The granite massif of Kita-Kourou rises abruptly from the plain just west of town, a smooth grey dome about 600 metres high that dominates every view in Kita. It is one of the great inselbergs of western Mali, geologically related to the more famous Mandinka Mountains further south, and has been a sacred place to the local Malinké people for centuries.
You can climb it. The path starts behind the cathedral and zigzags up through dry forest and over open rock — about two hours up, less coming down. Bring water, start at dawn, and wear shoes with grip. From the summit the view stretches across the Manding country: villages, baobab-studded plains, distant ridges. There is no infrastructure of any kind, which is part of the appeal.