Off the beaten path: Mali

Mali, once a cultural center of Africa, has suffered lots of destruction from radical Islamists - important sites have been destroyed and many ancient manuscripts were burned. The area is still not considered safe for travel, but should it change, there are sites for the curious off the beaten path travelers to explore and things to do - the Great Mud Mosque, cliff villages, libraries with Timbuktu manuscripts, participating in the weird fish madness day in Koro, learning about the local traditions and more.