Banfora, Burkina Faso

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Downtown Banfora is a bustling hive of inactivity - two main streets with a petrol station, a bank and two dogs deciding which tree to sleep under. But the surrounding countryside is some of the best in Burkina Faso, and it's a great jumping off point for any number of hiking and biking possibilities.

Karfiguéla waterfalls are interesting year-round, but really hit their straps in the rainy season. After the unrelenting dryness of much of the rest of Burkina Faso, the waterfalls are a welcome change. There is a bit of a bilharzia problem, so swimming in the pools below the waterfalls can be risky, and you'll need to bring your own water during the dry season because the water gets too dirty to drink. The Dômes de Karfiguéla, an escarpment-type formation, not far from the waterfall, is good hiking grounds. Ten kilometres (6mi) beyond the waterfalls is Lake Tengréla, a pleasant spot to stop and stretch your legs. The fishermen from the nearby village will be more than willing to take you out in their pirogues, for a couple of dollars (and some hard-nosed bargaining), to get a closer look at the bird life. A little further on from the lake are the seriously weird Sindou rock formations. They're like playdough sculptures - towering, tipsy, and stuck to the floor with lopsided ingenuity.

Getting from Ouagadougou is a matter of catching the built-for-comfort train straight through to Banfora (if it's not the express to Abidjan), or catching the train to Bobo and then getting a bus or bush taxi the extra 80km (50mi). The best way of getting around the outlying district of Banfora is by mobylette, bicycle, or motorcycle, which can be hired for the day.

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General Tips about Burkina Faso

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