The Parc Zoologique et Botanique, on the western edge of the plateau near the city centre, is Bamako's main park and zoo. The collection is modest — African animals including lions, crocodiles, hippos, and various antelope species — and the conditions are typical of sub-Saharan African city zoos: underfunded but earnestly maintained. It's worth an hour if you have children in tow or if you want a quiet green space in a city with few of them.
The botanical section has some fine specimens of West African trees and provides shade that is rare and welcome in central Bamako. Weekends bring out local families in numbers. Entry is cheap — a few hundred CFA francs. The zoo is walkable from the National Museum, making the two an easy half-day combination on the plateau.