Mali Experience

To Timbuktu and back...

Advantages: Quiet, out of the way, difficult to get to
Disadvantages: Quiet, out of the way, difficult to get to

Timbuktu (or Toumbouctou) is a name synonomous with somewhere difficult to get to, mysterious and mythical. To say you have been "to Timbuktu and back" is a well recognised phrase, and there is still a smug satisfaction to be had from being able to say that you actually have been to Timbuktu and back as even today this is no mean feat. It has many times been said that the joy of travelling is not so much in arriving at a place as in the journey and ...
...I went to Timbuktu in 2001 and it is probably one of the most memorable travel experiences I have ever had. The town sits on the edge of the Sahara desert, about 10km from the port of Kabara on the River Niger. Since then a new airport has been built, but by all accounts flights are infrequent and you are more likely to encounter snow in Mali than a plane leaving the day it is scheduled to. As someone who visited the place when there were no flights ...

templeria 28.06.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Timbuktu (Mali)

My trip to Timbuktu

Advantages: Unique and isolated
Disadvantages: Difficult to get to and expensive to stay at

...Benin and Ghana. Going to Timbuktu was one of the most memorable experiences of my time there. There are two ways to get to Timbuktu - boat or four wheel drive. From Mopti (a dirty, horrible little town full of people wating to take advantage of tourists to point of harassment) I got the boat there - a 'pirogue' - and a four wheel drive back. Me and my friends stowed aboard a local businessman's pirogue, a very long wooden boat primarily used to ...
...us from the port to Timbuktu itself. Timbuktu is quite far from the port so don't be alarmed if it takes a while to get there. Once in Timbuktu, it's really not that big and hence there is not much to see. But the best thing to do is just wander round and soak up the atmosphere. Beware the markets, which harbour mean men who wish to rip you off selling you jewellery etc-try to buy from nice old men instead, even if the price is slightly more. Such ...

LanguageMonkey 02.09.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Timbuktu (Mali)

a wonder

Advantages: you must go there to know
Disadvantages: you must go there to know

...Africa. During the 14th century Timbuktu was and important trade centre. The Tuaregs caravans took in salt and in exchange they got gold as the area was rich with gold mines. Timbuktu was famous also for the slaves trade. The Tuaregs caravan still arrive in Timbuktu with salt but there is not anymore gold to barter with as Morocco and France have exploited all the mines driving them to the end of resources. The population of Timbuktu is represented ...
...The main reason to visit Timbuktu is to see the complex of mosques and madrasas (the Koran schools) that is known as Koran University of Sankore. Those buildings are a typical example of sub-Sahara architecture; they are made with straw and mud. Unfortunately the mosques are in very poor conditions due to the tropical weather that changes from months of rain to months of drought. The mosques of Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia are now included ...

traveller55 05.07.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Timbuktu (Mali)

Travelling to Timbuktu

Advantages: adventure, mystery, spectacle, kudos
Disadvantages: hot, sandy, dirty, poor facilities, flies,..etc

...it really does exist! Timbuktu has one of the most famous names in travel – and yet it remains almost completely unknown and seldom visited. In fact, Timbuktu is in Mali and is located in the southern part of the Sahara Desert on the River Niger in West Africa. It is certainly remote and is surrounded only by the ever encroaching desert sands. The journey to Timbuktu can be made from Bamako (the capital city of Mali) by boat (if the water levels ...
...you rate a trip to Timbuktu ? It has no creature comforts, no real attractions, no decent accommodation, difficult access routes and a pretty unpleasant climate. On the other hand…..the mystery, the adventure, the spectacle, and as for travel one-upmanship – well it’s pretty hard to beat! Timbuktu itself may be little more than a final destination point (with the journey being the important part) – but Mali has a number of ...

stuartmelvin 11.04.2001 · Read full review
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Review of Timbuktu (Mali)