 | Mali Transportation | Tips 1 - 10 of 41 |  |
Popular Transportation | Other Transportation Tips | All Tips (41) Air Mali, also known as Air Maybe, provides the internal flights in Mali. An 'interesting' experience - not one I would recommend. We took two internal flights and I have the following observations to make.
Flight One: The fact that a passenger carries a rifle as hand luggage does not inspire confidence in their security measures. The flight was almost empty, so the air stewardess went around and removed all hand luggage from the overhead lockers and placed them in the empty seats - the Emergency Exit seats!
Flight Two: This flight was full, so two passengers travelled in the cargo hold!
Avoid if you can! Leave a Comment Theme: Airplane
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I like going around in Mali on my motorbike. Sometimes it happens that I am short in petrol and am obliged to stop in a village. It is very difficult to let them understand that I need petrol for a 4 strokes engine, they don't know that a motorbike can be something else than a 2-strokes.
Anyway, my motorbike is always an attraction in the villages. Leave a Comment Theme: Motorcycle
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Motorised pirogues, called pinasses, are easily chartered in Mopti for the three day, two night journey to Timbuktu. Travelling by river is a much more authentic and interesting way to reach Timbaktu rather than flying. Not only do you get to see the timeless lanscape and way of life along the river, it makes you realise just how remote Timbuktu really is!
The birding is fantastic along the river - we saw 182 different species on our trip, and hippos are easy to see.
Our pinasse carried a crew of three including a very good cook. At night, while we were erecting our tents on the river bank, he was preparing freshly caught fish with couscous or chicken and rice, under very limited conditions. Very impressive.
The boat was surprisingly comfortable, with bench seats with back rests and a small table, ample storage for our bags and provisions (we bought numerous crates of soft drinks and beer in Mopti), as well as a 'toilet' in the back. A small compartment with a hole in the wooden seat right through to the river - the swirling water meant you got a free bidet at the same time! Our boat was positively luxurious - we had a door on our toilet - we passed a couple of other tourist pinasses where the little room was open to all the passing river craft! No modesty there! Leave a Comment Theme: Ship/Boat
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Large camel caravans ply the desert to collect salt from the mine at Taradenni. No longer the same size as they were, up to 20 camels once covered that route. Now a lot of salt travels by more modern transport.
These camels are however, waiting to make the 40-day journey to bring back the 'white gold'. Leave a Comment Theme: Other
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David, a retired Chinese dentist, was a great character. Not realising what to expect, he came totally unprepared - no walking boots, no rucksack and inadequate fitness level. At one stage he hired this passing donkey to take him to camp as he was feeling rather tired of walking.
Much to our tour leader's concern, he flagged down a passing 4WD at one of the rest stops (while the tour leader was somewhere else) to take him back to the start of our trek one day early. When James, the tour leader, arrived and asked where David was, he didn't believe us when we said he'd taken a car to Sangha! How to lose one of your charges in one easy lesson! Leave a Comment Theme: Other
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The road to Djenne crosses the river by ferry. It is mainly used by motor vehicles as duing the low water, horse and cart and pedesrtrians wade across the river. The ferry is a great place for hawkers - you are after all a captive audience! Leave a Comment Theme: Ship/Boat
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Our afternoon excursion to Djenne Djeno was by horse and cart. The horses were obviously mistreated and underfed, and many of our party got off and walked in disgust. The transport is just a flat board on a cart - no seats, cushions or any other sort of comfort. Leave a Comment Theme: Other
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For the truck it was not easy to cross the river. hte depth was OK, but there were some big holes under the water surface. So we had to guide the truck very precisely.
Lucky us. The truck reached the other side safely without problems. So we could continue our journey in the direction of the border with Cote d' Ivoire. Leave a Comment Theme: Car/Motor Home
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Being on an organised tour, we were ferried around in one of these tourist buses. Although, bus is rather too grand a description, most of them were just heaps of rust held together with a few nuts and bolts. Beware of rusty nails sticking out from the seats - I found out too late and ended up with a three inch cut to my leg which turned septic!
Public toilets don't exist, and 'comfort stops' are taken along they side of the road whenever necessary. Ladies use the bush on the right, men the tree on the left! Leave a Comment Theme: Bus
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This was my bush taxi driver from Mopti to Djenne. We packed in 22 people into this poor little Peugeuot 405. Kinda scarey given the horrible mechanical condition of the vehicle, but at least this guy was super proud of his fresh paint job on his taxi Leave a Comment Theme: Other
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on July 30, 2004
on April 10, 2005
on February 15, 2005
on March 19, 2003
