02 · Reading Africa
Lifestyle
Abidjan’s tables, music and nightlife, for trips and hosting with substance.
Motif: Strip-woven cloth · 25 articles
- Lifestyle3 min A Beginner's Guide to Abidjan's Markets: What to Buy in Treichville, Cocody and Adjamé Abidjan's markets explained — Treichville for fabric, food and tailors, CAVA for carvings and bronze, Cocody's multi-storey market and Adjamé's food wholesale. Read
- Lifestyle4 min Getting Around Abidjan: Taxis, Woro-woro, Gbaka and Water Buses How Abidjan's transport works: orange taxis, colour-coded woro-woro shared taxis, gbaka minibuses, SOTRA buses, lagoon water buses and metro progress. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Abissa: The Annual Festival of the N'zima People of Grand-Bassam Abissa, the N'zima traditional new year in Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire, held around October–November: sacred drum, seven families, criticism and reconciliation. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Assinie: The Coastal Weekend Escape of Abidjan Assinie, 80–90-odd km east of Abidjan between the Aby Lagoon and the Atlantic, is the city's go-to beach getaway. Geography, early history, La Passe and tips. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Banco National Park: A Tropical Forest Inside Abidjan Banco National Park: a 3,474-ha tropical forest in Abidjan, created in 1953, supplying about 40% of nearby water. History, arboretum, wildlife and hikes. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Climate and Seasons in Côte d'Ivoire: When Is the Best Time to Go? Côte d'Ivoire's climate: two rainy seasons in the south, one in the north, a drier December–February with harmattan. Abidjan rainfall and best times to go. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Comoé National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage Site of Savannah and Rivers Comoé National Park, north-east Côte d'Ivoire: 11,500 km² of savannah, UNESCO-listed in 1983, off the danger list in 2017. Ecology, recovery, visiting. Read
- Lifestyle4 min The Fête des Masques in Man: Festival Culture in Western Côte d'Ivoire The Fête des Masques in Man, western Côte d'Ivoire: Dan masks, stilt-mask dances, festival formats and dates, and what to check before you go. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Grand-Bassam: a UNESCO-listed colonial town near Abidjan, how far and what to see Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire's first colonial capital and UNESCO site since 2012: its history, why the capital moved, getting there from Abidjan, what to see. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Where to stay in Abidjan: accommodation types and how to choose for business travellers Where to stay in Abidjan on business: hotels vs apart-hotels, Ivorian star ratings, ECOWAS categories, and choosing by area and length of stay. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Ivorian coffee: the story of a robusta origin Ivorian robusta coffee: once the world's No. 3 producer, its 1970s peak, recent output, growing regions, arabusta and local coffee habits. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Bissap, gnamakoudji (ginger juice) and bangui palm wine: everyday drinks in Côte d'Ivoire Bissap hibiscus drink, gnamakoudji ginger juice and bangui palm wine: Côte d'Ivoire's everyday drinks, how they're made and when they're served. Read
- Lifestyle4 min An Introduction to the Ivorian Table: Attiéké, Garba, Alloco, Placali, Foutou and Sauce Graine Explained New to Ivorian food? Attiéké, garba, alloco, placali, foutou and sauce graine explained: what they are, how they are made and how they are paired. Read
- Lifestyle4 min Ivorian Football: Les Éléphants and Hosting and Winning the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations How Côte d'Ivoire's Les Éléphants hosted and won AFCON 2023, played in 2024, after nearly going out, beating Nigeria 2–1; the six stadiums and 2026 World Cup. Read
- Lifestyle4 min Public Holidays in Côte d'Ivoire: Check This Table Before Planning a Business Trip Côte d'Ivoire's public holidays at a glance, the Sunday carry-over rule, and how to estimate and confirm moving Islamic holidays like Tabaski and Maouloud. Read
- Lifestyle4 min Weddings in Côte d'Ivoire: The Traditional Wedding (la dot) and the Civil Marriage Ivorian couples often marry twice: la dot, the traditional union of two families, and the legally binding civil marriage. Meaning, steps, 2019 law, guest tips. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Kedjenou: Côte d'Ivoire's Chicken Stew and the Clay-Pot Cooking Behind It Kedjenou, Côte d'Ivoire's signature chicken stew, slow-cooked sealed in a canari clay pot with almost no water, shaken not stirred. Origins, method, pairings. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Korhogo: The Cultural Heartland of the Senufo in Northern Côte d'Ivoire Korhogo, northern Côte d'Ivoire's largest city and Senufo cultural centre, ringed by weaving, cloth-painting, blacksmith and carving villages. Travel tips. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Man and the Western Mountains: Waterfalls, Peaks and Liana Bridges Man, hub of Côte d'Ivoire's western mountains: Dent de Man, Mont Tonkpi, waterfalls, Dan liana bridges, plus geography, culture and travel planning tips. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Pâquinou: the Baoulé Easter Homecoming Pâquinou, the Baoulé Easter homecoming in central Côte d'Ivoire: its meaning, family and village traditions, and how it affects travel and business schedules. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Sassandra: A Small Coastal Town and Fishing Port Sassandra, on Côte d'Ivoire's southwest coast, was a key colonial port. Its history, its fishing port, beaches and colonial buildings worth seeing. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Staying Connected on Arrival: Mobile Operators, SIM Registration and Mobile Data in Côte d'Ivoire Getting a local SIM in Côte d'Ivoire: Orange, MTN and Moov market shares and data users, SIM registration rules, ID for foreigners, and 5G progress. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Taï National Park: One of West Africa's Last Great Primary Rainforests (UNESCO World Heritage) Taï National Park, south-west Côte d'Ivoire: UNESCO World Heritage rainforest since 1982 — history, pygmy hippos, nut-cracking chimpanzees, ecotourism. Read
- Lifestyle4 min What Is a Maquis? Côte d'Ivoire's Open-Air Eatery Culture, and How to Order and Pay on Your First Visit The maquis, Côte d'Ivoire's open-air eatery, serves grilled chicken and fish with attiéké or alloco: its name, dishes, etiquette, and how to order and pay. Read
- Lifestyle3 min Yamoussoukro: Côte d'Ivoire's Political Capital, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace and Its Story Yamoussoukro is Côte d'Ivoire's official capital, Abidjan its economic one: why it became capital, its founding president, and the world's largest church. Read