Bamako weather by month

The best time to visit Bamako is November to January — 84/100 in January, 34°C and 0 rainy days. The best season is the dry season, October to May (64/100 on average).

The worst month is April at 42/100 — sweltering, dry. See April →

Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis

Bamako🇲🇱 Mali · Sahel & Cabo Verde · City84
  1. 84Jan
  2. 69Feb
  3. 50Mar
  4. 42Apr
  5. 46May
  6. 59Jun
  7. 55Jul
  8. 51Aug
  9. 62Sep
  10. 64Oct
  11. 71Nov
  12. 83Dec

Best season: October to May (64/100 on average) · worst April (42/100)

Days
34°C
Nights
18°C
Wet days
0
Sun
10.4 h
Humidity
22%
Daylight
12 h
Bamako, Mali
Photo: Rgaudin · Public domain

Bamako, month by month

Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Bamako is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.

MonthScoreTierHighRainSunCrowdsOn
Jan84A34°C0 d10 hBusy2
Feb69C36°C0 d11 hShoulder1
Mar50D39°C0 d11 hQuiet2
Apr42F40°C1 d11 hQuiet1
May46F39°C6 d11 hBusy2
Jun59D36°C11 d11 hBusy1
Jul55D32°C22 d10 hShoulder—
Aug51D31°C25 d8 hShoulder—
Sep62C33°C19 d10 hBusy1
Oct64C35°C9 d11 hShoulder—
Nov71B36°C0 d11 hBusy2
Dec83A34°C0 d11 hBusy2

What's on in Bamako through the year

Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.

March
  • The hot months15 Mar – 31 May (usually)Season
May
  • Tabaski5 May – 5 Jun (usually)Holiday
September
  • Independence Day22 SepHoliday
November
  • Bamako Encounters photo biennial1 Nov – 15 Jan (usually)Festival
  • Harmattan25 Nov – 15 Mar (usually)Season

Everything on in Bamako through the year →

Crowds in Bamako in January

How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.

Busyschool holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather(estimated)

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet

Traveller notes on Bamako

What people who have been say about the place — the year-round notes first, then month by month.

Forum posters describe January as sitting within Mali's dry season, with one visitor on a January work trip describing the sun as genuinely intense and the heat as hard to escape during the day - bug repellent and sunscreen are both standard packing advice from posters regardless of the dry conditions. Posters don't report meaningful rain risk this time of year, consistent with January being one of the driest months on the calendar here, but heat rather than rain is the real factor to plan around, with the sun's intensity during midday hours a recurring theme across multiple posters' accounts. Posters generally recommend lightweight, sun-protective clothing and staying hydrated over worrying about rain gear for a January visit.
Tripadvisor community · January · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗
Detailed July-specific weather trip reports for Bamako are essentially absent from the forum, with what discussion exists focused mainly on safety and current travel conditions rather than granular climate detail. Given the limited destination-specific coverage, this note is grounded in the well-established regional pattern for this part of the Sahel: July sits within Mali's rainy season, bringing hot, humid conditions with genuine afternoon rain on top of persistent heat, a real change from the drier, dustier stretch that dominates most of the rest of the year. Posters generally emphasize checking current safety guidance as the more pressing concern for a Bamako visit than the specific month chosen.
Tripadvisor community · July · 1 month ago · Read more on Tripadvisor ↗

Add your own note from Bamako's card on the map.