Burkina Faso

Literally meaning the Land of the Upright Men, Burkina Faso, a landlocked country, comprises an area of 274,400 km2 and is surrounded by six countries. It was known as Upper Volta from 1919 to 1984.

The official languages of Burkina Faso are Mooré, Bissa, Dyula and Fula, of which Mooré has the most speakers (about 48% of the population). Many other African languages of the Sudanic family are also spoken in various parts of the country.

French was the official language until 2023 and the lingua franca between ethnic groups; however, you will find that outside the big cities, most people do not speak much French.

There are buses and vans (cars) to Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo.

There is a train service for the Abidjan-Banfora-Bobo-Ouaga route. Hitchhiking is not common.

Rent a bike (~ CFA3000) or a moto (~ CFA6,000) to get around locally.

Burkina Faso, despite being poor, has an indescribably rich culture. Its highlights include spiritual mask dances, mud mosques, Tuareg traders, an extraordinary music and cinema scene, thousand-year-old ruins and remote communities that follow animistic beliefs.

Laongo is home to a variety of sculptures by local and international artists. The park's scattered pieces of granite have been transformed into beautiful works of art.

The Sindou Peaks in Banfora consists of a narrow chain of soft rock that over the years has been eroded into unusual rock formations.

Starting in Gorom Gorom, you can take a camel ride out into the desert and even sleep out there on the sand. Guides can arrange this for you from Gorom Gorom and it can be expensive if you do not pick your guides carefully. Take warm clothes and good blankets if you plan to sleep in the desert. Women should bring trousers to wear on camels because skirts (especially African pagnes) tend to fall open due to the shape of the saddle.

There is a beautiful hike alongside the waterfalls outside of Banfora. The admission price is one or two thousand francs. Be careful not to spend too much time in the water: tourists occasionally catch bilharzia, also known as Schistosomiasis, from swimming in the falls. The locals will tell you that swimming will not make you sick, but it can.

Also near Banfora is a lake (more of a pond, actually) where you can take a trip out on a pirogue to see the hippos. Do not expect too much. Often all you see of the hippos is ears sticking up out of the water. Remember, hippos are dangerous animals who do not like being bumped by pirogues that get too close, so be careful. This will cost two or three thousand francs per person.

A couple of hours west of Banfora is Sindou, with the Sindou peaks. These rock formations are somewhat like the North American hoodoos. They are needle-like peaks that have shaped by wind erosion. The Sindou peaks are a great spot for a short hike or a picnic. A guide is not necessary to find your way around but can tell you many fascinating facts about Senoufo culture and the time when the village, which is now at the base of the peaks, used to be located up on the plateau. Look out for the thorned plants on the plateau, the Senoufo imported them from Mali to use the thorns to make poisoned arrows. Admission is CFA1,000. You will need to give the guide a tip.

Buy fabric and get an African outfit made. In Ouagadougou, you will pay CFA3,750 for "three pagnes" of fabric. You can then take this to a tailor and have three items made. For women, this is usually a shirt and skirt then a length of fabric left over to make a wrap-around skirt. Men can have shirts made. The going rate for a woman's outfit and skirt is CFA3,500. Fancier models and embroidery will cost extra, as much as CFA20,000 if you want elaborate embroidery.

See the crocodiles at one of the crocodile lakes outside of Ouaga, on the road to Bobo-Dioulasso.

Explore the mud mosque in Bobo-Dioulasso. An imam's son can serve as your guide. Remove your shoes at the entrance. Dress modestly. Women should be prepared to cover their heads, although this is not always requested. You will need to pay admission (CFA1,000), give a tip to the guide and give a tip to the children who guard your shoes while you are inside.

Explore the elaborate mosques in Bani, near Dori on the road to Ouaga.

Any run-of-the-mill Burkinabé restaurant will most certainly have one or all of the following:

Tô = a millet or corn flour based jelly-like dish served with a sauce. Sauces commonly are okra-based (fr. "sauce gumbo" - tends to be on the viscous-side), peanut-based (fr. "sauce arachide"), baobab-leaf-based (not bad tasting, but very slimy), or sorrel-based (fr. "oseille", another green-leaf, a little sour). You eat this dish by breaking off some tô with a spoon (or, if you want to go local and your hands are washed, use your finger - just remember to use always the right hand, as the left hand is considered "unclean" because it is used for bathroom purposes) and dipping it into the sauce. Definitely an acquired taste.

Foufou = a pizza dough-like ball of starch served with a sauce. Made by pounding boiled ignames (sort of a super-sized version of a yucca-potato hybrid, called Yams in English). The sauce is usually tomato-based. Eaten in the same manner as tô.

Ragout d'Igname = boiled igname in a tomato sauce. A beef and yam stew

Riz Gras = Rice cooked in tomato sauce and flavored stock, often with onion. Sometimes served with extra sauce on top, but not a given.

Riz Sauce (Rice and sauce) = Pretty self-explanatory. White rice usually served with a tomato or peanut sauce.

Spaghetti = Usually spaghetti is served au gras as opposed to spaghetti sauce.

Haricots verts = Green-beans, usually from a can, with tomato sauce

Petits pois = Green peas, usually from a can, with tomato sauce

Soupe = usually chicken (fr. "poulet"), guinea fowl (fr. "pintade") or fish (fr. "poisson")

Salade = a salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and onion with a mayonnaise-based dressing (mayo, vinegar, salt, pepper)

"Poulet Telévisé" = televised chicken, or roast chicken, since many locals say if you watch the roaster it is like watching TV! A Burkina specialty.

Snacks:

Beignets = (mooré samsa) fried bean flour

Fried ignames, patate douce (sweet potato french fries)

Alloco = Bbq'd plantains

Brochettes = bbq'd meat sticks, or liver, or tripe, or intestines

Porc au four = baked greasy pork bits served with hot sauce (fr. "piment"), salt, and if you are lucky, mustard. Best enjoyed with a Flag beer (to make "champagne", add some tonic)

Gateau = fried dough. Comes in all sorts of varieties, best when fresh.

Bisap = cold sweet tea made of the fleshy calyces of roselle (a kind of hibiscus), sometimes enhanced with mint and/or ginger (XOF25-50)

Yamoku, or Gingembre = sweet ginger drink (XOF25-50)

Toédo, or Pain de singe = sweet and "smoothie-like" in texture. Made from baobab fruit.

Dégué = sweet yoghurt mixed with millet balls, sometimes couscous.

Dolo = sorghum beer.

People go en repos from noon until around 15:00. Don't expect to get much done around this time. Formal businesses are often closed at this time as well.

Burkina is a great country if you are interested in learning West African drumming. Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city, is perhaps the best place to learn to drum.

If you are interested in helping to save lives in Western Africa then Burkina Faso, hit by severe drought and poverty in the last decade, would be ideal for a charity-holiday. Medical staff are also sorely needed, so any volunteering doctors would be greeted warmly.

The Peace Corps is active in Burkina Faso and constitutes a large proportion of Americans living in the country.

See the warning at the top of this page about civil unrest and extremist activity. As well, be aware of thieves in the big city. Violent assault is rare. Pickpockets and bag snatchers are something to watch out for in big cities, especially in Ouagadougou, where it is recommended not to carry a bag. The common, cheap green taxis in the big city can sometimes host thieves. Hold on to your purse, and keep your money safely tucked away. If you want to carry around a camera or other item that requires a bag, it is often safer to put it in one of the ubiquitous black "sachets" (plastic bags) that you get when you purchase something in a store, so that potential thieves will assume there's nothing of great value inside.

Before the unrest, female visitors rarely experienced any problems. Foreigners, especially white foreigners, frequently attracted significant attention, but the interest was mainly an attempt to sell you tourist items or overpriced goods. Indeed, the Burkinabé will show more patience and friendliness to the foreigner than to another Burkinabé, be it in a small village or in a big city.

Yellow fever vaccination is required in order to enter the country.

Malaria is a serious problem, so be sure to begin taking prophylaxis prior to leaving for Burkina and continue taking it while there and, depending on the drug chosen, for some time after returning home.

Cholera vaccination may be required in the event of an outbreak.

Meningitis is also a problem, and vaccination is also highly recommended.

Typhoid is common, as are other water and food-borne diseases such as E coli. Typhoid vaccination is recommended but it is not fully effective so it is still important to take precautions.

Lassa fever and Dengue are concerns, but not more so than in other West African countries. There are no vaccinations for these diseases, so consult your doctor about preventative measures before travelling to the area.

The water is not safe to drink, especially outside the big cities where untreated well water is often the norm. Buy bottled water, and bring a water filter for emergency use if you're planning on spending time in any villages.

Burkina Faso shares a lot in common with surrounding countries in West Africa.

It is very common for people, including people you've never even met before, to greet people around them. You will easily observe that it's common for people to exchange greetings and say things like "good morning", "how's your health", "how is your family", and so on. Don't be fazed or surprised by this; this is how the Burkinabé get to know others, and you can very easily make a friend or two by following suit!

Always make it a point to greet and acknowledge people wherever you go; not doing so is considered extremely rude. As a foreigner, you might get some leeway, but still, greet and acknowledge people to not stand out like a sore thumb.

Don't assume the worst in people; just because Burkina Faso has a lot of social and political problems doesn't mean that everyone is alike. By being a bit open-minded, you'll find that almost everyone is friendly, sociable, and approachable.

Never use your left hand to shake hands with someone or give something to someone; the left hand is commonly associated with bathroom purposes.

Women may get extra attention from Burkinabé men, but catcalls and unwanted advances are frowned upon. In the event someone makes unwanted advances towards you, don't feel the need to be polite.

Although Islam is the dominant religion, Burkina Faso is, by law, a secular state. The country is a rare example of religious​ diversity and​ tolerance, even though there are a few disagreements among the different religious sects. ​You're unlikely to cause offense by discussing religion, but always approach the subject with respect.

Politics can be an extremely touchy subject to discuss in Burkina Faso. In general, the Burkinabé are absolutely frustrated with their government and they have, for years, dealt with incredibly corrupt and inefficient governments. Positive talk about Blaise Compaoré is likely to elicit strong reactions.

Negative talk about the Thomas Sankara years is likely to elicit strong reactions from some people.