Grand-Lahou

Grand-Lahou was a trading port from the nineteenth century, with warehouses and colonial administration on a sand spit where the Bandama reaches the sea. The town has since moved inland, because the spit is being eroded from both sides and the old settlement is going into the water: buildings have collapsed, the cemetery has been partly lost and the process continues. What remains is reached by boat and it is a genuinely unsettling place to walk.

Background

Grand-Lahou is both a commune and a sub-prefecture, and it serves as the seat of the department of the same name, part of Grands-Ponts Region in Lagunes District. The town sits on the Gulf of Guinea where the Bandama River ends. From 1890 onward the French developed it as a trading port. The sub-prefecture covers 1100 square kilometres and counted 77,479 people in 2021. Twenty villages belong to it; in 2014 Grand-Lahou itself had 28,470 residents, Tiéviéssou had 7,450 and Djidjikro had 4,393. Assagny National Park lies close by.

Source: Wikipedia, "Grand-Lahou"

What to look for

• The old town - colonial buildings on the spit, being lost to erosion.
• The Bandama mouth - the river meeting the sea beside the settlement.
• The lighthouse - the old light on the eroding shore.
• The new town - the settlement rebuilt inland from the water.

When to go

November to March is the dry season and the calmest for the boat crossing. The rains from April to July raise the river and worsen the erosion. Mornings are best.

Good to know

The old town is genuinely being destroyed and buildings are unstable; walking among them needs care. Boat crossings are informal and prices should be agreed. There are almost no facilities.

Nearby

Azagny National Park is inland, and Abidjan is east.

Key facts