We entered Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) from Liberia and immediately made our way to the western city of Man. Known as the “City of 18 Mountains”, Man is famous for its waterfalls hidden in a mountainous setting. Our full-day exploration of Man included visits to two waterfalls, Les Cascades de Man (Man’s Waterfalls) and Cascades Naturelles de Glongouin (Glongouin Waterfall), as well as some playtime with several Campbell’s Mona monkeys. From Man, we made our way to Yamoussoukro, the capital of Ivory Coast. The highlight here was the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro. This architectural marvel was designed after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, complete with massive stained glass windows and constructed with over 7 acres of Italian marble. It is the largest Christian church in the world capable of accommodating 18,000 visitors and definitely one of Cote d’Ivoire‘s must-sees. In addition to the basilica, we enjoyed wandering around the main market of Yamoussoukro and checking out the massive crocodiles in the Presidential Palace’s artificial lake. After leaving Yamoussoukro, we drove towards Abidjan and Grand-Bassam, stopping midway between the two cities. One full day was devoted to Abidjan and we were impressed with the big city vibe, friendly locals, St. Paul’s Cathedral (don’t miss the African themed stained glass windows), Cocody Market (great for cheap souvenirs), and Hôtel Ivoire (fantastic 5 star hotel with unique retro African decor). Our second full day was spent in UNESCO world heritage Grand-Bassam where we wandered around this old French colonial town with crumbling buildings, cool street art, and a couple of interesting museums. Our week in Cote d’Ivoire flew by and it was too bad we missed the African Cup of Nations tournament by a week. Regardless, we really enjoyed our time exploring the crossroads of West Africa and wouldn’t hesitate for a return trip.
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Entry stamp into Côte d'Ivoire
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A lady with a mud mask greets us after we cross the border into Côte d'Ivoire
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Friendly locals greet us into Côte d'Ivoire
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Artwork on a wall at Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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A massive tree at Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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A liana bridge at Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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Liana bridge (a suspended bridge made of liana vines) at Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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Another angle of a liana bridge at Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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Les Cascades Naturelles de Man, a waterfall on the outskirts of Man
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Becky at the base of Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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Banana seller; Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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Massive rock formation outside Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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A family visiting Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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Artwork on a hotel near Les Cascades Naturelles de Man
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Women sorting coffee beans
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Young children playing together while their mother sorts through coffee beans
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A young man shows off his cocoa bean yield, proudly explaining that 600 beans make up one kg of cocoa. Extreme weather events impacted cocoa bean production worldwide which means he will be making more money than usual as prices have skyrocketed
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A Campbell's mona monkey at the Monkey Forest of Gbêpleu
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Campbell's mona monkey eating banana in a tree
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Becky feeding hungry Campbell's mona monkeys some bananas; Monkey Forest of Gbêpleu
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A pair of Campbell's mona monkeys
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Lunch at Alibaba - we had to wait over 2 hours for our food due to a screw up in the kitchen but the staff more than made up for it by giving us tons of food for free!
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Children dressed in their best outfits to celebrate the New Year
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La Dent de Man - a prominent crag situated at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Man
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Cascades Naturelles de Glongouin is nestled in the foothills of La Dent de Man
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Becky poses with some friendly Ivorians at Cascades Naturelles de Glongouin
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Combretum racemosum shrub seen on our hike to Cascades Naturelles de Glongouin
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The stunning scenery on our hike to Cascades Naturelles de Glongouin
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A traditional hut in the village of Zogouale
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Portrait of a girl wearing her best outfit to celebrating ringing in 2024
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A Zogouale village girl with a beautiful smile
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A young girl shows off her favorite outfit as she poses for a photo
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A rock formation on the outskirts of Man
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Two men loading sacks of produce on top of a bush taxi
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Farmers selling produce by the roadside
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Enjoying our meal of kedjenou de poulet, a chicken based stew served with garri (dried casava flakes) and plantain chips at Restaurant Riya Center in Yamoussoukro
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Fantastic decor at Center Saint Martha de Yamoussoukro, our lodging option in Yamoussoukro (run by nuns)
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Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro is one of the largest churches in the world
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Entrance to the massive Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro
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View of the dome inside the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro
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Interior of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro which can accommodate 18,000 worshippers (11,000 standing and 7000 seated)
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Stained glass window display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro
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Our amazing tour guide at the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro
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One final view of Yamoussoukro's top drawcard, the massive Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro
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A wig seller; Yamoussoukro Market
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Chickens and eggs for sale at the Yamoussoukro Market
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Clay pots for sale; Yamoussoukro Market
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Dried fish on display at Yamoussoukro Market
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A young girl is mesmerized by her tablet while her mother sells vegetables at the Yamoussoukro Market
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Yamoussoukro Market scene
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Brightly clad women shopping at Yamoussoukro Market
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A wild crocodile in the artificial lake in front of the Yamoussoukro Presidential Palace
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African redhead agamas at the Presidential Palace crocodile pool
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One of the massive crocodiles living in the Presidential Palace's lake in Yamoussoukro. The crocodiles are fed live chickens daily!
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Men transporting grass in the capital city of Abidjan
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Massive tires the size of men!
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Palais des Sports, a sports arena in Abidjan
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Overjoyed at finding our first fast food since Morocco - a Burger King in Abidjan
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The beach at Les Jardins D'Eden; outskirts of Abidjan
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Swimming pool at Les Jardins D'Eden
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La Pyramide is a brutalist style building in Abidjan
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Artwork at the base of La Pyramide
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Massive wall murals on the rear section of La Pyramide
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Side entrance to Plateau Mosque; Abidjan
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Robby posing with an awoulaba ("queen of beauty" referring to women with plump and curvaceous bodies featuring large buttocks and wide hips); Abidjan
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Wedding crashers - getting invited to take a photo with a beautiful wedding party in downtown Abidjan
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Becky and Dan pose in colorful artwork in downtown Abidjan
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Monuments aux Mort in Abidjan (Monuments aux Morts are French war memorials established to commemorate the losses of World War I and II)
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Puma advertisement for the African Cup of Nations tournament hosted by Côte d'Ivoire
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National Assembly building in Abidjan
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Côte d'Ivoire license plate
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St. Paul's Cathedral in Abidjan
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Stunning stained glass window at the St. Paul's Cathedral; Abidjan
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Flora and fauna of Côte d'Ivoire depicted on a stained glass window at St Paul's Cathedral in Abidjan
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Mosaics inside the St. Paul's Cathedral in Abidjan
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Large wall mural in Abidjan
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Civilizations Museum in Abidjan
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Wooden statues at the Civilizations Museum
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Wall painting at the Civilizations Museum; Abidjan
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Carved wooden door on display at the Côte d'Ivoire Civilizations Museum
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Statue display; Civilizations Museum
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African sculpture on display at the Civilizations Museum
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A strutting peacock at the Cécile Fakhoury art gallery
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Artwork on display at the Cécile Fakhoury gallery
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Thought provoking artwork at the Cécile Fakhoury gallery
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Eating a yummy lunch at Delice Restaurant
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An artist holds up souvenirs for sale at the Cocody Market
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Colorful fabrics for sale; Cocody Market
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African Modernism building at the Hôtel Ivoire, a Sofitel property
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The Sofitel Abidjan Hôtel Ivoire was built in 1963 by Moshe Mayer and renovated in 2011 by architect Pierre Fakhoury
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African masks on display at Hôtel Ivoire
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Fantastic decor at the Hôtel Ivoire
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Interior view of the casino at Hôtel Ivoire
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Modern architecture on display at Hôtel Ivoire, a 5 star hotel in the Cocody District
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Ceiling detail of the Hôtel Ivoire
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Wooden sculpture in the lobby of Hôtel Ivoire
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Artwork in the lobby of Hôtel Ivoire
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Sunset over our swimming pool at Les Jardins D'Eden
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Massive wooden statue for sale in Grand-Bassam
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Coconut seller; Grand-Bassam
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Lighthouse in Grand-Bassam
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Tissue seller; Grand-Bassam
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A young girl with a cute hairstyle in Grand-Bassam
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A cute boy in Grand-Bassam
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Grand-Bassam is a resort town full of old French colonial buildings
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A young girl stands beside a large elephant statue in Grand-Bassam
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National Costume Museum in Grand-Bassam
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Carved wooden panel at the National Costume Museum
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A large statue at the entrance to the National Costume Museum in Grand-Bassam
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A face mask on display at the National Costume Museum
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Malinke (people of northwest Ivory Coast) traditional housing display at the National Costume Museum in Grand-Bassam
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The National Costume Museum is housed in an old colonial home in Grand-Bassam
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Souvenir market; Grand-Bassam
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Robby holds up a face mask that matches his shirt; Grand-Bassam
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Intricate face mask for sale at a souvenir market in Grand-Bassam
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Artwork at a Grand-Bassam gallery
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A artist works on a painting; Grand-Bassam
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Colonial architecture; Grand-Bassam
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A wall mural painted in Grand-Bassam
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Grand-Bassam carved wooden door
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Cultural Center Jean Baptiste Mockey; Grand-Bassam
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A handsome French-colonial building in Grand-Bassam
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Wall mural on a derelict house in Grand-Bassam
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Women dressed in colorful clothes walk down a street in Grand-Bassam
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An abandoned colonial building in Grand-Bassam
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The historic town of Grand-Bassam was Côte d'Ivoire's first capital and earned UNESCO world heritage status because of its 19th and 20th century French colonial buildings
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Grand-Bassam is full of decaying 19th and 20th century houses such as this one
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A crumbling staircase in an abandoned colonial building in Grand-Bassam
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Royal Palace of N’Zima Grand-Bassam
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Fabric lined coconut trees in Grand-Bassam
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Window detail in Grand-Bassam
