Bamako

Prepare your haggling valves and shopping glands for a trip to Bamako, largest and most frantic city, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mali, where bazaars selling everything from carved folklore figurines to stacks of pungent spices crowd the street corners and sun-baked squares.

Bamako is Mali's capital and largest city, with a population of 1.8 million people (2009 census, provisional). Bamako (Bàmak in Bambara) gets its name from the Bambara word for "crocodile tail." It was estimated in 2006 to be the fastest growing city in Africa and the sixth fastest in the world, and it has an undeniably likable quality to it.

It exudes a palpable energy and a distinct lived-in vibe.The nightlife pulses to a medley of West African samba; on weekends, the jazz bars are packed with beer drinkers.

• Best places to visit: Musee National de Bamako, Zoo National du Mali, Cathedral of Bamako, Bamako Grand Mosque,etc.
• Location: Southwestern Mali