Burkina Faso

Visited in November 2000 as part of my six-week West Africa trip, travelling from Banjul, The Gambia to Accra, Ghana.

Road to Bobo-Dioulasso
Bobo-Dioulasso
Around Bobo-Dioulasso
Ouagadougou & on to Ghana
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Ouagadougou

Bobo-Dioulasso
Around Bobo-Dioulasso

Map of West Africa

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Travel notes from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Hi Everyone,

It was a joy to leave Bamako in Mali last week. I would recommend everyone to visit the city just to experience that moment of pure joy when you get on a bus and leave the city in the full knowledge that you will never return.

I planned to leave Bamako in the morning and take a bus to Sikasso in the south of the country. This being Africa, things didn't work out quite like that. I had a few things to sort out in the morning in the city and then jumped into a taxi to the bus station. I got there at midday and all the early busses had gone. The next bus was due to leave at 16.00 and eventually left just after 17.00. Another day wasted!

Arrived in Sikasso late about 22.30 and checked into the Zanga hotel next to the bus station. In the morning it was pleasantly cool. I took a bush taxi at 08.00 to the Burkina Faso border. The road on the Mali side was dirt and in poor condition. The south of Mali is much greener than the northern grasslands. Things grow down here, even passed a tea plantation along the way.

Once over the numerous checkpoints at the border the road was tarred all the way to Bobo-Dioulasso. Even though Burkina Faso is a poor country you could notice the improvement from Mali as you travelled through the villages and towns.

In Bobo-Dioulasso (Bobo) I stayed at the Casa Africa hotel on the edge of town. It was a very nice peaceful relaxing place, a big courtyard with loads of shady trees. I took a day off travelling and just stayed at the hotel reading and sleeping under a shady tree.

I found a good guide in town who spoke good English. I arranged with him to take be around the city and the outlying villages. It was a bit of a budget tour of the villages, on the back of a moped. Cheaper than hiring a car when there is just me. We went out to Koro a Bobo village about 14km east of Bobo perched in some rocky outcrops. The place was like a ghost town as it is harvest season and everyone was working out in the fields.

We also stopped at Koumi another Bobo village on the plains, which was a hive of activity, blacksmiths, potters and carpenters all busy working. From there we headed out into the forest to a swimming hole called La Guinguette. It was a beautiful place, a crystal clear river flowing through the forest. Spent the afternoon swimming in the forest, I really didn't want to leave. We were the only two people there.

After arriving in Bobo on Tuesday I finally left on Saturday and took a bus to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. I checked into Le Pavilion Vert Hotel and bumped into a group of over Landers on there way to Kenya who I first met a couple of weeks ago in Mali.

I may hitch a ride with them to Ghana depending if they get their vehicle fixed (broken suspension spring). If not I'll head for the Ghana frontier on Monday morning and try to get to Bolgatanga on local transport.

Ouagadougou isn't that appealing, not much here to keep you long. It's nicer than Bamako, not so polluted and not so many open sewers. Burkina seems just that little bit better organised than Mali.

As for the weather, still blue skies and temps around 30°c. It is cooler at night here than it was in Mali. Looking forward to seeing a cloud again, you know one of those big white fluffy ones!

I better go I think,

Geoff.