La Guinguette

La Guinguette is a pool on a spring-fed stream in a patch of gallery forest outside Bobo-Dioulasso, clear and cool in a region where most water is not, and it has been the town's swimming place since the colonial period. Tall trees close over the water and monkeys work the canopy. A path runs upstream through the forest to the source. It is busy at weekends with people out from Bobo.

What's there

• The clear pool - spring-fed water cold enough to be a shock in the heat.
• The gallery forest - tall trees closing over the stream.
• The monkeys - the troops working the canopy above the water.
• The upstream path - the walk through the forest towards the source.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season and the clearest water. Weekends bring crowds from Bobo. The rains from June raise and muddy the stream.

Good to know

Bilharzia risk in West African fresh water is real and swimming carries it. The site is crowded and littered at weekends. The track in is rough.

Nearby

Bobo-Dioulasso is northeast, and Dafra is east.

Key facts