No-one goes to Mali as a tourist for wildlife, highlife, natural beauty, or fun-in-the-sun. It is unlikely you will find any glossy travel brochures extolling the virtues of this West African country as a desirable destination.

Mali draws only the extreme intrepid adventurer ? those who don?t mind discomfort, dirt and danger to add spice to their travel diet. The few who brave it are rewarded with surreal landscapes, beautiful artwork, weird settlements made of mud, pink sandstone villages carved into cliff faces, and the knowledge that they have made it to Timbuktu and back again having survived the rigours of one of the five poorest countries in the world.

Mali Map

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If you have a yen to explore Mali, the best way is to do it on an organised guided tour, preferably outside of the hot season which makes conditions unbearable between March and May. There are local Mali tour operators, based in the capital Bamako (who also can make hotel and air reservations) or your travel agent might be able to track down an alternative. It is not advisable to ?do your own thing? in Mali ? getting around is difficult, with bad roads and minimum facilities and infrastructure, and banditry and violent crime are rife, particularly in the north-eastern areas. Even better, of course, is to take a virtual visit in cyberspace, along with us!

The highlights of a visit to Mali must include Timbuktu, the Dogon country, and the towns of Djenne, Mopti and Segou (more detail about these later).

The Capital

Of course, you will likely start your visit in the capital, Bamako (the name means ?Crocodile river?) ? a dusty and shabby town that may well put you off going any further! There are taxis available from the airport (about six kilometres from town), if you are not being met by a tour operator, and the drive into town takes one across the majestic Niger River (lifeblood of Mali), and through green fields which are quite a contrast with the unpaved city streets, thick with a fog of dust and fumes.

There are hotels to be had, but even the best of them are not guaranteed to be luxurious ? rated top, I have been told, is The Grand. One I have heard a report on is the Lac Debo ? situated centrally and fairly inexpensive ? but rather dilapidated and often lacking in running water. Water and electricity are generally not to be relied on in the city, which is subject to many breakdowns in services.

Despite risky accommodation, it is worth spending some time in this colourful city, soaking up the atmosphere. Bamako people are relaxed and good-natured, and the centre of town is encompassed by a huge open-air market, bustling with colour and activity, where one can get lost in a maze of stalls.

Language can be a problem in Bamako (and elsewhere in Mali, which has numerous different cultures and ethnic groups) ? English is not always understood, but a smattering of French (or a French dictionary) is useful.

Timbuktu

English-speakers have long used ?Timbuktu? as a designation for anywhere, or anything, unattainable and inaccessible. Thus the name has become familiar, even though most do not know where it is ? or even if it exists at all. Well, it does, indeed. The real Timbuktu (also spelt ?Tombouktou?), however, is far from the fabled ?Arabian nights? city of our imaginings.

For more than four hundred years Timbuktu was the greatest trading city in sub-Saharan Africa, located as it is on a bend in the Niger River. It built its wealth on salt mines, and also became known as a religious and educational centre. Gradually, however, its fortunes declined as traders found it preferable to sail around the coast of Africa rather than travel through the desert, and wars took their toll. Today it is a town largely built of mud, housing about 20 000 people.

It sits on the edge of the desert, boasting some fascinating mudbrick Sudanese-style architecture, especially on the many mosques with their impressive studded doors. Tourists are offered camel rides by the local Taureg population, who enjoy showing off their culture and crafts.

Timbuktu is served by Air Mali from Bamako, but scheduled flights are often unreliable and can be cancelled at short notice, I am told. Alternatives are buses or hiring a 4x4 vehicle, but again it is advisable to make travel arrangements through Bamako tour operators. The overland trip is long and arduous, through generally montononous landscape. One can also access Timbuktu by navigating the Niger River in a ?pinasse? ? the local ferry boats which are large, motorised canoes.

One traveller reports staying in the Bouctou Hotel in Timbuktu at a cost of about R200 for a room with a shared bathroom and terrace overlooking the town. Apparently she was a bit put off by ?the taste and texture of sand? in meals eaten in local restaurants, but said it was possible to find eloquent tour guides who provide a good service and were knowledgeable about the history of the town and country.

Djenne

Between Timbuktu and the Dogon country, about 400km from Bamako, is the town of Djenne, which boasts an impressive mosque and a well-known teeming, colourful market held every Monday.

Djenne lies on the Niger delta, and during the rainy season it turns into an island surrounded by water. Locals claim it is the oldest city in West Africa, and indeed a visit there is like stepping back in time. The entire town is built out of mud, including the renowned Djenne Mosque ? the largest mud structure in the world, which has been the setting for many fashion shoots!

Dogon country

The Dogon people, who live among the Homburi Mountains near Timbuktu, have been the subject of numerous anthropological studies, being one of the oldest surviving African cultures and surrounded in myth and mystery. They are known for their animist beliefs, cliffside dwellings, and fascinating artwork.

New-agers have found out something else about the Dogon?s culture ? handed down orally with no written records ? that is intriguing. Apparently at the centre of Dogon religious belief is the star Sirius B ? a white dwarf: small, faint but dense enough to exert influence on Sirius A. The Dogon call Sirius B ?Po Tolo? (?Po? means small seed, and ?Tolo? means star). The Dogon have always known that this star has an elliptical orbit. They also know precise details about the star?s orbit, its relationship to Sirius A, and the fact that it rotates on its own axis. All this knowledge has only recently been confirmed by modern-day scientists ? in fact Sirius B was not identified by astronomers until the mid-19th century. The Dogon also claim there is a third star in the Sirius system, although this has not yet been found by astronomers.

Po Tolo and a vast knowledge of planetary and star systems has been central to Dogon beliefs since antiquity. They believe that in ancient times they were visited by a space ship with three triangular legs, which carried amphibious, human-shaped creatures called Nommos. The Dogon believe the Nommos will one day return.

These intriguing people have a complex mythology, and live by a rigid caste system.

Touring the Dogon villages with a knowledgeable guide is an unforgettable experience. Most villagers now live on the plains, but their forefathers? ancient dwellings and granaries loom above on the cliff faces, cut into the sandstone, and are still used for storage or burial purposes. It is best to explore these in the late afternoon (the day-time heat can be unbearable). Travellers are accommodated under the stars on rooftops in the villages, dining on local delights. Crafts ? mainly woodcarvings ? are beautiful; a favourite with visitors is miniature models of the carved doors with cosmological symbols found in all the villages.

Performances of mask dances are offered for tourists, but the locals sometimes charge heavily for the privilege of this peek into a unique culture.

Mopti

Mopti is a crowded and chaotic town of contrasts, with its gracious tree-lined French-colonial section and the traditional old town gathered around the large mosque. Along the Bani river bank is the vital market.

Segou

The greatest attraction of this town ? apart from its bustling river-side ambience ? is the nearby village of Segoukoro, which was once the capital of the Bambara empire. Tourists visit the picturesque village with its winding lanes, mosques, and tombs of the Bambara kings.

All in all, Mali may be short on prosperity, but it is not short of fascination. The stoic population, plagued with a high infant mortality rate, low levels of literacy, malnutrition, and a short life expectency nevertheless struggle to survive, and welcome intrepid travellers who come to take the message out to the world: Mali is magic!