Bamako - Post Report Question and Answers
Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
Right now it's a tough city in general, but probably best for couples with no kids--they have each other for support and company, but also can hang out with the house party groups. The American school is a long way from Embassy housing and activities for kids seem pretty limited. Singles do all right but the expat community seems a bit hard to break into. - Apr 2017
As a young couple without children, we've had a lot of fun. If you want to be active, there is a running group (hash) every weekend and a group also goes out rock-climbing every Saturday (the area outside of Bamako looks a lot like the SW of the USA). The embassy community is very tight-knit and feels like a family. If that starts to feel claustrophobic though, there is a large foreigner community of French and other nationalities. A lot of NGO people and UN people in town as well. People are constantly throwing house parties, pool parties, going out to dinner, etc etc. We have a more active social life here than we did in London! I've noticed a lot more families moving to post with young children as well. So if you have kids, you'll be able to set up a lot of play dates! - Aug 2014
Families with small children do best here in terms of having things to do. Singles were a little unhappy when I first arrived, but now they have quite a social circle going and seem to be having a good time. Couples do fine too. It is a very small community, though. Make sure you can handle that. - Jul 2011
Most of the people seem to enjoy Mali. I guess families with little children enjoy more than families with bigger kids. - Jul 2011
Yes for all. Singles, particularly women, might find the dating options are somewhat limited. Also, be wary of the gossip mill at the Embassy and don't expect to have a private life. The local guards at your house are instructed by Embassy security officials to report your moves and who you bring home, allegedly for security reasons. Just ask to see the guard's notebook where all these things are recorded and you'll see what I'm talking about. - Oct 2010
It is what you make of it. This can be the worst post or could be an OK post. I doubt that anyone would say this is the best post. The embassy community is very small, everyone is great, we have a great team, which is a plus. The Malians are among the nicest people in the world, non aggressive, loving people. It's better for families than for singles I think. However, it may get lonely if the spouse does not have a job. There's not much to do here. For singles, there's a lot of bars and a hand full of night clubs. If thats what you like, than, this post isn't so bad. Other than that, people usually have social gathering often at each other's houses. - May 2010
It is good for families who don't need much to do or whose idea of a good time is going over to a friend's house and hanging out at the pool while the kids play. Singles seem less happy, although there are certainly a lot of bars and night clubs which are apparently quite hopping. - Sep 2009
Yes, it's safe and many activities available within the american community. Not a whole lot to do in Bamako in terms of activities (i.e. movies, shops, bowling, etc.) - Apr 2009
Yes, it's good for everyone if you're creative and adventurous. - Feb 2009
I think best for families with young kids. Good for couples, hardest for singles. - Feb 2009
Depends on what you like to do. There are not any parks or places to take kids to play, other than the American Club which leaves a lot to be desired. There are nightclubs and restaurants, and two hashes, but there is not a huge variety of activities offered by the city. Right now there is a good mix of singles, couples and families with children, so everyone can find someone with whom to socialize. - Jan 2009
