Côte d'Ivoire
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Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings
I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Côte d'Ivoire. I'd like to suggest an "off the beaten track" entry into Ghana. My village is Frambo, located in the south eastern region of the country on the lagoon Tendo, about four kilometres from the Jewi Warf entry point into Ghana. The surrounding rainforest is absolutely beautiful and a much more relaxed border crossing into Ghana than Noe-Elubo.
To get to my village from Abidjan, you go to the Trenchville Gare (its the same one as if you were going to Noe) and ask for the car to Aboisso. Set places are CFA1700 and the bus which tends to be slower on account of the Gendarme stops is CFA1500.
Upon arriving in Aboisso, ask for the car to Frambo. The price is also CFA1500 and the trip takes about two hours. About 40km on paved road and 20km on a dirt road which takes you through palm tree plantations and individual farms as well as smaller surrounding villages. The village itself has about 2500 welcoming, friendly people, and a hotel. Every year at the end of August, the village throws a party called Frambo beach. It is a three day event unlike any other I have ever seen in West Africa. From the village, you can cross into Ghana at any time for CFA1000. Upon arriving in Jewi-Warf, you pass through customs and are on the road not too far from Axim, Ankobra, Busua, Elmina, and Cape Coast beaches. The trip itself is worth the 20km on the dirt road just to see village life, an atypical tourist experience. If you come to Frambo, it is certain to be a memorable event.
In the Lonely Planet guide it states that citizens of Sweden don't need a visa for Côte d'Ivoire. This information is WRONG. US-citizens and citizens from some African countries don't need a visa for Côte d'Ivoire but all European countries do, as far as I know.
Edit Eliasson, Sweden (Oct 01)
Australian Consular operations have received telephone calls from members of the public requesting letters of introduction to obtain a visa while travelling in Africa. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and its overseas posts do not provide such a service. We suggest people approach DIMA and obtain a Declaratory Certificate of Australian Citizenship.
Peter Budd, Australia (Apr 01)
Travel Tips
We organized our own excursion from Man. La Cascade waterfall is 10 minutes from downtown so you can get a taxi to drive you there for CFA800. At the waterfall, there are plenty of guides waiting to be hired really cheaply. They don't get a lot of business. The entrance fee for the waterfall is CFA300. Our guide took us on a tour of the village and we walked to a nearby village where there is a sacred monkey forest. You pay them CFA500 to see the monkeys. They say they are macaques, but there are no macaques in Africa. They are actually mona monkeys.
Genevieve Campbell, Canada (Mar 03)
The airport in Abidjan is full of hustlers and con-men. Some pretend to be officials and demand to see your passport. They 'helped' me fill out an entry paper although I had already filled one out. They demanded that I pay airport tax (there is no airport tax on entry or departure). Another claimed that I hadn't shown my passport to the officer, which of course I had. Others pretended to be friends who had been sent there to pick me up. Worst of all, these hustlers are obviously tolerated by the airport police. Tell them that you don't need their help.
I also met corruption at the post office. Don't send big or expensive parcels by mail. You may find that some of the contents are missing, or they may be unable to find your parcel unless you pay a bribe.
There are cash dispensers in a few banks in major cities. They accept Visa cards but no other international credit cards. I successfully got cash in three different cities. The maximum amount you can withdraw is CFA150,000 per day. Exchanging money in a bank may take several hours, getting cash from a cash machine takes less than a minute. Make sure you have both options available: Bring plenty of French francs in case the cash machines don't work, and a Visa card in case the bureaucrats don't work when you need them.
Agnes Fog, Denmark (Aug 01)
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