BURKINA FASO

DAY 1: departure from major Italian cities and flight with layover to the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou. Entry procedures into the country and meeting with the local team. Transfer to the hotel and check-in

DAY 2: wake-up, breakfast and a day dedicated to visiting the Burkinabè capital. Dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in Ouagadougou

Morning: breakfast at the hotel and departure towards the south of Burkina Faso, almost to the border with Ghana. It is between these two African countries that the Kassena ethnic group lives, known for the tradition of decorating the exterior of their mud houses with geometric patterns, everyday objects, and animal figures, which are believed to ward off the evil eye and negative influences. Their villages are single-family and, unlike most of West Africa, are fortified.

Afternoon: visit to the royal court of the village of Tiébélé, the heart of the Kassena ethnic group in Burkina Faso, with its spectacular traditionally painted buildings. The Kassena are animist and do not have a formal hierarchical structure; decisions are made by a council of elders, while the decoration of the rounded houses is the responsibility of married women. Return journey and late afternoon arrival in Ouagadougou.

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in the Burkinabè capital.

Morning: wake-up, breakfast and early departure towards the second largest city in Burkina Faso, Bobo Dioulasso, in the southwestern part of the country. The city’s name means “home of the Bobo people of Dioula language”. The Bobo are indeed the main ethnic group in the region; however, due to its historical role as a trade crossroads along trans-Saharan routes, Bobo-Dioulasso has always attracted populations from surrounding areas, making it a multi-ethnic and multicultural city.

Afternoon: after crossing beautiful landscapes typical of this region, dotted with large mango and baobab trees, arrival in the afternoon in Bobo Dioulasso, considered one of the most important cities in West African music. Visit of the large mud mosque in Sudanese-Sahelian style, the old artisan district to observe traditional blacksmith techniques, followed by a visit to the railway station.

Evening: dinner, evening in a bar with local music, and overnight stay in a hotel in Bobo Dioulasso.

Morning: breakfast at the hotel and departure towards the far west of the country, close to the borders with Mali and Ivory Coast, to reach the spectacular Sindou Peaks, a narrow rocky chain featuring a fantastic variety of winding cones and other rock formations sculpted by natural phenomena over thousands of years. Short trek to explore the area, which offers one of the most incredible landscapes in Burkina Faso.

Afternoon: on the way back, through sugarcane plantations, stop in Banfora to admire the series of beautiful waterfalls flowing into the Komoé River, and visit the “Fabedougou Domes”, another unique and striking set of rock formations. Late afternoon arrival in Bobo Dioulasso.

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in the second largest city of Burkina Faso.

Morning and Afternoon: wake-up, breakfast at the hotel and early departure for the return journey to Ouagadougou. About thirty kilometers from the capital, in the afternoon stop at the village of Bazoulé to observe the crocodiles considered sacred by the local population. The West African crocodile is an animal that has strongly adapted to environmental changes that over millennia have altered its natural habitat and, unlike the Nile crocodile for example, is not aggressive towards humans. Arrival in Ouagadougou in the afternoon and visit to the monument dedicated to the most iconic figure in the recent history of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, “The African Che Guevara”, the FESPACO monument dedicated to African filmmakers, and the local market.

Evening: dinner and overnight stay in a hotel in Ouagadougou.