Korhogo
Ivory Coast · Africa
About Korhogo
Korhogo (N'Ko: ߞߙߐߞߐ߫, Krokо̄) is a city in northern Ivory Coast. It is the seat of both Savanes District and Poro Region. It is also a commune and the seat of and a sub-prefecture of Korhogo Department. In the 2014 census, the city had a population of 243,048, making it the fourth-largest city in the country and the largest in northern Ivory Coast.
Korhogo produces goods such as cotton, kapok fibre, rice, millet, peanuts, corn, yams, sheep, goats and diamonds. The settlement was on an important pre-colonial trade route to the Atlantic coast. It is said to have been founded by Nangui, a 14th-century Senufo patriarch and still is the capital of the Senufo people.
Sights in Korhogo include the Péléforo Gbon Coulibaly Regional Museum and the woodcarvers' quarter. Korhogo is also home to an airport, a large market, a cinema, and a mosque.
Korhogo's average annual rainfall is 1,243 mm, with the rainiest months being May to October. Its average year-round temperature is 26.6 degrees Celsius, with the hottest months being February to April. Korhogo's airport (Korhogo Airport) has the International Air Transport Association code HGO and the International Civil Aviation Organization code DIKO. Its one runway is 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) long, and receives domestic flights only.
The southwest quarter of the city is dominated by Mont-Korhogo.
Korhogo travel guide
Understand
Korhogo is the largest town in northern Côte d'Ivoire. Its inhabitants are mostly Senufo people.
Getting there
1 Korhogo airport (HGO IATA). Flights to Abidjan. (updated Jul 2023) There are bus connections operated by different companies to several other Ivory Coast destinations, and bush taxis run to surrounding villages.
Getting around
Taxi-Moto take you anywhere in and outside Korhogo. Short rides (up to 2km) usually cost 300-500 CFA.
See
The two main sights are the Péléforo Gbon Coulibaly Regional Museum and the woodcarver's quarter, where wood sculptors can be seen at work all around. The Mosquée de Korhogo, the city's main mosque, sits in the centre of town and serves as a real landmark. There is a sacred rock which is a place of worship for local people who practice indigenous belief systems. It's just outside Korhogo.
Do
Take a local guide and let them show you the traditional handicrafts in surrounding villages.
Buy
There is a big market in the center (grand marché). There are at least two supermarkets, one of them is in a side street of the main road, opposite grand marché, where all the banks are located, too. Of course, buy some local handicrafts as souvenirs. Beautiful wooden masks are available for about 6,000 - 30,000 CFA. Ask for the cultural meaning of the stuff you buy, they will explain you everything!
Eat
Local restaurants serve the typical African dishes, like Aloko, Attiéké, mostly with chicken or fish (the latter is not recommended, usually it has been lying in the sun for a few days). Le Bokadios is a very good Moroccan restaurant in the center.
Drink & nightlife
Ask local people for Chapallo (a local brew made from sorghum, very spicy). It's not available on the market, but in some small cafes. Bandji (palm wine) is not widely available, but you can find some if you're lucky.
Sleep
1 Hote Belle Cote. Different room categories, from 10000 CFA. A quiet place away from traffic noise. The rooms upstairs around the courtyard are nice. The restaurant serves Ivorian food. (updated Jan 2020)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.