Popular Airport | Modibo Keita Intl. - Bamako Senou Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 7 hour 50 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 6311 Km |
Taking a taxi in the morning or evening outside of rush hours is probably the most reliable method of transport to the airport in densely populated Durban. It’s also possible to reach the airport with rented cars or shuttle company buses.
You can reach the airport by taxi from the city centre in around 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic conditions. It might be a good idea to speak with the taxi driver beforehand and let them know your time of departure to not have any bad surprises for your journey.
The shuttle buses that leave for the airport depart from Durban Station in the city centre, depart once every day at 8:00, 11:00, and 16:00 and reach the airport in around half an hour.
The traffic flows on the left side in Durban, so if you come from a country where you drive on the right it might be a better idea to hire a car with a driver rather than getting behind the steering wheel yourself. If you come from country where cars drive on the left side, you might be more at home with this option.
There is only one terminal in King Shaka Airport where there is an ABSA bank, which opens half an hour before the first flight and closes half an hour after the last flight. In addition, you can find financial services from the ATMs of First National Bank, Nedbank, and Standard Bank. There is a prayer room for Muslims, and a post office that offers services depending on the first and last flights of the day. There are baby and childcare rooms that mothers can use.
In addition to these services, the airport has many lounges. The most exclusive ones are the South African Airways Business Class Lounge, found near the entrance of the terminal, and BIDVest Premier Lounge. In these lounges you can order some food and rest on comfortable seating areas to read books or newspapers.
Airport restaurants include; Cape Town Fish Market, Cosmic Candy, Big Five Duty Free, Fego Coffee Shop, Kauai, KFC, Milky Lane, Mugg&Bean, Panarottis, Rhapsody’s, Spur, Steers, Sweet Treat, The Airport Cellar, and Wimpy. There is also a Yemaya Nail Express, Woolworts, Vodashop, Tie Stop, The Urban Retreat, The Scoin Shop, NWJ Fine Jewellery, Sneakers, Sunglass Hunt, Nike, MTN, Moda Luggage&Leather, Khasav, Jeep, EM Native, and Electro Electronics for your shopping needs.
The airport is located about 15 kilometers from the city center in Bamako, which is the capital and largest city of Mali, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach the city center. Taxi is the most preferred means of transportation from Bamako Airport to the city center. The offices of international car rental companies at the airport also offer car rental service as a different alternative to taxi option.
You can easily get a taxi almost all day in front of Bamako Airport, regardless of whenever your plane lands at the airport. The cost of the airport taxis in Bamako is about 7000 CFA for the journey to the city center. You must pay taxi fare in cash and taxis in Bamako don't generally offer credit card option. If you don't have West African franc -the valid currency in Mali- with you, you can also pay in Euro or Dollars.
One of the less frequently preferred options to reach the city center from the airport in Bamako is the car rental option. You won't have any difficulty finding the car rental office at the airport and then you can reach many points in Bamako city center in half an hour by renting a car. From the airport exit, you can find your way without having any difficulty by following the "city center" signs.
Before your flight, you can make a reservation for one of the private shuttle services offered for tourists in Bamako and travel to the city center by shuttle. If you are going to stay in one of the bigger hotels in the city, you can also get information about the private shuttle services from your hotel.
If your hotel provides a shuttle service from the airport to the city center, you can get on these shuttles in front of Bamako Airport terminal and reach many points in Bamako in a very short time. Hotels shuttles are generally offered for hotel guests free of charge; however, it would be useful to get information about the shuttle service, which may be available for a fee from time to time, and then choose a suitable option for transportation to the city center.