Coming 2026
Cote d’Ivoire Expeditions, Coming 2026
A West African route few travellers know, from the Basilica of Yamoussoukro to the rainforests of Tai and the colonial streets of Grand-Bassam.
Why Cote d’Ivoire, and why now
A country that holds two of West Africa’s biggest surprises
Cote d’Ivoire is the largest economy in francophone West Africa, but it is still missed by most heritage travellers. The route we are building runs from the colonial avenues of Grand-Bassam, a UNESCO town on the Atlantic, to Yamoussoukro and its Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, the largest church in the world by surface area. Inland, the rainforest of Tai National Park shelters one of the last viable populations of West African chimpanzees, and the savanna of Comoe National Park stretches to the borders of Burkina Faso and Ghana.
Like our Ghana and Benin routes, the Cote d’Ivoire programme is being built with local Ivorian guides who grew up on these towns and trails. Small groups, the right contacts, real food (attieke and grilled fish on the lagoon, garba in Abidjan’s markets), and time for the Baoule and Senufo cultural traditions that are rarely on a brochure. The standalone 2026 itinerary will run as a 9 or 10 day journey, with shorter add-on extensions for travellers already on a Ghana tour with us.
Grand-Bassam and the lagoon coast
The French colonial capital, UNESCO listed for its old quarter, and a string of lagoon villages from Assinie to Aby where N’Zima fishing communities still pole pirogues at dawn.
Yamoussoukro and the Baoule heartland
The political capital, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace, the crocodile lake, and the surrounding Baoule mask-carving villages where ceremonial sculpture is still a living practice.
Tai forest and Comoe savanna
Two UNESCO biosphere parks. Tai is the last block of primary rainforest in West Africa, home to chimpanzees and pygmy hippos. Comoe is the largest protected savanna in the region.
Be among the first
Join the Cote d’Ivoire waitlist
No spam, no waitlist fee. One note from the Vialis team when our 2026 Cote d’Ivoire departures open. Leave your details below and write “Cote d’Ivoire” in the subject.