Tiagba

Tiagba is an Aizi village built on stilts over the Ebrie lagoon, houses and walkways standing above the water on wooden posts, reached by pirogue from the shore. The community lives on fishing, and the village was built out over the water for defence and for access to the fishery. It is one of very few lagoon stilt settlements left in the country and it is a working village rather than a display.

What you actually see

• The stilt houses - dwellings and walkways standing above the lagoon on posts.
• The pirogue crossing - the paddle out from the shore, the only access.
• The fishery - nets and traps worked from the village.
• The lagoon - the Ebrie system stretching in all directions.

When to go

November to March is the dry season and the calmest for the crossing. The rains from April to July raise the water. Mornings are when the fishing is being worked.

Honest expectations

This is a lived-in village and arriving without a guide or community arrangement is intrusive. Photography of people requires asking. Facilities are none and the walkways are uneven.

Nearby

Dabou is on the shore, and Jacqueville is east.