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Published: February 6th 2023
After hanging out in Istanbul for 10 days, it was off to the Ivory Coast for a 13-day trip booked with Explore. I’ve been to West Africa a couple of times previously but there a few countries between Guinea-Bissau and Ghana I have yet to see, hence my choice of the Ivory Coast.
Ivory Coast - Wikipedia Culture of Ivory Coast - Wikipedia Flights to the Ivory Coast are not plentiful, but Turkish Airlines flies into Abidjan, with a service stop on the way in Cotonou, Benin. The flight wasn’t full to Cotonou so I was able to have a row to myself for the first six hours. The plane then filled up in Cotonou, so thankfully it was only an hour more to Abidjan, where I deplaned.
The Ivory Coast has an online e-visa process now. You apply online, providing basic personal information and an invitation letter, pay the fee (€73 for Canadians) and get a pre-authorization letter by email, which you must present on arrival. I arrived at 1 am local time and there were few foreigners, so I got the actual passport visa quickly, cleared immigration (where I had to present yellow fever and COVID vaccination certificates) and picked up my bag,
all in about 20 minutes. Too bad my arranged driver was not there! I waited around for about an hour until a very kind airport security officer took pity on me. He could tell I was reluctant to take a local taxi (they are relentless in hounding you) so he called the hotel but it would take them about 45 minutes to get someone to the airport. He called a Yango (local equivalent of Uber) instead, which arrived in about 5 minutes and cost 7,000 CFA (about €11) to the hotel. I arrived there at about 3 am, happy to find my bed for the night! (Note: the local operator did reimburse me for the Yango fare plus a bit more, so they recognized their mistake, which I appreciated.)
The hotel was good, recently renovated with a great shower and decent bed, but in the middle of nowhere in north Abidjan. Not much exploring that first day except to the grocery store for water and to find a local sim card. Meals were taken at the hotel. A few of the Explore group had arrived early like me, but the remaining six didn’t arrive until late evening/early morning so
we all met for the first time just before departing for Bouake the morning of January 22. 10 participants, 2 leaders (Spike from the UK, Francis from the Ivory Coast) and our driver Abdul. The bus was reasonably comfortable, especially once we saw how crowded and cramped many of the local buses were! Francis arranged for a money changer to visit the hotel in Abidjan. Exchange was pretty easy as the West African Franc (CFA/XOF) is pegged to the Euro (656 CFA = 1 €).
Abidjan - Wikipedia January 22 Abidjan to Bouaké – approx. 340 km After a lunch stop in Yamoussoukro, we drove to a village called Grand Sakiare. This village is known for its weavers, all men and boys, who weave using long looms. The cotton is grown locally and spun by the village women. Long, narrow pieces of fabric are woven and then pieced together into articles of clothing or larger pieces of cloth.
The final stop of the day was a village just outside of Bouaké, where we were introduced to the Goli dances, featuring masked dancers with musical accompaniment. The masked dancers are always men, though some of the masks they wear
may be feminine. I can’t imagine wearing the headpieces and costumes that these dancers were attired in for any length of time, especially in the late day heat. The musicians used shakers made from large gourds and rope as well as a cow horn. Lots of people from the village were watching the dances with us.
The hotel in Bouaké was more like a compound with lots of rooms, a pool and resident deer that visited during breakfast.
Baoulé people - Wikipedia Goli (dance) - Wikipedia Bouaké - Wikipedia January 23 Bouaké to Korhogo – approx. 225 km After an uneventful drive from Bouaké to Korhogo in the morning, we stopped for lunch in Korhogo before heading out to see a couple of nearby villages. Lunch was one of those occasions where it was evident that tourism is still in its infancy in the Ivory Coast. Even though we ordered ahead of time, it still took forever to get our meals – seriously, rice and vegetables shouldn’t be a 90 minute effort. Anyway, after the lunch drama was behind us, we ventured out to the village of Koni to see the local blacksmiths and get a demo of their (very manual) processes.
They gather then crush local rocks, heat them to remove iron filings, then melt the filings to form various agricultural tools and knives. What hot and dirty work! On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in to visit one of the Senufo villages where they carve masks and assorted other wooden items. There was some intricate and beautiful work done by these carvers.
Senufo people - Wikipedia Korhogo - Wikipedia January 24 Around Korhogo We started the morning with a visit to a local sacred rock shrine just outside Korhogo. People ask for advice from the mystic/shaman located there. Nearby is a stone quarry we walked to. No machines here, just manual labour with picks and hammers, done by both women and men. Dusty and no shade from the sun for these workers.
We then headed out to the Senufo village of Fakaha, known for its painters. Apparently, Picasso had once visited the village many years ago to see their work. They use colours made from local natural sources like plants and the designs express village life and animals. After lunch, we visited Kapele village, where the men make ceramic jewellery. We watched them work the clay and
several were painting designs on the ceramic pieces. There were also weavers at this village.
The highlight of the day was visiting the village of Waraniene and experiencing the Panther Dance. The musicians played stringed gourds (one had a gourd and rope shaker) while a number of costumed panthers took center stage dancing. The costumes were relatively simple compared to Goli dancers seen previously but these cats could move! The Panther dance is related to initiation rites the young Senufo men perform to be admitted into the Poro, a secret society of the tribe. Take a look at the videos to see the athleticism of these Panthers. Pretty cool to watch!
Poro - Wikipedia January 25 Korhogo to Boundiali – approx. 100 km In the morning, we left Korhogo for the village of Niofouin along some unpaved, bouncy roads. The primary reason for the visit was to see a couple of fetish houses that had interesting external features drawn and carved into the houses. The fetish houses are not open to outsiders (or the women) and are guarded by older men in the village. A portion of the village has chosen not to bring electricity into their homes,
sticking with the old sources for heat and light.
A visit to an unnamed Fulani nomad village followed. The men were away with the cattle so only women and children were present. The Fula in the Ivory Coast originate from Guinea and Mali, but as an ethnic group, they are widely dispersed across West Africa and are Muslim. The women allowed us to peek into their homes, which were immaculately kept, considering their rough hut construction. They used small solar panels on rooftops to generate electricity in the village.
Later in the afternoon, we visited the Senufo village of Nondara to see the Ngoro Dance (Dance of the Virgin Girls). A handful of women participated in this dance, along with young men. The musicians were a combination of xylophone, drums and horns who paced the dancers. An interesting but weird part of the ritual was the man walking and sitting on fire after brandishing a whip around the dancers.
Boundiali - Wikipedia Fula people - Wikipedia January 26 Boundiali to Odienné – approx. 135 km We stopped along a roadside village outside Odienné to quickly visit a three-room school built by UNICEF. It was an elementary school – the
classroom we visited was split into Levels 4 and 6, containing about 60 students in all. Because it is difficult to get teachers in rural Ivory Coast, there was a single teacher for all these pupils.
In the afternoon, we met with the leader of a local Dozo group, part of a hunter – gatherer sect of Malinke people. After chatting with the leader, we took he and his band (seriously) in the bus to an area further away from Odienné to visit one of their sacred places in the hills. You could see bloody evidence that animal sacrifices had been performed on the rocks there.
Odienné - Wikipedia Dozo - Wikipedia January 27 Odienné to Man – approx. 270 km It was a longer drive day today as we headed south to Man, in the foothills of the Toura Mountains. We stopped in the village of Mamoya, near Touba. I thought this was just to poke around in the village for a little while but it turned out to be more mask dancing and we were there for quite a long time, fortunately mostly in the shade as it was very hot (35C+) under the noon sun.
One of the dancers was masked, costumed and wearing stilts. Quite the sight and very different from the second masked participant wearing a feathered headdress. The musicians here played various drums and the women of the village turned up to participate wearing white tops and blue/black skirts to cheer on the masked dancers.
As we were arriving in Man, a rain and windstorm started. It was wild to see how quickly it developed, turning roads and markets into a muddy mess and chasing everyone indoors. It didn’t last for too long and by dinnertime, all as was good again, though very humid! The hotel in Man was probably the best of the tour – decent rooms with AC, good meals, strong wifi and cheap beer!
Man, Ivory Coast - Wikipedia Monts du Toura - Wikipedia January 28 Around Man After stopping to see the monkeys again (as it had started to rain yesterday), we headed to the waterfalls on the west side of Man, taking about 30 minutes or so to walk up from where Abdul dropped us off. They’ve made a picnic area around them, with change rooms, toilets and restrooms. I imagine that the waterfalls get quite busy in the heat
of the summer.
We visited another woodcarving shop in Man and, after lunch, the leaders took us to the local market for a wander around. Fabric purchases were the theme of the day for many on the tour. It would have been nice just to find a spot to perch and watch market life go round but it wasn’t to be.
In the late afternoon, it was off to see another dance, this time a mask ceremony of the Guéré people. Quite different musicians for this dance – banging large sticks and some shakers. The villagers found it quite hilarious when some of our group members got up to dance when invited.
January 29 Man to Daloa – approx. 190 km We spent a few hours at a village called Za De Pleu, located above the waterfalls we visited yesterday. It was Sunday, so we got a peek into one of the Christian churches where members spend the day at church praying. We met the village Chief and had a brief chat with him (through a local interpreter) – he has been the village leader for many years. The village was getting a new well, so
there was excitement as testers were there, making sure the water was safe to drink. There were young men making bricks by hand, stomping clay, water and straw together to make the mixture for the bricks and putting it into forms. Quite a happening place for a Sunday morning!
After lunch, we were on our way to Daloa. Rubber (latex) is not running right now but we stopped at a roadside plantation to see the trees with their spouts and buckets. The process appears to be a lot like tapping for maple sugar. Further down the road, we stopped at a cacao plantation. The cacao pods are nearly ready to be picked and sent for processing. Cocoa is one of the Ivory Coast’s main exports.
I started a course of antibiotics today for a gastro/stomach bug I seem to have picked up. Not feeling great but hopefully the drugs will kick in soon.
Cocoa production in Ivory Coast - Wikipedia Daloa - Wikipedia January 30 Daloa to Yamoussoukro – approx. 140 km We didn’t have to travel far to see our final mask dance of the trip in Detta, near Bouaflé. It was called the Zaouli dance. Different music once again, this
one accompanied by drums and a horn – it was sounded a bit jazzy. I probably didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have, since I was still feeling unwell and it was hot, even in the shade. The crowd appreciated our group’s participation so it all ended on a positive note.
Yamoussoukro is the Ivory Coast’s administrative capital, not its economic engine, which is in Abidjan. The most famous site in Yamoussoukro is unquestionably the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, an expensive vanity project undertaken in the mid to late 1980’s by the country’s president at the time, and gifted to the Catholic Church. It was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in September 1990. For me, the stained glass was the most stunning feature of the Basilica, all 90,000 square feet of it! Unfortunately, photos weren’t allowed, aside from at the main entrance, so the photos attached really don’t do it any justice.
My overwhelming remembrance of the hotel we stayed at in Yamoussoukro will be of mothballs. They must use them as a bug deterrent but the smell was overpowering. Not the greatest thing when you’re feeling under the weather!
Zaouli - Wikipedia Yamoussoukro - Wikipedia Basilica of Our Lady of Peace - Wikipedia January 31 Yamoussoukro to Grand Bassam (via Abidjan) – approx. 280 km Today’s highlight was having our bus break down along the highway between Yamoussoukro and Abidjan. Not being mechanically inclined, I think the hose connecting the engine to the muffler separated and started dragging on the ground, causing an unholy racket inside the bus until Abdul pulled over. A good Samaritan motorcyclist stopped, saw what the problem was and raced off to get some wire to re-attach hose for us. In the meantime, some of the group was scavenging for appropriate items which might solve the problem along the roadside. None really worked, so there was great relief when the motorcyclist arrived back with a coil of proper wire. Minutes later, Abdul had reconnected the hose so it wouldn’t drag any more and off we went. Still loud and noisy but no more dragging on the ground. Needless to say, not a great start to the day and it set us back on our schedule by about an hour or so.
Then there was the fiasco of getting masks and other wooden items documented at the National Museum (to aid their deportation out
of the country) – 2 hours later, the items were finally done. At this point, I just wanted to get to Grand Bassam but no, off to the Cathedral and then the Lagoon crossing. I was tired and very grumpy (sorry group!) by the time we finally got to the hotel about 7:30pm. Hotel meal selection was “meh” to top things off so I settled for French fries and went to bed. What a day! And kind of a downer way to end an otherwise pretty good trip.
February 1 Grand Bassam Grand Bassam is located on the Gulf of Guinea - swimming was not recommended due to the strong tides and large waves. After a quiet morning at the hotel, listening to the waves crash on the shore from my balcony, I met the group for lunch at a great little spot a few blocks from the hotel. I was finally feeling better (the antibiotics had done their job) so went for a wander with a few of the others later in the afternoon – the old center is a mix of small shops, homes and abandoned buildings, which must have been quite impressive in their French
Colonial heyday. Our final dinner was back at the same spot where we had lunched.
Grand-Bassam - Wikipedia Pickup for airport was at 10:30 pm so there in lots of time to check in and hang around waiting in the lounge for the flight back to Istanbul at 01:50. I was happy to see tour member Jenny arrive in the departures area (given her passport/visa issues) - she was flying through Casablanca on her way back to the UK a couple of hours after me.
The flight back to Istanbul was pretty full so no multi-seat sprawling for me on this flight. I must have slept for a few hours but it wasn’t great rest. We landed at noon, I caught the airport bus into Taksim and arrived at my apartment before 2 pm.
Final Observations about the Ivory Coast In no particular order:
· Roads were way better than I expected – mostly paved with some 4-lane, divided highways; the unpaved roads to a few of the villages were pretty rough but they were not long journeys so manageable
· I feel privileged to have been able to see as many different dances as
we did. It was encouraging to see the villagers get involved in the mask dances too – many times, they watched the dances alongside of us. It makes me hopeful these traditions will continue with the coming generations.
· People are generally very kind and friendly – most had a smile and wave for you (and extra kudos to the motorcyclist who helped us out getting back to Abidjan)
· People generally didn’t mind getting their photos taken, especially the children
· Hotel quality was pretty good overall – air conditioning (because it was in the mid 30s most days), powerful shower, no bugs and a decent bed are my criteria. These are not 5* establishments by first world standards but they were certainly okay
· The lack of mosquitos and other critters was a pleasant surprise (or maybe they had other people to bother). We often had to go on a mosquito killing spree in the bus first thing in the morning but once it got hot, they disappeared
· The Ivory Coast is certainly not over-touristed – in many places, we were the only foreigners in hotels or restaurants
· The food
was okay but not spectacular – chicken and fish are staples, served with cassava, yams or fries
· There is a real problem with garbage and plastic litter
· I took about 2,700 photos (1,900 on my R6, 800 on my iPhone)
· Cash is king – I used my credit card once to pay for the extra hotel night in Abidjan but nowhere else. VISA must be wondering if I’ve fallen off the face of the earth!
It’s cold and wet (even some snow last night) in Istanbul, so not very enticing to be outside sightseeing. I’ve done my laundry and worked on wrangling my photos into some semblance of order the past couple of days. I leave for Saudi Arabia in the early hours tomorrow for another two week adventure with Explore. I will post videos on Facebook as there's no capability in the blog.
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Ake Och Emma
Ake Dahllof and Emma Holmbro
Seems lovely
Ivory Coast seems lovely. I think I would enjoy it there. Sorry to hear that they have a litter problem. They had that in Senegal and the Gamabia as well. Can you tell me a little about safety in Ivory Coast. Are there any regions that are unsafe? Do they have any border disputes or problems with terrorists? /Ake