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Côte d'Ivoire's biggest and best-known national park has plenty of wildlife, including lions, elephants, hippos, many species of monkeys and antelopes, and abundant birdlife. It's been inaccessible since the civil war began; in times of peace you can visit but visitors need a vehicle.
(NE Côte d'Ivoire)
car 4WD
| full | US Dollar 5.00 |
Félix Houphouët-Boigny's vanity project symbolises the tragedy of Ivorian history. It was the world's largest Christian place of worship when it was built. It was modelled on Rome's St Peter's, although the dome is slightly shorter due to a papal intervention. And of course it cost a fortune. Bring your passport - you may be asked to leave it at the gate.
Route de Daloua
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Fading colonial glory and long stretches of beach lined with hotels and seafood restaurants are the main attractions at this popular getaway. On the weekends visitors used to pack the hotels and beaches, but now most expats seek sun elsewhere.
(43km E of Abidjan)
bus minibuses leave from Gare Routière d'Adjamé, Abidjan
taxi bushtaxis leave from Gare de Bassam, Abidjan
Taï National Park is one of the last remaining areas of virgin rainforest in West Africa. Trees grow over 50m (165ft) high, with massive trunks and huge supporting roots. The towering trees, hanging lianas, swift streams and resident wildlife combine to create a peaceful and enchanting environment.
The park is in a very rainy and humid area, so the best time to visit is during the dry spell from December to February. A permit from the Ministère des Eaux et Forêts in Abidjan is required and strictly enforced. This however is just the first obstacle as getting to the park isn't exactly easy.
The best way is to take a tag team of bus, then a bush taxi, then a minibus from Man (450km/280mi north-west of Abidjan) or San Pédro (280km/175mi west of Abidjan) to Guiglo and onward to the town of Taï and then hitch a ride for the 30km (19mi) leg to the park's research station.
Yamoussoukro is a bizarre, lively city where deserted eight lane highways lined with over 10,000 lights have avenues that end in the jungle and a full scale replica of St Peter's in Rome stands surrounded by lush jungle. There is no other city like it in Africa.
Yamoussoukro became the capital in 1983, but in name only. During the 1960s, President Houphouët-Boigny began spending lavishly on his native village. The result is a wasteful, bizarre example of what not to do with a lot of money, the centrepiece of which is the Basilique de Notre Dame de la Paix.
An overly long name for an almost exact replica of St Peter's in Rome, the Basilica was built in only three years. It's the tallest church in all of Christendom - which is probably meaningless to a country with few Catholics. Size and shape aside, what you'll remember most are the 36 immense stained glass windows, all hand blown in France. All in all, not bad for USD 300 million, a sum equalling half the national budget deficit.
