Burkina Faso Travel Trip Tips Guide

World Travel Like The small landlocked country of Burkina Faso sits in West Africa and is home to about 13 million people. The capital city is Ouagadougou, with a population of about a million. The nation used to be a French colony until gaining its independence back in 1960. The country was formerly called Upper Volta, and changed its name in 1984. Burkina Faso means ‘land of honest men.’ Some of the other major cities are Banfora, Gaoua, Bobo Dioulasso, and Borgo.

burkina faso travel trip guide

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Burkina Faso Travel Guide

French is still the official language, but there are several other local ones spoken. The country enjoys a tropical climate with the dry season lasting from November to March. The rainy season hits between June and October. The weather can get extremely hot and dry between late March and May.

   There’s some fantastic wildlife to check out and the best places to do this are the reserves and national parks. It’s pretty easy to get a guided trip from Ouagadougou. If you’d like to keep in shape while exploring the extraordinary countryside you can get some good hiking in at Banfora, which is in the southwest region. The Banfora Escarpment offers some excellent views and the Senoufo region is also quite stunning, as is the

Lobi region. Mountain bike trips can be arranged in the areas around Bobo Dioulasso and Banfora, in the Lobi region.

   It’s not always safe to swim in the rivers and lakes, so you might want to find a hotel with a pool in it at Ouagadougou. Golf and tennis can also be found in the capital and fishing and horseback riding are quite popular, but the biggest sport is no doubt soccer.

   The main airport is located in Ouagadougou and there’s a smaller one in Borgo for local flights. There’s one train line to the country and that originates in the Ivory Coast and goes to Ouagadougou. However, you can get to Bukina Faso from several other African countries by road.

Burkina Faso Trip

burkina faso travel

   Once inside the country, there are a few domestic flights and air taxis are available along with limited train service from Ouagadougou to Bobo Dioulasso. Most of the local roads are unpaved and hard to navigate in the rainy season. There’s regular bus service in the dry season to all of the major towns.

   Most of the restaurants are found in hotels in Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, but you will still be able to find a few in some of the smaller towns. Some of the favorite local foods are yams, millet, sorghum, maize, rice, nuts, and potatoes. The best local dishes are rice with sauce, chicken dishes, beef and aubergine in sauce, vegetables, strawberries, and meat skewers.

Burkina Faso Tips

burkina faso travel trip

   The locals seem to love their beer and you can get it at a pretty good price. If you’d like something a bit stronger, the nightlife is pretty active in both Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. Some of the nightclubs feature music and you’ll find several air-conditioned and open-air cinemas. In Bobo Dioulasso there’s a lively scene with street-café, open-air restaurants and bars as well as discos.

   Burkina Faso is an excellent place to visit for those who are adventurous and like to explore what’s around the next corner. The scenery and wildlife are especially appealing.