A little more
Burkina Faso.
A lot less roaming.

Travelling to Burkina Faso: what to know before you go

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in the West African Sahel, a land of savannah, rocky outcrops and mud-brick villages. It is known for its music, crafts and cinema, and for painted houses and mosques built from earth. Very few tourists visit at present, and anyone considering a trip should first read their own government's current travel advice.

Where to go

• Ouagadougou. The capital is a centre of West African culture, home to FESPACO, the continent's best-known film festival, held every two years, and to a large international crafts fair.
• Bobo-Dioulasso. The second city has a relaxed atmosphere, a lively music scene and the Grand Mosque, a striking mud-brick building with wooden beams projecting from its walls.
• Banfora and its surroundings. The green south-west around Banfora has the Karfiguéla waterfalls, the eroded sandstone Domes of Fabédougou, and Lake Tengréla, where hippos live in the water.
• Sindou Peaks. A ridge of tall, narrow sandstone pinnacles shaped by erosion, rising above the surrounding farmland in the far south-west.

Best time to visit

The cooler dry season from November to February is the most comfortable time, though the harmattan wind can bring dusty haze. March to May is very hot.

Staying online in Burkina Faso

Mobile coverage is reasonable in Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso and the larger towns, and along the main roads between them. In rural areas coverage is patchy, and in remote areas there may be none at all. Wi-Fi is available in some hotels and cafés in the main cities but can be slow. Mobile internet has at times been restricted. Download offline maps, install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.