Visit the AMAZING, newly-opened, 42 acre ‘Parc National du Mali’.

We did so last weekend and it is well worth the effort/money (1,500cfa entry for adults, 1,000 for kids under 12).

I must say I had to ‘pinch myself’ more than a couple of times; somewhere as well turned-out, as peaceful and as naturally beautiful is often hard to come by in West Africa (described by one friend of mine as “one big rubbish dump”).

Not only are their neatly-gravelled paths, fountains, waterfalls and a wide range of trees and shrubs (including a herb garden); the park also includes a tea room, a café and a very posh restaurant! Then there’s a sports centre and various keep fit apparatus around the park too!

The Aga Khan, whose Trust for Culture helped finance the park, also officially inaugurated the park on 22nd September, 2010. In his speech, he said:

“Creating green spaces in urban areas constitutes a significant improvement in the quality of the environment and people’s living conditions. They are leisure spaces and meeting places for all ages and all social categories, encouraging different sectors of the population to mix and integrate. And they have proved to be catalysts for economic activity and a source of employment, both directly and indirectly, particularly through the services provided for visitors.”

See the full speech transcript here.

Click here for a neat francophone article about the park (with some nice photos). Here’s the park (prior to renovation) viewed from above on Tim’s Bamako map:

View Tim’s Bamako map in a larger map

I also put a load more photos on Facebook (visible to all), so click here to see the album of 24 photos, showing the beauty of this park in more detail. Meanwhile, what are you waiting for? Take a picnic and have a fun family day out at the Parc National du Mali!