Koudougou

Koudougou is the third city of Burkina Faso, a market and weaving town on the railway west of Ouagadougou, known for cotton cloth woven on narrow strip looms and for the dyeing that goes with it, and for a large market that serves the surrounding Mossi farming country. A biennial arts festival, the Nuits Atypiques, has been held there since the 1990s. The colonial-era railway buildings survive along the line.

What you actually see

• The strip weaving - cotton cloth woven on narrow looms and stitched into panels.
• The market - the trading centre for the surrounding farming country.
• The railway buildings - the colonial-era structures along the line.
• The arts festival - the biennial event held in the town since the 1990s.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season. The festival falls in the dry season in its years. March to May is extremely hot.

Honest expectations

The town has little set up for visitors and half a day covers it. Weaving is seen in workshops that must be found rather than visited. Rail services have been unreliable.

Nearby

Ouagadougou is east, and Sabou is southeast.