Travel guide Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast : The best time to go
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Ivory Coast : Practical information for travel
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Ivory Coast : What to see, what to do ?
Ivory Coast : Where to go?
The most beautiful tourist sites
Ivory Coast : Other destinations
Ivory Coast : Petit Futé's best addresses
Discover the most beautiful addresses selected by the authors of Petit Futé.
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Ivory Coast : Featured articles
What to do and see in Côte d'Ivoire? The 11 most beautiful places
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What to do and see in Côte d'Ivoire? The 11 most beautiful places
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Ivory Coast : How do I travel?
How to go alone
You can go alone to Côte d'Ivoire. It is advisable to book your plane tickets and accommodation in advance. This will greatly facilitate your trip. If Côte d'Ivoire is globally a safe country, don't forget that it is a relatively poor country and that your wealth can be coveted: be careful. Being accompanied by a local guide can be useful, especially to "face" the African tracks.
How to go on a tour
Many organized stays are proposed to discover the Ivory Coast: discovery of the Ivorian nature, observation of elephants and chimpanzees, solidarity stays, ecotourism stays, seaside stays, combined tours, 4x4 tours, stays in immersion with local populations... The offer is varied!
How to get around
The discovery of the country is essentially done by private vehicle (standard or 4x4) or by public transport (bus, gbaka, taxi-brousse). Locally, one can also use two-wheelers, motorized or not (and nevertheless rather inadvisable if one takes into account the state of the roads and the way of driving of many Ivorians), the pinasse, the pirogue, or simply one's small feet.
Public transportation is generally to be avoided: punctuality and safety are not the key words.
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Ivory Coast : Travel
Ideas for holidays and week-end breaks Ivory Coast
Côte d'Ivoire is often not well known for its tourist circuits. Abidjan is often explored by many businessmen and visiting Frenchmen, but few visitors venture inland or to the west coast. Yet the country has many riches that it would be a pity not to discover during a stay. All you have to do is get out of the capital! Head for the east coast, the easiest to reach towards Grand-Bassam and Assinie, the west coast, less obvious, to spend time on wild beaches towards San Pedro. Or the center, to visit Yamoussoukro, Bouaké and learn about Baoulé traditions, the west to hike in the Taï forest, climb the mountains around Man, the north to discover the Senoufo culture and the west to immerse yourself in Agni traditions. Stays that require a good preparation to calculate the time spent in the bush and solid logistics
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Ivory Coast : Discover
Côte d'Ivoire is a country with a turbulent history. But over the past 15 years, stability has returned, and with it a dynamic, booming economy. Since the African Cup of Nations, the country has seen the beginnings of tourism development, which could become an integral part of its economy. Its population is a marvellous patchwork of populations, with each ethnic group having its own way of life and multiple religions. The country is divided between rural life dominated by cocoa and urban life concentrated in Abidjan. But Ivorians unite in a beautiful harmony of celebration, in the maquis to laugh and dance, or to support their soccer team. In addition to its fascinating culture, the country boasts a thousand beauties, including the primary forest of Taï, the green mountains around Man and a poetic coastline between ocean and lagoon. The Sénoufos and Yacoubas, for example, perform traditional ceremonies with masks.
Ivory Coast : The 12 keywords
Abidjanaise
Adopted at independence in 1960, L'Abidjanaise is the national anthem of Côte d'Ivoire, even though Abidjan is no longer the capital. The lyrics are by Mathieu Ekra, Joachim Bony and Pierre-Marie Coty. L'Abidjanaise begins as follows: "Salut ô terre d'espérance/Pays de l'hospitalité (...)". A phrase that perfectly embodies the Ivorian mentality.
Acronyms
You'll soon realize that this is an Ivorian passion, both in public and private institutions and in everyday words. The president is renamed PR, national pride FBI (Fier d'être un bon Ivoirien), smoked fish-attiéké PFA, prostitutes DVD (dos et ventre dehors) and so on.
Akwaba
Akwaba, which means "welcome"(Me ma wo akwaaba: "I welcome you") in Twi, an Akan dialect spoken in Ghana (from which the Baoule people originate), is the key word with which Ivorians, renowned for their hospitality, will open their doors, their hearts and their bars to you, although it's less commonly used orally than "welcome arrival".
Ambianceur
The ambianceur is a party animal. From the tipsy sapper who hogs the microphone and shatters the audience's eardrums, to the trendy, branded faroteur (show-off), to the boucantier, aka champagnard, whose popularity is measured by the amount of money spent in clubs. By extension: the verbs "ambiancer" and "ivoiriser le coin".
Cocoa
Houphouët's "brown gold", at the heart of the economic miracle of the 1970s, which earned Côte d'Ivoire the nickname "Cocoa Republic" (better than banana republic). It has become one of the pillars of Côte d'Ivoire's dazzling development, making it the world's leading producer, contributing almost 40% of the world's bean production.
Coupé-décalé
Coupé-décalé and its many musical offshoots are the lifeblood of every self-respecting club in Côte d'Ivoire, driven by their leader DJ Arafat, the "Zeus of Africa", a phenomenon in Côte d'Ivoire who died in a tragic motorcycle accident in 2019. He emanates from buses, markets and homes, thundering most of the time, he's omnipresent!
Lagoon
Côte d'Ivoire is a country "blessed with water". The lagoon network occupies 60% of its oceanic coastline, over a length of 350 km and a surface area of 1,400 km². There are thirty-two lagoons in all, including the Ebrié lagoon on which Abidjan is built. These ecosystems are home to peoples who devote themselves exclusively to fishing.
Nouchi
"Poil de nez" in Dioula is French Creole with Ivorian sauce, "parler Moussa" - mixed with Bambara and other Ivorian languages. Born in the ghettos ("glôglô") of Abidjan, this language is infinitely rich and differs from one neighbourhood to another. Popular slang, it conveys in truculent and evocative words the wisdom of the street.
Reconciliation
A word that has been omnipresent since the Dialogue, Truth and Reconciliation Commission - inspired by the South African model - after the resolution of the post-electoral crisis, succeeding the word "peace" and "never again". What remains to be done is to make it a reality in people's hearts, because, as Houphouët-Boigny once said, "it's not a word, it's a behavior".
Reggae
In Côte d'Ivoire, there's reggae, and then there's all the other music. Here, we don't mess around with green-yellow-red, thanks in large part to the international renown of Alpha Blondy, Tiken Jah Fakoly and Ismaël Isaac. Abidjan is the African capital of reggae, which can be heard in many bars. Reggae lovers, don't abstain!
Toubab, toubabou
Refers to a white person, without being pejorative. You'll hear it often! The word toubab, would come from toubib, the doctor, derived from the Algerian Arabic "tbib", "the sorcerer", the doctors being then white. It would also come from the Mandinka word "tubabu", which means white. In Ivory Coast, "toubabou" is used.
Yako
A typically Ivorian expression of compassion, which has no equivalent in French. It is probably the one you will hear most often in Côte d'Ivoire, because Ivorians use it indiscriminately, in all circumstances: if you are seized, tired, angry, if you sneeze or if you have just lost a loved one.
You are from here, if...
You order agouti in the maquis. Among bush meats, agouti is the most sought-after in Côte d'Ivoire. Generally cooked in sauce or stew, it's highly prized for the rabbit-like flavor of its flesh.
You use "chôco" at the top of your voice. Originally, "chôcô" was used to imitate Westerners: "tu chôcô, dèh!" means "you talk like a white man". Today, by extension, "chôcô" is used to describe what's chic, "well-dressed" and trendy: "chôcô-tude".
You often "enjaillez" yourself. Synonymous with "fun". A typically Nouchi word, derived from the English "enjoy", enjaillement means joy, pleasure. Example: "On va s'enjailler" (We're going to have fun). In a nutshell: to get excited. Quite simply.
You're not a "gaou", a redneck, an ignorant villager, a guy who's not hip, who's not "yêrê" (up on things). Feminine of gaou: la gaouase.
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