Côte d'Ivoire

Sacred Forests and Coastal Lagoons

Beyond the capital, the country unfolds into a patchwork of natural wonder. The Grand-Lahou lagoon system stretches along the coast in a shimmering maze of waterways, palm-fringed sandbars and fishing villages reachable only by pirogue. Inland, the sacred forest of Niénokoué shelters chimpanzees, and the forests around Man conceal waterfalls that tumble through mist into pools where village ceremonies still take place. Taï National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, holds one of the last remaining primary rainforests in West Africa.

Cocoa Country and a Basilica Reaching the Sky

The interior of the country is the engine of the world's cocoa supply, and travelling through it rewards with plantation visits, ochre laterite roads and the warmth of communities proud of what they grow. At the heart of the country sits Yamoussoukro, the official capital, and its extraordinary Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, modelled on St Peter's in Rome and rising improbably from the savanna as one of the largest churches on Earth. The sight of it at dusk, lit gold above the surrounding landscape, is genuinely unexpected.

Music, Masks and the Art of the Table

Côte d'Ivoire gave the world zouglou and coupé-décalé, musical genres that have spread across the francophone diaspora and whose energy fills Abidjan's clubs and outdoor concerts most weekends. The country's artistic traditions run deep, from the Dan masks of the west to the Baoulé gold weights and bronze sculpture that fill the Musée des Civilisations de Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan. At the table, brochettes grilled at roadside stands, fresh grilled fish at lagoon-side restaurants and the bold spicing of local sauces make eating here one of the real pleasures of the journey.