Bamako - The Two Bridge Circle

A hike through various parts of Bamako as well as crossing the first and second bridge. With 34 km it's quite a long walk and should be considered a significant hike that is likely going to take 6 to 7 hours.

This hike starts near the German embassy, but as it's a circle, you could start it at any point along the track.

General Info: As it's generally hot and sunny all year around, I would highly recommend to start the hike at first light, bring some water and don't count on cell phone coverage the entire trail. You will have a chance to buy water along the way, so you don't need to go overboard. You may want to schedule a longer break half way your track, in the shade of a building to avoid the hottest part of the day. You way even want to venture some of the local food stands of restaurants if you feel even more adventurous.

The hike starts in Badalabougou where there are plenty of upscale houses, but most of them hidden behind high walls, so you will not get to see more then the upper half of them.

With some zigzagging, this track will stay away from the larger roads and on dirt roads that will see less traffic, but will be dusty and dirty from time to time. It shows you how most of the people of Bamako live.

The track is quite easy to follow and as it zigzags through lots of square blocks, you can frequently take a road to the right or left of the track, but do consult your map as not all streets run in parallel or continue to run.

As you continue to cross through town, you will find yourself in Attbougou where you will leave town as you get closer to the airport. As you cross through this corner, you will find some industrious people farming a small piece of land, but unfortunately, also the dumping grounds of a lot of garbage.

Once you're back in town, you'll go towards Sabalibougou, once again zigzagging through the roads. Along the way, you'll pass small markets, many football fields and many small shops for a wide range of products.

In Sabalibougou, you'll pass through an overcrowded graveyard. Kindly pay respect to the local customs or detour on the west side of the graveyard. It will not add much to the length of this hike.

From there, you'll pass through Torokorobougou and be on the so called second bridge. As per the track, please stay on the west side of the bridge. There is a walking path that is generally not used for other traffic, but some motorbikes tend to use it.

On the north side of the bridge, pass under the overpass to make it safely across. From here you will follow some of the major roads as there are no alternatives.

After passing the military base, go north past the medical laboratory and just before the next checkpoint, cross the bridge. After the bridge, follow the "river" is generally northern direction.

From that point, you'll follow some of the larger roads east and later south.

After another market, you will pass an usually busy road and you'll see the Casino in the south-west corner. If you follow the busy road in western direction, you'll pass by the entrance of Hôtel l’Amitié where you'll find nice food, drinks etc.

From there, you'll soon pass the so called First Bridge. As per the track, I would highly recommend to pass this bridge on the east side as there is walking path on that side, but be careful as this walking path is frequented by motorbikes, so it is good to walk it in this direction so you can see the traffic coming towards you.

After passing the bridge, you are practically back at the German embassy and the starting point of this hike.

Please leave a comment if you have done this hike and tell me what was your experience.