Ivory Coast

Understand

History Côte d'Ivoire was home to several states including the Kong Empire, Gyaaman, Baoulé, and the Sanwi until it was colonised by the French in the late 19th century. Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Côte d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the tropical African states, but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Côte d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert Guei blatantly rigged elections held in late 1999 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought runner-up Laurent Gbagbo into liberation. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President Gbagbo and rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate.

Elections were finally held in 2010. The first round of elections were held peacefully, and widely hailed as free and fair. Runoffs were held 28 November 2010, after being delayed one week from the original date of 21 Nov. Laurent Gbagbo, as president, ran against former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara. On 2 Dec, the Electoral Commission declared that Ouattara had won the election by a margin of 54% to 46%. The majority of the rest of the world's governments supported that declaration, but the Gbagbo-aligned Constitutional Council rejected it, leading to a political crisis and then a Civil War, which ended in 2011 with Gbagbo's arrest.

Climate

See

Fine beaches, tourist villages, rainforests and wildlife preserves are the principal attractions of Côte d'Ivoire.

Taï National Park has the largest tropical rainforest in West Africa. Comoë National Park is the biggest and best-known national park in Côte d'Ivoire. It has plenty of wildlife including birds, elephants, giraffes, lions, monkeys and antelopes.

Do

Football: the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was hosted by Côte d'Ivoire 13 January - 11 February 2024, with 24 national teams participating. Games were played in Abidjan, San-Pédro, Yamoussoukro, Bouaké and Korhogo. The new national stadium, opened in 2020, is Stade Olympique d'Ebimpé (capaity 60,000), and internationals are also played at Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny (capacity 50,000); both are in Abidjan. The top tier for club competition is Ligue 1, with 14 teams, and a playing season Oct-May.

Eat

Good eats ar

Buy

Money

The currency of the country is the West African CFA franc, denoted CFA (ISO currency code: XOF). It's also used by seven other West African countries. It is interchangeable at par with the Central African CFA franc (XAF), which is used by six countries. Both currencies are fixed at a rate of 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs.

ATMs ATMs are generally available at banks in urban areas and accept both Visa and Mastercard. Afriland First Bank seems not to charge a fee for withdrawing money.

Getting there

Visa All ECOWAS countries, as well as Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Seychelles, Chad, Singapore and Philippines citizens may get a visa on arrival. Other visitors are able to apply for an E-Visa online beforehand, which pre-approves travelers and allows them to receive three-month visas on arrival at Felix-Houphouet Boigny International Airport in Abidjan. Please consult the E-Visa website for further details and to apply. The cost of the visa is €73 (as of Oct 2022). It is recommended to print out the Approved Pre-enrolment to show it at the airport.

By plane

The Felix-Houphouet Boigny International Airport has daily scheduled flights to and from Paris with Air France and Brussels with Brussels airlines. There are also regular flights to other African capitals. The airport is a modern facility and increased security has shaken its old reputation as a place for travellers to be ripped off.

By train There are weekly trains from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso to Abidjan, operated by Sitarail. Travel time for the full journey is scheduled for 36 hours but delays are the norm. The train does not feature couchettes or sleeping cars so it's a rather uncomfortable journey.

By car It is ill advised to try to enter Côte d'Ivoire from Guinea, Liberia, Mali, or Burkina Faso. The Ghanaian border is fairly secure. If you enter at Elubo, you can easily catch a shared taxi to Aboisso and then a bus to Abidjan. There are about ten military check-points between the border and Abidjan so have your documents ready. If you do not have proper documentation of your inoculations at the border you will be forced to pay a small fine and they will give you an injection at an on-site clinic.

By bus Buses run daily between Abidjan and A

Getting around

Intercity travel in Côte d'Ivoire is usually more comfortable than travel in neighbouring West African countries. The roads are generally in good condition and the bus service is relatively modern. The downside is the very frequent military checkpoints which add hours to a trip. Though the stops are a hassle, Ivorian soldiers tend to be quite professional and don't hassle non-French Western travellers. Soldiers in Ghana, for example, are much more likely to demand a bribe than in Côte d'Ivoire. Most Western governments recommend that their citizens steer clear of Côte d'Ivoire. This should be taken particularly seriously by people who are not travelling on French passports. An Ivorian soldier's attitude towards you will change very quickly when and if you explain that you are not French. Travelling around Abidjan is easiest when you have your own vehicle. The roads are very good and the traffic rules are generally obeyed. Taxis are a great and easy way to get around in Abidjan. Just look for an orange coloured car and flag it down. Fares are very cheap: US$ 2–4 depending on the length of the journey. Always bargain before you get into the taxi. Overall however, they are reasonably priced, unlike in Accra.