Table of contents
Culture and History / Travel to Gao, visa requirements / Flights to Gao, airtickets / By boat / By road / Get around / Gao attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Shopping, Gao souvenirs / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Gao nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Get outGao is a small city of 65.000 inhabitants located in the Gao region of Mali.
Culture and History
The city was founded in the 7th century as a trading post, but it was during the the 15th and 16th that the city flourished and its height was the center of the Songhai Empire.
Travel to Gao - Visa Requirements
Flights and airtickets to Gao
Gao has an international airport, and Point Afrique offers flights to Paris and Marseille as well as other cities along the Niger.
By boat
A ferry service links Gao to other cities on the Niger, such as Timbuktu.
By road
Gao is connected to Bamako by a paved highway and can be reached in a private car or by bus. Buses also travel to Niamey several times per week, but the road to the border is still unfinished.
Tours and Getting around Gao
Gao tourist attractions and sightseeing
- the 14th century Gao Mosque
- Askia Tomb. Constructed in 1495 by Songhai emperor Askia Mohamed Toure, the Askia Tomb (known locally as the Askia Mosque) is a mud-brick pyramid designed to look like the Great Pyramids of Egypt, which Mohamed saw on his pilgrimage to Mecca. Today it is still used as a mosque and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Sahel Museum
- Traditional markets. The vegetable and meat markets are in the center of town beside the river. They feature the usual assortment of produce and spices as well as blocks of salt mined in the far north of Mali. The Marche Washington, down the road towards the Askia Tomb, sells clothing and fabric and is full of tailors at work.
- La Dune Rose A giant sand dune across the river from Gao, named for its glowing pink color at sunrise and sunset. Best reached by pirogue. The top has beautiful views of the surrounding landscape, especially after the rainy season.
Gao city tours
Gao souvenirs and shopping
Gao Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive
Gao nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs
Gao cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging
Get out
Buses leave Gao for Bamako two-three times per day. Buses also travel to Niamey several times per week, but the road to the border is still unfinished.
This page was last edited by Wikitravel user WTDuck2. Based on work by Sarah Peters, Colin Jensen and Kasper Souren, Wikitravel user(s) WindHorse and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license
