Regarded today as the jewel of tourism in Mali, Dogon country is comprised of a series of traditional villages surrounding the Bandiagara escarpment. Dogon country is a fascinating region of sub-Saharan Africa; it has magnificent landscapes, beautiful dances and masks, exotic mosques, and villages carved in pink sandstone on the cliff side. Go discover this beautiful land!
To Pays Dogon By Air
There are regular flights from Paris and Marseille to Mopti/Sevare offered by Point Afrique from October through March. The airport at Sevare, 13km from Mopti, is the closest airstrip to Pays Dogon and can also be reached by Compagnie Aerienne du Mali and Air Mali Express with spotty service connecting Mopti to Bamako and Tombouctou.
To Pays Dogon By Road
The town of Bandiagara serves as the gateway to Pays Dogon and is relatively easily accessed by a well-paved road from Mopti/Sevare. From Bandiagara, the paved road turns to dirt, which can be impassable during times of heavy rains. If renting a car yourself, four-wheel drive is a necessity to navigate these roads, and hiring a driver is highly recommended.
The buses that are highly recommended from Bamako are the bus lines Bani, Binke, and Bittar. They cost 7,500cfa to 8,000cfa, with service straight to Sevare. The Ghana bus line also runs directly to Bandiagara twice a week for 12,000cfa from Bamako. Another more economical option are taxis bâchés, which can be hired at special departure points and bus stations. Taxis bâchés are converted minivans with the seats removed and as many people as can fit crammed in the back, thus these trips tend to be a bit uncomfortable, albeit economical.
It is also possible to travel to Dogon Country from Burkina Faso. Ouagadougou, the capital, is only a 6 hour drive from Bandiagara.
Getting Around
You will discover much of Dogon Country by foot. Be aware that the interior of the Dogon Country is very steep and that many villages are not accessible by road. It is highly recommended that when traveling through villages that you hire a local official guide to accompany you to avoid wondering into protected or sacred areas as these are not marked. Trespassing into these areas may result in a confrontation with village elders.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends travelers to Mali get vaccines for the following preventable diseases: yellow fever, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, meningitis, and rabies. In addition, the whole of Mali is considered at high risk for malaria transmission, therefore preventative antimalarial medication is also recommended.
A visa is required for all visitors to Mali, with the exception of residents of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which countries include Algeria, Cameroon, Andorra, Monaco, Chad, Gambia, Morocco, Mauritania, and Tunisia.
The following is a list of required documents for obtaining a Tourist Visa for entry to Mali:
• A valid passport
• Two (2) recent passport size photographs (Please glue them on the application forms)
• Two (2) completed application forms
• A copy of an airline itinerary or a flight ticket
• A copy of the yellow fever certificate
• Applicants for a transit visa must submit copies of their onward tickets and visas to their destinations.
• Tourists must submit copies of their hotel reservation
The appropriate fee (please consult Mali consular services for up-to-date info)
It is recommended to exchange money at banks in larger towns like Mopti and Bamako before arriving at Dogon country. Lacking banks and other financial infrastructure, Dogon country operates on a cash-only economy, so your credit cards and travelers’ checks will be of no use.
The currency of Mali is the Central African Franc (CFA or XOF), exchanging at around CFA 430 = USD 1 in October 2009. Please check the current rate here
Dogon country is located within Africa’s Sahel Belt, which forms the transition between the Sahara Desert to the north and the more fertile regions to the south. This makes the climate hot and dry for most of the year (often over 100°F), with a brief “rainy” season extending from June to September.
The cool season is in the months of November to February with temperatures ranging from 30 to 32 during the day and as low as 15 degrees C (59°F) at night. Both the cool and rainy seasons are ideal periods for visiting Dogon country, with the air quality being the cleanest and driest. Be aware that in some areas, vehicle access to villages may be limited during the rainy season.
During the rainy season, the landscape changes into a dramatic setting of lush green millet fields, waterfalls, ponds, and rivers. The temperatures during the rainy season range from 33 to 36 degrees C (91 - 97°F).
The Harmattan, a wind that blows sand from the desert, covers the cities of sand with a thin layer of dust between late February and April.
