Ivory Coast travel guide

Our Ivory Coast travel guide takes you down deep red roads, through evergreen forest, along swathes of golden coastline and to the crisp, clear highlands of this little-visited West African nation. Dance to exuberant live music in Abidjan’s nightclubs, gobble up fresh seafood at a beachfront bistro in colonial Grand Bassam and head inland to visit traditional villages and watch skillful artisans work their magic.

Home\Africa\Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast travel guide

With reports of coups, civil wars and long term instability, travellers have long bypassed Ivory Coast; but the good news is that the country has emerged from its painful past and intrepid souls are once again discovering its charms. And the country is charming indeed: there are pristine tropical beaches backed by crumbling colonial relics; cool highlands home to waterfalls and untrammelled walking trails; and deep, dark forests where monkeys chatter and mysterious woven bridges appear overnight.

A visit to Ivory Coast is a breath of fresh air; you'll seldom encounter other foreign travellers and its tropical beaches and national parks are unspoilt by overdevelopment.

It is the culture that will really knock you off your feet, though. French-speaking Ivory Coast – Côte d'Ivoire – is a nation of artists and throughout the country talented craftspeople perfect their wares using methods unchanged for centuries, and villagers from different ethnic groups perform vibrant dances, not only to celebrate but also to mourn. In the high flying metropolis of Abidjan, meanwhile, the air throngs with reggae, jazz, Afrobeat and innovative coupé-decalé, a style and music movement that evolved during the long civil war.

See all our Ivory Coast Holidays

Give us a call

Ivory Coast is...

a cultural journey; full of dance, art, food and community interaction.

Ivory Coast isn’t...

a war zone. No longer unstable, the country is ripe for adventurous visitors.

Things to do in Ivory Coast…

Get your culture fix. Dance is a key part of Ivorian culture and is used to celebrate births, marriages and harvests as well as to mourn the passing of the dead. A real highlight is watching the initiation or mask dances of the country’s different ethnic groups. The opportunity to witness artisans at work should also not be missed. Ivory Coast’s traditional art and craft scene is renowned, with jewellers, weavers, blacksmiths, potters, wood carvers and others creating beautiful works of art using ancient techniques. It’s incredible to think that there are over 60 ethnic groups in Ivory Coast, the majority being the Akan, who live mostly in the east and central regions. The Baoulé are the single largest subgroup of the Akan people and you can learn about their heritage in and around Bouaké, their historical home. In the north, you’ll come across Fulani nomads searching for pastures; the Malinké, descendants of the mighty Mali Empire; and the Senufo, whose ancient capital Korhogo is a wonderful place to watch artisans at work. Tourism is slowly growing in Ivory Coast, but it remains a tough place to travel thanks to poor infrastructure and limited public transport. For this reason, we recommend joining a small group tour. You’ll travel in a private vehicle and enjoy the services of tour leader and an expert local guide. This reduces the chances of anything going wrong – and ensures that if it does, there is help at hand.

Contact Us

Call us for a chat about our holidays. We are happy to discuss your holiday and help in any way we can. No bots, queues or awful hold music.

01273 823 700 01273 823 700

Call us until 6pm

Calling from outside the UK

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Things not to do in Ivory Coast…

Ivory Coast is not a mainstream tourist destination. That is part of its appeal, so you shouldn’t expect luxury on a trip here. Road conditions and infrastructure can be poor and accommodation, especially outside of the cities, tends to be simple. Do remember that this is all part of the cultural experience. Lodgings will be clean and comfortable with helpful staff, and will give you valuable insight into local life. Play it safe with 'international' dishes. Ivorian cuisine takes French traditions and West African techniques and ingredients and turns them into a fabulous culinary adventure. Common dishes include kedjenou, a spicy stew prepared with chicken or guineafowl and accompanied by foutou, a pounded cassava dumpling; and poulet braisé, chicken marinated in garlic, lemon juice, mustard, pepper and chillies, and then cooked on an open charcoal grill. You can get your foodie fix anywhere from streetside stalls to fine dining restaurants – the choice is yours. Visiting traditional villages and rural areas may be your main objective on a trip to Ivory Coast, but don’t assume this is just a rural destination; the cities are well worth visiting. Chaotic Abidjan is the country’s main metropolis, and a city tour is a fascinating way to start your adventure. Top of your list should be the artefact-packed National Museum, the labyrinthine Marché de Cocody and the chic Galerie Cécile Fakhoury, which showcases the continent’s top contemporary artists.

Ivory Coast travel guide