Watch HDToday. The Bamako Express takes more than 36 hours to connect Dakar to Bamako, about 1200 kilometers. During this crossing from West to East, multiple images of the African continent, legendary places, great rivers, arid landscapes, pass before the eyes of travellers, while the train itself appears as the center of incessant activity: cohabitation between Malians and Senegalese who live, sleep and trade together.