Ouagadougou - Post Report Question and Answers
What have been the highlights of your time in this country? Best trips or experiences?
Unfortunately, we are not allowed to leave Ouagadougou peages. There are a few nice places to visit in the city: Hamerkopf Lodge, Loumbila Beach, La Baron music club and the restaurants, but traveling outside of Ouaga is forbidden. - Jun 2020
Seeing elephants in the wild, the Dedegou Mask Festival, and the trip to Banfora – all of which are now off limits to embassy personnel. There is also a travel warning against anyone traveling to these places. - Oct 2019
Seeing elephants in the wild was a highlight but travel to the game preserve is no longer allowed for official personnel and not recommended for anybody. - Jul 2019
Probably the most positive aspect of our tour in Ouagadougou was the extra money we made which allowed us to fund trips out of the country to Europe. - Jul 2019
The people! The locals are friendly, curious, and always have words of hello and welcome. I also love the availability of fresh fruits and veggies - especially mango season and strawberry season! There are so many festivals throughout the year (film, dance, music), so there are many opportunities to discover the culture. Also having clothes tailor-made here with local or African fabric is fun and affordable. I also enjoy the travel opportunities in the country. The tourism sector is not well built up here, but if you're adventurous, you can have really amazing and unique experiences here. - Dec 2017
Seeing more than 60 elephants on a safari that cost what I can only imagine is a fraction of the price for a safari in Kenya or South Africa. Of course, it was plenty rustic to make up for that. Traveling to Banfora (southwest of country) in the rainy season to see how verdant other regions of the country can be compared to Ouaga. Burkina Faso is what you make of it, and much of the expat community here is quite tightknit, which can make for a very good experience in spite of the hardships. - May 2016
In Ouaga: enjoying time spent by the pool with friends & family, running & biking on the outskirts of town, dinners out at some of the outdoor restaurants. Nothing gourmet by international standards, but the atmosphere is relaxed and enjoyable! Out of Ouaga: the sacred crocodiles (45 minutes away), Nazinga to see the elephants on a game drive (2+ hours away), the painted villages of Tiebele (2 hours away), Bobo and Banfora in the west (6-8 hours away). - Aug 2015
Working with the Burkinabe has been fantastic. In terms of things to do, the trip down to Banfora for hiking and swimming is totally worthwhile. Making the trip down to Nazinga to the see the elephants is also great. - Jun 2015
We enjoy the Burkinabe and the people we've met at post. The country has a slow feel that we've grown accustom to having. With young children, having household help is always very nice... - Jan 2015
Trips to Banfora to see special rock formations, waterfalls, and lush greenery, which you will not find in or near Ouaga. We also enjoyed seeing the sacred crocodiles about an hour outside of the city. - Jul 2013
The sunny weather is the highlight, but not much else. - Apr 2013
Our highlight so far is having friends from the U.S. visit and taking them to Banfora, in the southwest, to see some amazing rock formations, swim in the waterfalls, and see tiny villages where people welcomed us with traditional music and showed us a mask-carving workshop. - Nov 2012
Nezinga Park in Po, to see the elephants - Aug 2010
