Bamako sits in a bowl along the Niger River, ringed by dusty hills, and it moves at its own pace — somewhere between African urban chaos and a mid-sized city that hasn't quite decided what it wants to be. It's the capital and commercial hub of Mali, home to roughly three million people, and the inevitable entry point for anyone travelling deeper into the country.
It isn't a city that grabs you immediately. The centre has the usual West African sprawl of concrete buildings, exhaust-choked roundabouts, and yellow taxis held together by optimism. But spend a few days and the city opens up. The neighbourhood of Bozola, down by the river, has a different energy from the plateau above. The train station area has character. The Grand Marché is genuinely worth losing yourself in.
The real reason to stop in Bamako is that everything else in Mali passes through it — Djenné, Dogon Country, Timbuktu, Mopti. You'll almost certainly spend a day or two here at either end of your trip, which is enough time to see the National Museum, wander the mosque quarter, and find a bar with live music at the Palais de la Culture.
The security situation in Mali has been volatile since the 2012 coup and subsequent conflicts in the north. Before visiting, check current travel advisories carefully.