NatureSouth-west and north-east

Two World Heritage national parks

Taï · Comoé

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Taï National Park (UNESCO, 1982) is one of the last large tracts of primary rainforest in West Africa; its chimpanzees choose stones as hammers and anvils to crack nuts, a classic site for studying tool use in animals. Comoé National Park (inscribed 1983), about 11,500 km², is West Africa's largest national park; it was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger after the civil war and removed in 2017.

Côte d'Ivoire's forest cover has shrunk sharply because of cocoa farming, and these two parks are its last ecological treasures.

CE QUE VOUS VERREZ · What you will see

In the south-western rainforest, chimpanzees crack nuts with stones; in the north-eastern savannah, rivers wind through wide open grassland.

POURQUOI · So what

They are the counterpoint in the cocoa-and-forest debate, and hold potential for eco-tourism.

SAVOIR-FAIRE · How to use it

With guests who care about sustainability, talk about Taï's chimpanzee research and cocoa's toll on the forest. Guided visits must be arranged in advance.

Asian and European parallelsLike Taroko or Yushan in Taiwan: the nation's natural calling cards.

Where to experience itSouth-west (Taï), north-east (Comoé); both need advance arrangements.