Bioko Island
One of two signposted miradors (viewpoints) along the road across the island, this one is high above Moka and has spectacular views over the island and…
Must-see attractions in West Africa
Centre de Conservation pour Chimpanzés
Guinea
The one place in the Parc National du Haut Niger that you are guaranteed to see large mammals is the Centre de Conservation pour Chimpanzés. This is a…
Benin
This 2750-sq-km national park is one of West Africa's best for wildlife. Visitors may spot lions, leopards, elephants, baboons and hippos. The best…
Dakar
Allegedly Africa's highest statue, the African Renaissance Monument was unveiled in 2010 to commemorate Senegal's 50 years of independence from France. At…
Liberia
Beautiful Mt Nimba is Liberia's tallest peak, 1362m above sea level, and you can feasibly climb it if you have a few days on your hands (it's a rewarding…
Banjul
Since its founding in the mid-19th century, the Albert Market, an area of frenzied buying, bartering and bargaining, has been Banjul's main hub of…
Dakar
A photogenic 1864 lighthouse graces the top of one of Dakar's few hills. It's worth making leisurely 20-minute walk, with sweeping views across the city…
Ghana
Tucked away in this small pocket of rainforest are endangered forest elephants, colobus monkeys, 300 species of bird and a staggering 600 species of…
Gabon
This 3000-sq-km national park provides the rare opportunity to view forest animals undisturbed in their own environment. The best location to do this is…
Accra
Independence Sq, also known as Black Star Sq, is a vast, empty expanse of concrete overlooked by spectator stands of Stalinesque grace. The square is…
Kwame Nkrumah Park and Mausoleum
Accra
This tranquil park is full of bronze statues, fountains and wandering peacocks, with the mausoleum of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first leader, at its heart…
Accra
Goethe-Institut, the cultural arm of the German government in Ghana, is also a popular events venue in Accra. If you’re in town on the first Saturday in…
Accra
Come the weekend people flock to Accra's most popular beach to play ball games, frolic in the surf, go horse riding along the sand or party to loud dance…
Cotonou
With its vibrant red and white stripes, this Catholic cathedral is not just a place of worship but also home to a small bookshop selling titles by…
Nigeria
Nigeria's largest national park, Gashaka-Gumti is also the remotest and least-explored part of the country. Its 6700-sq-km area contains rolling hills,…
Accra
This nature park close to the University of Ghana is the perfect spot to take a break from Accra’s relentless pace, and one of only a few green spots in…
Burkina Faso
Built in 1893, this mosque is an outstanding example of Sahel-style mud architecture, with conical towers and wooden struts (which both support the…
Dakar
Plage de N'gor is a small beach popular with families and football-playing youths, and there are a few snack spots with tables on the sands. It's not a…
Dakar
Plage de Virage is a popular spot with surfers. This small beach gets packed on weekends with a mostly local crowd, though a few foreigners pass by,…
Monrovia
Chaotic Waterside Market offers almost everything for sale, including colourful textiles, shoes, leather goods and pottery, all with a dose of foul smells…
Accra
This dramatic structure was completed in 2008 amid huge controversy around the tens of millions of dollars it cost to construct. Built to resemble an…
Ghana
This much-hyped hippo sanctuary on the Black Volta River was initiated by local village chiefs in 1999. Hippos can usually be seen from November to March;…
Accra
For a great view of the city and the busy and colourful fishing harbour (haze and pollution permitting), climb to the top of the old lighthouse near James…
Cabo Verde
A must-stop for visitors interested in history, culture and coffee, Dja'r Fogo is run by a local artist who splits his time between Lisbon, Paris and Fogo…
Guinea
Covering some 1200 sq km, the Parc National de Haut Niger is one of West Africa's last significant stands of tropical dry forest and one of the most…
Gabon
The largest of Gabon's parks at 7000 sq km, Minkébé is the greatest refuge for elephants in the Congo Basin; there are said to be 30,000 individuals. You…
Senegal
At 900 sq km, Niokolo-Koba is Senegal's largest national park. It's listed as a World Heritage Site in danger, as park resources barely suffice to…
Abidjan
Every middle-class Abidjani holds a dear memory of Hôtel Ivoire. Built in 1963 by Israeli architect Moshe Mayer, it was the place in town to go ice…
Gabon
Vast swathes of savannah cover 2050 sq km and reach heights of 860m. The land is almost desertlike and erosion has caused canyons to form (known as…
Nigeria
le-Ife is considered the birthplace of Yoruba civilisation, where people still worship traditional deities at revered spiritual sites. At the 18th-century…
Nigeria
Yankari is Nigeria's best park for observing wildlife. With a bit of luck you may come across buffaloes, waterbucks, bushbucks, hyenas, leopards, plenty…
Benin
Abomey's main and seriously impressive attraction (and a World Heritage site since 1985), this sprawling museum is housed in two palaces, those of the…
Parc National du Banc d'Arguin
Mauritania
This World Heritage–listed park is an important stopover and breeding ground for multitudes of birds migrating between Europe and southern Africa, and as…
Nouakchott
The Port de Pêche is Nouakchott's star attraction. Lively and colourful, you'll see hundreds of teams of mostly Wolof and Fula men dragging in heavy…
Casamance
This is easily Ziguinchor's most stunning building, a giant case à impluvium (a large, round traditional house) decorated with blindingly busy South…
Burkina Faso
The old Niansogoni village is nestled in an alcove of the escarpment, where you can see old adobe granaries and dwellings that perch on the cliff side…
Mauritania
This little-known national park is a sister to the adjacent Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary in Senegal. It has important mangroves and acacia forest (any…
Parque Nacional das Ilhas de Orango
Guinea-Bissau
Though it consists of several other islands (Ilha de Imbone, Ilha de Orangozinho, Ilha de Canogo and Ilha de Meneque), the heart of Parque Nacional das…
Kumasi
Manhyia Palace was built by the British in 1925 to receive Prempeh I when he returned from a quarter of a century of exile in the Seychelles to resume…
The Gambia
Fort James was an important British colonial trading post from 1661 and the departure point of vessels packed with ivory and gold, as well as slave ships…
