photocopies of your documents and keep them in a separate bag. Avoid walking around the streets at night, especially alone. During late evening or around/after midnight, we recommend you to use a taxi. In case of emergency please contact your embassy or representation in Mali: For citizens of the UK: • British Embassy Bamako Cité du Niger II Bamako, Mali Tel.: +223 44 97 69 13; fax: +223 44 97 69 11 E-Mail: bebamako@fco.gov.uk For further information click here: www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/british-embassy- bamako For US citizens: • American Embassy ACI 2000 Rue 243, Porte 297 Bamako, Mali Tel: (223) 20-70-23-00 Fax: (223) 20 70 24 79 e-mail: consularbamako@state.gov For further information click here: http://mali.usembassy.gov/ For Canadian citizens: • Embassy of Canada in Mali Koulikoro Street Séméga Building District II Bamako, Mali Telephone: (223) 44 98 04 50 Fax: (223) 44 98 04 55 Email: bmakog@international.gc.ca For further information click here: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/mali/

Time Zone Difference Mali’s time zone is UTC/GMT + 0. As they do not observe daylight saving time they are one hour behind in summertime.

Tipping Although entirely voluntary, tipping is a recognized part of life in Africa. In the more well-to-do restaurants you can tip 5 – 10% if you were satisfied. For hotel tipping guidelines are as follows: for porters 100 CFA for one piece, for housekeeping 200 CFA per person per night. At your discretion you might also consider tipping your driver, tour guide and local guides in appreciation of the efficiency and service you receive.

Visa Requirements You may choose to use a visa service or send your application to the representations listed below. Please note, that for this trip you need to have 2 empty pages in your passport. Please note that a Yellow Fever vaccination and certificate is a compulsory requirement for entry into Mali (see chapter “Health”). The certificate is often checked upon arrival. A visa is required by all nationalities. Passports valid for a minimum of six months beyond date of departure are required by all. Visas are issued in countries with a Mali representation. All visa information is subject to change. You should confirm all visa related issues with the relevant embassy or consulate prior to departure. For citizens of the UK: • Honorary consulate for Mali in the UK: Vine Court Church Street London W4 2PD Tel.: +44 203 7647 547 E-Mail: info@mali-consulate.org.uk For further information click here: www.mali-consulate.org.uk For US citizens: • Embassy of Mali in USA 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA Tel: +1 202-332-2249 Email: Consular@maliembassy.us For further information click here: http://www.maliembassy.us For Canadian citizens: • Embassy of Mali 50 Goulburn Ave, Ottawa, ON K1N 8C8, Canada Telephone: +1 613-232-1501 Fax: +1 613-232 7429 For further information click here: www.ambamalicanada.org