Sign in with Facebook"Abidjan My memories" Top 5 Page for this destination Abidjan by Pete.Gibson
Abidjan Travel Guide: 88 reviews and 129 photos
My One and only visit to Ajidjan was back in the mid 90s, And i have very mixed memories, Its very unfortunate the current economical climate there at the moment, It was called the Paris of Africa at one stage, and the crumbling splendour is only to evident in the former Capital Grand Bassam, about one hours drive from Abidjan
I stayed at the Intercontintal hotel which at the time had a Icerink and bowling alley amongst its attactions, But it was once you got out of the city you meet the warmth and hospitality of the local people, I traveled out to a vllage of which i have no idea of its name about 3hrs north of Abidjan, A fishing village built on a lagoon with the only access by Dug out Canoe, Armed with a pocket full of sweets ( boiled Ginger sweets!!! ) purchased at a small village store on route, I Instantly had a following of smiling Kids
I had a scary moment one day when visiting the Washermen, who collect washing from all over and carry it on large bundles on their heads, They each have their own spot in the river and along with a dirty brown soap made from palms!! ...not sure how? They wash all the clothes beating them on the rocks, The River takes on a frothy foam scum downstream.
Anyway i was taking a couple of general photos of the scene, when a few of the Washermen took offence and started advancing asking for money..This turned into a bit of a frenzy with a crowd trying to extract me from my car, it was all i could do to prevent my driver from trying to get out and leave me, I persuaded him to drive and slowly they dropped from the car as we drove off, A close shave
Reviews (19)
Any Ideas?
Off The Beaten Path
(3)
I must admit i left this one to last, i visited one evening it had traditional dancing and these stilt villas which... more travel advice
Fishing the lagoons
Local Customs
(1)
Fishing plays a big part in the lifes of a lot of the people who live around the lagoon, some of the villages are cut... more travel advice
Beach fun
Things to Do
(5)
The beaches around Grand Bassam are of a good quality as you can see from my photo more travel advice
Walking at night
Warnings Or Dangers
(4)
This is a absolute No NO here ,especialy around the bridges of both Charles de Gaulle and Houphouet-Boigny you will get... more travel advice
Travelogues (2)
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Abidjan Travel Guide
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- "Abidjan My memories"
- "Abidjan"
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- "The heart of the Ivory Coast..cough cough...."
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- "West African metropolis"
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Categories
- Things to Do in Abidjan
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- Transportation in Abidjan
- Nightlife in Abidjan
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Nearby Travel Guides
- Abidjan Travel Guide
- Grand-Bassam Travel Guide
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- 19 Reviews
- 33 Photos
- 1 Forum posts
- 18 Comments
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Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Abidjan
- Replied to job_seeker_india's Travel Abidjan Forum Forum Question "Please advise me on Abidjan City"
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- updated a Abidjan Travelogue "village life"
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Comments (18)
Hi, Great pages about a place I desperatley want to visit when it's safer. Love the balcony tip! Same thing happened to me years ago - but in the hotel corridor in Tenerife!
A less travelled place. Great page. Sorry to hear your locked out in the balcony in the buff. LOL. Did you see postcards sold?
This is the Wafou Hotel in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. It's a lovely place to stay. Instead of a hotel room, you stay in a small bungalow. You can access the roof with the pull-down stairway.
Absolutely fascinating insight great page.
Interesting place I did like your look at the locals & their troubled situation
I know it was a long time ago - but what a vivid travel-log and experience.... awwww... !!!
Looks like an interesting experiencre to have visited the Ivory Coast and Abidjan. I wonder if it's still a nice, modern city?
Alot of those tips hadn't been written last month anyway. Sorry I was too late for you. Thanks for this page on a place that can only be visited virtually at the moment.
Pete, you are the world's greatest guest...eating fish eyeballs...I never could have gotten through that! THANKS for the introduction to Abidjan. I hope things turn around for those people...
makes me mad seeing and hearing of the logging around the world..still, I suppose poor countries often have no other choice..superb page
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