People get around quite well in Mali.
Besides the most common method of foot-power, there are plenty of bicycles, motorcycles and minibuses (which really amount to vans with their insides gutted and wooden benches lining the perimeter). Tourists use a lot of 4-wheel drive vehicles. The natives use donkeys and ox and the occasional horse.
You might have noticed in some of the pics some beer-type bottles of golden liquid on the side of the roads – nothing exotic to drink, but gas for the motorcycles.