Things to do in Mali

Stand before the world's largest mud-brick building, its sculpted façade and towering minarets catching the golden Sahelian light.

Peer into dimly lit rooms filled with fragile 14th-century texts on astronomy, law and poetry, rescued from Timbuktu's fabled libraries.

Trek past sheer sandstone cliffs riddled with ancient Tellem cave dwellings and encounter Dogon villages clinging to the rock face.

Immerse yourself in a riot of colour as traders from across the Niger Inland Delta exchange spices, textiles and livestock.

Tackle Mali's highest peak, a granite monolith rising abruptly from the plains, offering exhilarating hand-and-foot scrambling.

Drift past moored fishing boats and bird-filled marshlands as the sky turns orange, while Bozo and Fulani communities go about their evening routines along the river banks.

Enter the 15th-century pyramidal mausoleum built for Emperor Askia Mohamed, a striking example of Sudano-Sahelian mud architecture.

Camp amid rolling sand dunes near Timbuktu as Tuareg musicians, poets and camel racers gather for a rare celebration of Saharan culture under a blaze of stars.

Hike to the overhanging shelters on Point G hill where faded portrayals of antelope, hunters and ritual scenes date back thousands of years.

Join a leisurely local tea ceremony, where foam-topped glasses of intensely sweet green tea are poured and re-poured.

Study Nobel textiles, Dogon statuary and historic photographs that weave the story of Mali's empires.

Join the faithful or watch from the sand as the 14th-century mosque's adobe towers and inner courtyard fill with life.

Set out from Timbuktu on a camel caravan to reach this desert oasis where red sands meet indigo sky.

Pull up a plastic stool at a roadside eatery and spoon up Mali's beloved peanut-butter stew with rice, often accompanied by grilled meat.

Walk the 1937 colonial-era barrage that spans the river, watching dhows drift below and fishermen cast nets.

Descend into a basement venue where griots pluck the 21-string kora, blending ancient praise songs with jazzy improvisations.

Wake on a flat rooftop in Téli to the sight of millet granaries and a vertiginous escarpment looming overhead.

Its dazzling white minaret, Saudi-financed and towering over the Medina, marks the Islamic heart of Mali's capital.

Paddle a pirogue into the inland delta at flood stage, where thousands of waterbirds—herons, egrets, pelicans—congregate.

Pay respects to independent Mali's first president in a sober granite monument set on a leafy Bamako square.

Rattle through ochre Sahel landscapes on the historic Dakar-Niger Railway, a slow iron horse linking river towns.

Stroll the ancient quarter where the Bambara Empire was founded, past crumbling adobe walls and weathered ancestral homes.

Choose from hand-dyed Malian bazin fabric in dazzling purples and blues, and have a grand boubou stitched within hours.

In the green heart of southern Mali, snack on crispy golden millet balls dusted with powdered sugar.

Walk along the Senegal River past faded railway warehouses and the former governor's palace, reminders of French Sudan.