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Mali travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Great Mosque of Djenné
Great Mosque of Djenné. Photo: Ruud Zwart, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5h 45mflight from London
West African CFA franccurrency
Visa neededfor UK passports
Type C, Eplugs

Djenné's mud mosque and Timbuktu legends; FCDO advises against travel

Don't miss

  1. Great Mosque of Djenné
  2. Timbuktu
  3. Dogon Country
Good forHistory & ruinsCulture

Best time to visit Mali from the UK

The UK government advises against all travel here. Check the FCDO advice below before making any plans.

The UK FCDO advises against all travel.

24 C24°J27.1 C27°F30.4 C30°M32.7 C33°A32.2 C32°M29.4 C29°J26.6 C27°J25.4 C25°A25.8 C26°S27.4 C27°O26.8 C27°N24.4 C24°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Bamako, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Bamako for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Warmest: April (33°C) · coolest: January (24°C)A 9°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2427.130.432.732.229.426.625.425.827.426.824.4

Festivals and events

  • Festival sur le Niger Feb · Ségou

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 5h 45m
Distance
4,370 km
Main airport
BKO

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Practical info and travel guidance

West African CFA francCapital: Bamako
Type C, E · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
17
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against all travelYour travel insurance may not cover you.
  • VisaVisa needed in advanceApply online in advance
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Mali, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 10 July 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Mali before you book and again before you go.

Open Mali on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.