Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast Revealed Tour

Arrive in Abidjan where you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Hotel Azalai or similar. No guiding or meals are included today.

(Domestic flight)

In the morning transfer to the domestic airport for your internal flight to Bouake. On arrival, transfer to your hotel for a late lunch. Your boarding pass will be given in hand to you by your guide. Later on, we go on a short tour around the city. Overnight at Hotel Mon Afrik or similar. (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: five hours)

This morning we visit villages of the Baulé people, known for their intricate handicrafts. Here, we witness the Goli mask dance, where participants wear round-shaped ‘lunar’ masks, surmounted by two horns, representing the spirit of the bush. In the afternoon we drive north, leaving the main road and taking a rough track to Kong, an ancient trading centre, once capital of the Kong Empire. Along the way the landscape changes as we enter sub-Saharan Sahel, a dry savannah with baobab trees. Overnight at Auberge de Kong or similar. (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: three hours)

Today, we drive to Ferkessedougou in northern Ivory Coast, the largest city on the north/south road leading to border crossings with Mali and Burkina Faso. The town is a regional centre for the trading of zebu cattle. From Ferkessedougou, we drive to a remote village to witness ancient iron smelting techniques performed by local blacksmiths. The process is a rare example of traditional iron metallurgy utilising ‘tribal technology’ methods unchanged since Africa’s first iron age. The iron ore comes from local mines and is milled manually. An adobe furnace is loaded with layers of charcoal, set alight and aerated by bellows. The firing lasts all night, so we leave the blacksmiths and travel to our hotel in Korhogo, a town that dates from the 13th century and is the capital for the Senoufo people. Overnight Hotel Olympe or similar basic accommodation. (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: two hours)

This morning we return to the blacksmiths’ village. The sealed base of the clay furnace is broken to extract the iron bloom which is then pounded into a powder, poured into a crucible and melted in a bellows-driven forge. Liquid iron is transferred into moulds before being again heated in the forge, hammered and wrought into the desired shape. Afterwards we head back to Korhogo, visit the town’s craft market before attending a Boloy, or panther dance. The dance is performed by recently initiated young men who celebrating the end of a period of isolation in the sacred forest. Overnight at Hotel Olympe or similar. (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: three hours)

Today we explore the villages of the Senoufo people who closely guard secret techniques used in the production of their handicrafts. Elsewhere, we admire the village’s large clay granaries and ornate sacred houses decorated by bas-relief carvings. Continuing the journey, we explore a region traversed by Fulani nomads and their zebu herds in search of pastures. En route we visit some Fulani villages and hope to be invited into the houses where we’ll experience warm hospitality. Later in the afternoon we attend the spectacular Ngoro dance, the dance of the virgins, part of the Senoufo Poro women’s initiation ceremony. Overnight at Hotel Le Paysan or similar – the most basic hotel of the tour, with no better alternatives available in the area. (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: five hours)

In the morning we travel to meet people of the Malinké ethnic group. Dressed in traditional costume, carrying shotguns covered with amulets, hunters accompany us on foot into the savannah, offering a brief introduction to locally occurring medicinal plants. At a Malinké village the hunters put their guns down and dance to the rhythm of the tam-tam, proudly demonstrating their resistance to fire and knives. Don’t try this at home. Overnight Hotel Les Frontieres or similar. (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: five hours)

Today is devoted to meeting the Yacuba people, perhaps better known as the Dan. We visit hillside villages characterised by large round huts with thatched roofs. Later, we experience a traditional Dan mask dance. As we journey south, Mount Tonkpi 1,123m, the highest peak in the mountains of Man, comes into view we will approach Man itself. Overnight Hotel Les Cascades or similar (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: six hours)

This morning we journey from Man to see nearby waterfalls and remarkable liana bridges. Afterwards there’s free time in Man to relax or explore local craft shops. Later, we’ll be able to enjoy dancing in a nearby village of the Guéré people. Overnight Hotel Les Cascades or similar. (BLD)

(full day driving including stops in the forest and time for the dances)

This morning we travel by 4×4 to discover a remote forest region where the arrival of foreigners is a rare event. We cross wooden bridges before reaching isolated settlements of the Guéré ethnic group, where we experience a Jongleurs performance, an ancient tradition that is now vanishing. Drumming will announce the start where initiated girls with their faces painted in white Kaolin perform a unique acrobatic dance. This afternoon we continue to Daloa. Overnight Hotel La Grace or similar (BLD) 

IMPORTANT NOTE: For the 5^th August 2020 departure the schedule of days 11 and 12 will be adapted to fit with the events of the festival.

(approx. 5 hours driving including stop for dancing masks)

In the Daloa region we attend the dancing masks of the Guro People, known as Zaouli. The Zaouli was created in the 1950s, reportedly inspired by a girl names ‘Djela Lou Zaouli’. This afternoon we continue to Yamoussoukro. Visit the Basilica of the Virgin of Peace which is a copy of that of St Peter’s in Rome.

The marble and the stained glass that are characteristic of this church make it an excellent monument to the history of the country. Overnight Hotel Le President or similar (BLD)

(Approximate driving time: five hours)

After breakfast, depart to Abidjan. On arrival enter the town by the new quarter of Youpugon and visit the Plateau district and also cross the lagoon by boat for a view of the Plateau from a water’s perspective. We visit the lively market at Treichville as well as the residential area of Cocody containing interesting colonial architecture. We will also visit the national museum which contains a fine collection reflecting the rich heritage of 62 ethnic groups. We then drive south towards the Ebrié Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. We spend the afternoon exploring Grand Bassam with its crumbling colonial architecture. The old post office is a jewel of French colonial architecture and we visit the Costume Museum, in the former governor’s palace, with its large outer staircase is a true architectural gem and its unique collection of tribal costumes, masks, ornaments and ethnographic photographs gives an interesting perception of the country history and culture. Overnight in Grand Bassam at the Hotel Afrikland or similar. (BLD)

We spend some more time exploring Grand Bassam and, later in the afternoon we transfer back to Abidjan. A room will be available for you to freshen up before your transfer to the airport and your onward flight. Please do not book a flight departing before 18:00 today. Day use at Hotel Onomo or similar. (BL)