Banco National Park: A Tropical Forest Inside Abidjan

Few big cities have kept a tropical forest within their limits, yet Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire (in West Africa, French-speaking, the world's largest cocoa producer), has done just that. Banco National Park sits between several densely populated communes: at weekends it draws families, friends and hiking groups, and during the week it quietly supplies the city with water. If you only have half a day free in Abidjan, this is the closest place to experience a West African forest.

From forest reserve to national park

The Banco forest has been protected since 1926 and was upgraded to a national park in 1953, during the colonial era. It covers about 3,474 hectares (roughly 34.7 km²) and is surrounded by four communes, Yopougon, Abobo, Adjamé and Attécoubé, within a roughly square perimeter.

A forestry school was founded in the park in the late 1930s. Regarded as one of the earliest ecology and forestry training institutions in Africa, it still enrols students today. The former governor's residence, built in 1933, was later turned into an exhibition hall and renovated in 2002; it displays specimens such as animal skeletons. Abidjan's first zoo, set up in the same era, closed in 1985. Planting also began here in 1939, leaving behind today's arboretum.

Arboretum, ancient trees and wildlife

Banco retains about 600 hectares of primary forest and an arboretum of about 12 hectares, with some 800 plant species from tropical Africa, Asia and Latin America. Visitors can see rare species such as mahogany and avodiré, as well as giants several dozen metres tall, including the Sao, which can grow to about 60 metres, and a Kosipo said to be more than 500 years old. A river called the Gbangbo runs through the middle of the park.

Large mammals disappeared long ago, but the park is still home to harnessed bushbuck, several monkey species, birds and small mammals. Studies in 2004–2005 estimated that a dozen or so chimpanzees still lived in the park.

The city's reservoir and green lung

Banco matters to Abidjan for more than leisure:

Function	Details
Water supply	Its aquifer feeds 29 wells, estimated to supply about 40% of the water used by surrounding communes
Carbon absorption	Absorbs large amounts of CO₂ every year; known as Abidjan's "green lung"
Education	Large numbers of students come every year for environmental education activities

Because it lies in the heart of the city, the park faces pressure from illegal logging, poaching, encroachment on its boundaries and waste. Since 2022 the government has been building a wall along the boundary to reduce encroachment.

How to explore Banco

The park has hiking trails and cycling routes that can be explored on foot or by bike; one popular route is a trail of about 3.5 km leading to the forestry school. There are also tarmac roads laid in the 1960s. In December 2021 the Ministry of Tourism and the Ivorian Office of National Parks and Reserves (OIPR) launched a promotion programme, adding a souvenir shop and a restaurant and renovating the exhibition hall. Check the latest opening times and guided-tour arrangements with OIPR before you go.

One line for Asian readers

Banco shows how a major West African city can coexist with a forest; if you are in Abidjan on business, half a day here will show you another side of the city better than any presentation.

References: Wikipedia – Banco National Park; Le360 Afrique – Le parc national du Banco, poumon d'Abidjan (2016); Fraternité Matin – Valorisation touristique du parc national du Banco (2022); Seneweb – Découverte du parc du Banco (2024)