ôte d'Ivoire is Ghana’s neighbor to the west. Many of its people share a common heritage with Ghana’s Akan culture. Most tourists enter the country through the airport in Abidjan, the main city. Dubbed “The Paris of West Africa”, Abidjan is the country’s largest city and the center of commerce. Here you stay in an upscale area where the French influence in visible in modern freeways, soaring skyscrapers and numerous boutiques and elegant restaurants. Visit the Plateau area where office workers spend a quiet hour after work at a sidewalk café before going home to one of Abidjan's many suburbs. Visit St. Paul's Cathedral with its dramatic cross and drive across the lagoon for a panoramic view of the city. Travel north to Yamoussoukro, the vision of former president Houphouët-Boigny who transformed his village into a new capital with broad boulevards and bold architecture. Tour the enormous catholic ‘Basilique de Notre Dame de la Paix’, the largest cathedral in the world after St. Peters in Rome. From Yamoussoukro, you travel north to the land of the Senoufo people. Tour villages where blacksmiths practice an ancient caraft, watch weavers at work creating the area's renowned textiles, and marvel at the agility of the Panther Dancers. Those with additional time can visit Comoë National Park, Côte d'Ivoire's largest game reserve. The last remaining herds of the countrys elephants are found there, along with antelope, buffalo, monkeys and many species of birds. Here too is the land of the Lobi people and beautiful examples of the best preserved Sudanese style mosques in West Africa.

Traveling west you enter the land of the Yacouba who are known for their fabulous dances of stiltwalkers, jugglers and masked spirits. In the moist climate of tropical rain forests, the villages form picturesque icons against a backdrop of mountainous terrain, splashing waterfalls and rustic liané vine bridges. In the town of Man there are interesting boutiques offering both new and antique examples of Dan masks. The mask culture of the Yacouba people is infused with deep meaning and each year there is a festival of masks. Spirit dancers don strange costumes and rafia masks whereby they become possessed by entities from the spirit world. From Man it is possible to head south to any of the sun-drenched beaches that line Côte d'Ivoire's coastline. The Baie des Sirenes lies on the western shore near Grand Bereby. Closer to Abidjan, Sassandra and San Pédro boast a number of resorts and are popular spots for windsurfing and other water sports. And only 20 minutes from Abidjan is Grand Bassam, formerly the French colonial capital.

In Grand Bassam, you will visit landmark colonial buildings, an atelier of bronzesmiths, and spend your remaining time relaxing by the sea. Grand Bassam has many nice resorts and a number of restaurants offering French cuisine and a large variety of seafood dishes. Before the flight home, visit Abidjan’s bustling Treichville market for beads, textiles, masks and carvings. Here is one of the great bazaars of Africa with some of the best deals on arts and crafts ... one more way for you to cement your memories of Cote d'Ivoire!

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