Mali: The Bradt Travel Guide

When we travelled to Mali in 2007, this was the only guide book on the market (I don't know if there are others now or not) that dealt just with Mali. Lonely Planet has one on West Africa, but that was just too bulky to lug around. We were with a group, so weren't using this to plan the trip, just as background. It worked well for that and was as accurate as any guide book ever is, considering that things are always changing.

There is a dearth of material on Mali in English (much more in French) so at least in English, this volume has little competition. I found the information in this book quite accurate, though a bit dated: as of March 2003, a number of new roads have been paved, and, as the book correctly anticipates, a number of hotels etc. were constructed after the book's publication for the Africa's Cup soccer tournament, and, as a consequence, are not included in the descriptions. The material on Pays Dogon is good, but far from comprehensive - some of the most interesting villages I visited were not even mentioned in the book. Like other Bradt guides it shows a good cultural sensitivity to travel in very low income countries, for example providing some useful suggestions on how to constructively handle the frequent requests one gets from village children for candy or pens. (The claim in another review that the book encourages giving such gifts is a flat misrepresentation of the author.) So, the book is quite good though a bit dated - nothing that could not be addressed easily in a new edition.

A superb book - blows the competition out of the water. Well-written, sensitive, passionate and informative. The author obviously loves Mali and its people, and, after reading this book, so did I. I spent time in Bamako, Djenne, Mopti and Dogon country, and this book helped me in each one of these places. Well done also to the publisher for focusing on just Mali rather than including it in a 'monster' guide to the whole region.

During the past five years I have been searching for a book like this as I prepare to do development work in Mali and want to learn more about this country. However, books of any sort on Mali are few, especially in English. This is the first guidebook on Mali, itself, that I have discovered, and I have found it to be an excellent overview not only of the individual areas of Mali, but also of the culture and history of the country. I highly recommend it!

Peace Corps volunteers need guidebooks that focus on the country they're working in. I took this book with me to Mali and it's proved to be an absolute inspiration. Great background information sensitively written as well as accurate and detailed practical stuff. I've been working in remote places that I didn't expect to be covered but this book has it all. A must for travelers to Mali.