Bamako weather in December
December in Bamako: hot, dry, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#2 of 12 months in Bamako · #362 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 83/100 (tier A)
- Days
- 34°C
- Nights
- 17°C
- Wet days
- 0
- Sun
- 10.5 h
- Humidity
- 27%
- Daylight
- 11 h

Traveller notes on Bamako in December
Other months in Bamako
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.
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.
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Bamako climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Bamako in December
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)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Bamako's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Best weatherBamako's weather peaks November–January.
December includes Bamako Encounters photo biennial.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Bamako in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Festival
Bamako Encounters photo biennial
1 Nov – 15 Jan · usuallyArts festivalAfrican photography takes over the National Museum, the National Library and a string of smaller venues for about two months. It runs every second year, and which year it lands in has slipped more than once. Source ↗
- Season
Harmattan
25 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyDust seasonThe Saharan wind arrives from the north-east in late November and stays until spring: dry air, a sky that never quite clears, and red dust over everything in the unpaved quarters. Some winters it barely lifts for days. Source ↗
Where is Bamako?
Bamako in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Bamako?
- December in Bamako: hot, dry, with poor air quality — fine if you can take poor air. It ranks #2 of 12 months for Bamako on SeasonMap's comfort score (83/100).
- What is the weather like in Bamako in December?
- In December, Bamako averages a daily high of 34°C and a low of 17.4°C, with about 0.4 mm of rain over roughly 0.1 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Bamako in December?
- Bamako has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 109 in December.