Banfora

Banfora sits in the greenest corner of Burkina Faso, surrounded by sugarcane and mango, and it is the base for the country's best-known cluster of natural sites: the Karfiguéla falls where the Comoé drops in stages over rock ledges, the Sindou peaks, a ridge eroded into a forest of thin sandstone pinnacles, and Lake Tengréla, where hippos live within sight of the village.

History

The first settlers were the Karaboro, who with the Gouin and the Turka still make up the town's main peoples, all from the south of the country. The French set up a military post here in 1903 and an administrative post a year later, a road to Bobo-Dioulasso was built in 1905, and the railway reached the town in 1931 (Wikipedia, Banfora).

Highlights

• The Karfiguéla falls - the Comoé dropping in stages over rock ledges.
• The Sindou peaks - a ridge eroded into thin sandstone pinnacles.
• Lake Tengréla - the shallow lake with its resident hippos.
• The sugarcane country - the plantations that fill the plain around the town.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season and the most comfortable. The falls run strongest just after the rains, around September and October. March to May is extremely hot.

Things to know

The falls drop to very little by late in the dry season. Hippo sightings at Tengréla are not guaranteed and boats keep their distance. Site fees and guide charges are collected separately at each place.

Nearby

Niansogoni is west, and Bobo-Dioulasso is northeast.

Key facts