Afrinkong
Nature & Landscapes
Forest to Savanna
Rainforest in the south-west, a lagoon coast, and savanna running north to Mali.
West Africa · Afrinkong
Côte d'Ivoire
Lagoons, forest and the Atlantic.
Abidjan's lagoon skyline, the rainforest at Taï, the basilica at Yamoussoukro, and Atlantic beaches west towards Grand-Béréby — the economic engine of francophone West Africa.
Where it is
Africa · West Africa · Côte d'Ivoire
The land in brief
- Spans
- 660 km E–W, 720 km N–S
- Latitude
- 11°N to 4°N
- Borders
- 5 countries
- Sea
- Has a coast
- Best time
- The main dry season, between two sets of rains.
Also in West Africa
BeninWhere vodun comes from, and the palaces of DahomeyBurkina FasoThe best cinema and the best masks in West AfricaThe GambiaA river with a country around itGhanaThe forts, the forest and the highlifeGuinea-BissauThe Bijagos, and eighty-eight islands
Compare Côte d'Ivoire with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
The main dry season, between two sets of rains.
01Highlights
What Côte d'Ivoire is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Nature & Landscapes
Taï and Comoé
Pygmy hippo and chimpanzees at Taï, and Comoé's savanna in the north-east.
Mountains
Mount Nimba
The Nimba range on the Guinea and Liberia border, at 1,752 metres, with its own species.
Assinie and Grand-Béréby
Assinie's sandbar east of Abidjan, and the quieter Atlantic beaches to the west.
Forests & Rainforest
Taï Rainforest
One of the last blocks of primary rainforest in West Africa, and chimpanzees that use tools.
Culture
Sixty Peoples
Akan, Krou, Mandé and Gur — around sixty peoples inside one border.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Côte d'Ivoire with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- Forest to SavannaRainforest in the south-west, a lagoon coast, and savanna running north to Mali.
- Mount NimbaThe Nimba range on the Guinea and Liberia border, at 1,752 metres, with its own species.
- Man and the WaterfallsThe falls around Man in the western hills, and the liana bridges strung above them.
- The Ébrié and the BandamaThe lagoon system behind the coast, and the Bandama running the length of the country.
- Assinie and Grand-BérébyAssinie's sandbar east of Abidjan, and the quieter Atlantic beaches to the west.
- Taï RainforestOne of the last blocks of primary rainforest in West Africa, and chimpanzees that use tools.
Wildlife
- Taï and ComoéPygmy hippo and chimpanzees at Taï, and Comoé's savanna in the north-east.
- ComoéOne of the largest protected areas in West Africa, with elephant, buffalo and hippo.
- Taï and the ChimpanzeesForty years of chimpanzee research at Taï, run with the villages around the park.
- Surf and HikeAssinie's breaks, and the liana bridges and falls in the hills around Man.
People and culture
- Sixty PeoplesAkan, Krou, Mandé and Gur — around sixty peoples inside one border.
- Baoulé, Senufo and DanBaoulé weaving, Senufo sculpture, and Dan masks from the western hills.
- Abissa and the MasksAbissa at Grand-Bassam in November, and the mask festivals of the western hills.
- Weaving and CarvingBaoulé strip cloth, Korhogo painted cloth, and Dan masks carved for use rather than sale.
- Attiéké and KedjenouAttiéké with grilled fish, and kedjenou slow-cooked in a sealed pot.
- Beach and LagoonAssinie's sandbar has ocean on one side and calm lagoon on the other, which suits children.
- Maquis at NightThe open-air maquis — grill, music and a plastic chair — is the country's real institution.
Places
- AbidjanThe Plateau's towers, the Ébrié lagoon, and a nightlife the region measures itself against.
- Lagoon ColonialThe wooden trading houses of Grand-Bassam, and Abidjan's tropical modernism.
- Grand-BassamThe first colonial capital, on a sandbar between lagoon and ocean, and now a world site.
- YamoussoukroA basilica larger than Saint Peter's, built in the founder's home village.
Ways to travel
- Surf, Hike, PaddleSurf at Assinie, hiking the western hills, and pirogues through the lagoon.
- Assinie and AbidjanLagoon villas at Assinie, and Abidjan hotels that serve the whole region's business.
- Lagoon LightPirogues on flat water at either end of the day, and a skyline behind them.
- ManThe western hills, with waterfalls, mask villages and a mountain nobody climbs.
03Why go
The case for Côte d'Ivoire.
Why Visit This Country
The Engine of the Region
The largest economy in francophone West Africa, and the easiest of them to travel.
Hidden Gems
Man
The western hills, with waterfalls, mask villages and a mountain nobody climbs.
Eco Tourism
Taï and the Chimpanzees
Forty years of chimpanzee research at Taï, run with the villages around the park.
Heritage
Yamoussoukro
A basilica larger than Saint Peter's, built in the founder's home village.
04Go deeper
All of Côte d'Ivoire, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Côte d'Ivoire starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.