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What to Do in Gao
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Other Great Places to Visit in Mali
Timbuktu
Dogon Country
Mopti
Djenn� Mud Mosque
Bamako & S�gou

Learn About Mali
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Mali Today
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Bamako - Mali's Musical Capital City
With over one million inhabitants, Bamako is Mali's most populous city.  There is always something going on in Bamako, a city that is especially well-known for a hot live music scene.

Just think - Salif Keita, Habib Ko�t�, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Baba Salah, and Oumou Sangar� all call Mali home.  It's not unheard of to catch one of these fantastic performers at the music clubs that dot Bamako.

Bamako also has a wonderful National Museum, a bustling artisanal marketplace, and many European-style and African restaurants.  Add onto this, world-class accommodations at hotels, like the Sofitel, Kempinski, and Salam, and you can easily see why a visit to Bamako is nice for any vacation.

S�gou - The Heart of Bambara Country
S�gou, the site of the ancient Mand� Empire, is a quiet and charming Niger River town.  Located only three hours from Bamako, S�gou is a bustling regional capital.

S�gou has a wonderful mud-cloth (called "bogolan" locally) workshop that tourists can visit and is also well-known for producing creative clay pots and vessels.  Visitors can combine a Niger River cruise with a visit to a pottery village. 

Additionally, the Festival Sur Le Niger has burst prominently onto the Malian music scene in the last two years.  With concerts on a barge in the Niger, the festival is wonderfully produced by a Malian-Dutch couple that own a hotel in town.  In 2006, the festival attracted the biggest West African music stars, like Habib Ko�t�, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Baba Salah and Sekouba Bambino.  The festival is held the first weekend in February. Check out their website www.festivalsurleniger.com for more details and the musical line-up for next year.

Best Tourist Sites in Mali Other Than Gao

Timbuktu

Dogon Country

Mopti

Djenn� Mud Mosque

Bamako & S�gou