Côte d'Ivoire, this "light chilli pepper which raises the taste of life", is known for its economic and festive capital: Abidjan. But the country holds many surprises in store for visitors who will take the exploration further. It offers poetic landscapes between ocean and lagoon on 350 kilometres of coastline, where fishing villages perpetuate their age-old traditions. Inland there is a generous nature, protected in eight national parks. Green cocoa plantations in the centre, tropical mountains towards Man in the west, give way to a more arid Sahelian savannah in the north towards Korhogo. But it is the cultural richness of Côte d'Ivoire that fascinates the visitor above all else. The country has nearly 60 ethnic groups, a patchwork of customs and folklore that can be discovered in rural areas that have preserved their mask dances and initiation rites. A dive into mystical tribal Africa as we imagine it.
Abidjan, frenetic capital
Also known as the "little Manhattan of Africa" for its business district on the plateau built in verticality, Abidjan erects on the horizon its skyscrapers, its beautiful and large mosque and the eccentric lines of its Saint Paul's Cathedral built in the 1980s. The street is only saturation of cars, motorcycles, informal vendors. But it is above all the swarm of pedestrians that plunges the visitor into its agitated crowd. The Adjamé market is an immense fascinating maze, teeming with stalls and women dressed in colourful wax dresses and loincloths. To relax, make a short detour to the island of Boulay, on the Ebrié lagoon. This "Beverly Hills" of Abidjan offers terraces of chic restaurants, especially in the "Bay of Billionaires" which superimposes the azure of the pools on the blue of the lagoon. To eat an authentic Ivorian dish, head towards the Blockhaus at the foot of the Ivory Hotel. This village of irreducible Ebriés has kept its low houses and a traditional fishing life. The women prepare attiéké in baskets of manioc semolina, composing picturesque scenes. They also eat the best braised attiéké fish in the capital. But to come to Abidjan without tasting the nocturnal atmosphere of the most festive city in Africa would be to miss its soul. The upmarket district of Cocody is particularly restless, with its maquis and zouglou or coupé-décalé clubs. This swaying music, embodied by the late DJ Arafat, who died a few months ago, makes the city dance every night until the morning. Abidjan's "Couper-Décalaler-Travailler" is a bit like the Parisian "metro-work-sleep"!
Assinie and Grand-Bassam, between ocean and lagoon
To disconnect, head towards Assinie, 100 km from Abidjan. The Ivorian coastal pearl lies on a 15 km long sand tongue, in the heart of the Ehotilé Islands National Park. The luxurious hotels are set on the beach, which is hemmed in by waves on one side and bathed by the lagoon on the other. Swimming pools invite you to rest under the coconut trees. The sportsmen will appreciate the big rollers of the ocean to surf. Quiet exploration by pirogue is a discovery of villages in the mangrove, where the men bring back fishing and mangrove wood, while the women smoke fish. More popular than Assinie, Grand-Bassam, Abidjan's coastal district, spreads out its beaches lined with maquis and seafood restaurants, overflowing with families and groups of friends who come from all over the city to spend the day.
In the sand, we play football, a very popular sport carried by the national Elephant team, which has raised Didier Drogba to the rank of national hero. Grand-Bassam has villas decrepit by time and overgrown with vegetation in its early 20th-century France district, classified by UNESCO. The Peace Square, the old lighthouse and the Royal Palace come alive in October, when the Akan N'Zima community celebrates the Abissa festival. A parade of colours, dances and music, punctuated by the "talking tam-tam" called Edo-N'gbolé.
To the west: landscapes of forests and mountains
On the west coast of the country, Grand Lahou, a small village of palm and bamboo houses, is the essential stop for hikers in the Azagny National Park. Pirogue trips to the "three waters" at the mouth of the Bandama River are an opportunity to discover sparrowhawk fishing and to surprise some forest elephants, crocodiles and sea turtles. Towards the town of San Pedro, around the villages of Fresco and Sassandra, rare manatees can be seen. Finally, in the far west, Grand Bereby has the sumptuous Bay of the Sirens, with a magnificent beach and natural pools.
The most adventurous can go up to the nearby Taï National Park, listed by UNESCO, which is home to elephants, chimpanzees, colobus monkeys, and above all a primary forest with a unique biodiversity of nearly 200 plant species. Just above, the Man region and its 18 mountains conceal a waterfall with a liana bridge. Mount Tonkpi culminates there at 1,123 m above sea level, offering a superb view. Every year, mask festivals and fascinating tribal rituals are held in the Dan and We villages of the region.
Yamoussoukro, a monumental capital city
Travelling towards the centre, the cocoa plantations parade through the landscape as far as Yamoussoukro. Former president Félix Houphouët-Boigny decided in 1983 to make his village the political capital. The first letters of each building located at the four cardinal points (the prefecture to the north, the Peace Foundation to the south, the President's Hotel to the east and the basilica to the west) form the initials of the former president. The latter did not skimp on marble, granite, precious woods and gilding in great style to erect these monuments. The famous basilica is a replica of that of St. Peter's in the Vatican! The Hotel President is dominated by a restaurant in the shape of a flying saucer, while the Presidential Palace is home to some 200 sacred crocodiles fed with live chickens every day, a real spectacle! Not far from "Yakro", the weavers' village of Bomizambo is considered the city of the traditional loincloth of which the Gbomi are the heirs.
Baule, Sénoufo and mask dances
Still in the center, direction Bouaké, the second economic city of the country, where the tomb of the mythical Baoulé queen Abia Pokou, who is said to haunt the sacred forest of Gnamonou, is located. This ethnic group, which mostly populates the region, is famous for the Goli, a sacred dance of masks, representing a crocodile and an elephant, framed by horns. The cloak is made of antelope skin covered with palm leaf fibres. A unique tradition in the world. Nearby, Tanou Sakassou is a community of remarkable potters. Further away, on the borders of the country, the Comoé National Park is a sanctuary for wildlife, especially elephants. Other mask-dancing celebrations are accessible to visitors who will take the trouble to cross the northern savannah as far as Korhogo. In the surrounding Senoufo villages, initiation rituals take place during the "poros". In the region, a very rich craft industry, ideal for making beautiful gifts, exists in Katiola, famous for its potters, Waraniéné for its weavers, Koni for its blacksmiths and Fakaha for its painters...
After this beautiful journey, the return to the modernity of Abidjan will be almost exotic! The opportunity to visit the Museum of Civilizations which details the richness of the different ethnic groups of the country. A cosmopolitan unit which meets and mixes in its capital. A country where the eternal "it will go" is an optimistic leitmotiv, just like its people who have an innate sense of celebration and welcome. A true discovery of adventure and encounters
Smart info
When? Temperatures are steady and quite warm. The least favourable are from November to April, in the dry season. From May to October, rainfall is high with a peak in June.
Getting there. Air France offers direct flights (6h30) from Paris from €430 return.
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