Abidjan, Ivory Coast

[Wayfairers]

Are there English speaking tours available at the port?

is it safe to walk around town without a guide?

 

We are waitlisted on a ship tour but I’m wondering about backup plans if we don’t get on that tour.  

[Wayfairers]

Been a while since I posted questions about Abidjan.  Anyone been there?

[bcummin]

I was in Abidjan last fall on the 2022 Grand Africa Voyage.

I would guess that your waitlisted HAL tour will happen, considering all the changes that happen during the voyage.

I would call Abidjan unpredictable and full of surprises, not yet fine-tuned for tourists.

 

First the ship docked at a different place than originally planned.  Friends noticed that dock workers had to scramble to make it ready for us.

From my journal:  "I met my Across Africa Tour leaders onboard.  The ship docked about 7am, and we were to meet our guide about 8am.  Some in our group wanted to go stand in line for leaving the ship, so all ten of us joined the long line already back down a hallway.  It was a long wait.  The ship was not cleared until 8:30am.  We made it off the ship and joined the crowd of people on the dock.  Nobody from AAT in sight.  We heard that they were still trying to get inside the port gate, so all of us rode the shuttle to the port gate.  Found our van and were onboard at 9am.  Our guide Francis kept looking for the other two vans that we were supposed to travel with.  He had our van enter the port gate and drive to the ship,  Saw one leaving the port.  (Never did see the other; heard that it took off without a guide.  It never visited a village, but did get to the handicrafts market.)  By now some people were getting unhappy.

 

It was 9:30am when Francis got a police motorcycle escort for our two vans, sirens and all.  Between our late start and the bad traffic, this was our only hope.  Traffic parted like water, and everyone stared at us.  We drove past countless stalls of merchandise to sell and poor housing.  It was a long drive.

 

'Day Trip Indigenous District of Abidjan, 6 hours, $89.  We will pick you up at 8am from the port enroute to Atchan village known for the earliest inhabitants of the Ivory Coast.  Upon arrival at this district, you will explore the five villages commonly known as Ebrie.  The district consists of nine indigenous clans. . .'

Big bottles of water were passed out.  (HAL tours gave out no water.)

 

We arrived at the village, which was a modern-day urban community on the outskirts of Abidjan.  The people's homes were humble, one paved street, the rest uneven dirt.  We met the chief in a nice big community building with toilets for us to use.  Learned that today was the chief's birthday.  We visited with some uniformed schoolgirls standing in a gateway.  Then we piled back into the van and drove to their outdoor gathering place under huge trees.

 

They were ready for us.  Women and babies sat in one area.  Empty chairs were waiting for us (and the second van) to sit in.  A drummer was already making music.

They all stared at us and took photos with their cell phones.  We did the same.  I noticed that the costumed women were wearing nice bras as outside clothing with their colorful skirts.  Small bottles of water were given to us.

 

The village chief and two other leaders welcomed us and explained that not only did the men dance, but women also dance, and most important, the boys have learned to dance to carry on the tradition.  We got to see the boys and women and men dance to several drummers, including a young boy drummer.  The women and watchers cheered on the dancers with whoops, hollers, and shrieks.  The mothers especially encouraged their boys.  One came out front and hugged hers.  A good time was had by all.

 

We sang Happy Birthday to the chief.  Our tour guide handed envelopes to one of the leaders, who proudly read aloud the names of the recipients.  Apologies were made for us to leave.  No time to stay longer.  One couple gave pencils for the children.  I waved farewell and blew kisses to our new friends.  They waved back and blew kisses.

 

Our motorcycle escorts led the way back into Abidjan.  Another long drive exposing the humble lives here.  Saw more miniature goats, a few sheep, and some Brahman  cattle.  No cats.  A couple of dogs.

 

We arrived at a nice restaurant for lunch.  They served platters of couscous, chicken, fish, spicy sauces, and French fries.  Akan is the native language here.  Everyone speaks French, and some speak English.  46% of Ivory Coast people are Muslim, 35% Christian, some Animist.  Abidjan is the second largest port in Africa, after Durban.  The Ivory Coast grows the most cocoa.  And pistachios.  Public college is free, but there are few jobs.  Some people are very wealthy - and corrupt.  Most are poor.

We stopped near a chocolate shop, because someone in the other van wanted to buy some.

Someone at the port was calling the tours back, so we returned to the port without stopping at the Handicrafts market.  Many disappointed, some angry.

We returned to the ship about 2:15pm, well before the 3:30 all aboard.

Hot 88 degrees today.  No dockside shopping here."

 

Wayfairers, I hope that this is helpful to you.  It was the worst but best tour imaginable, considering the hospitality of the one village that we got to visit.  I remember finding a similar Viator tour online, but I do not see it this year.  You might be smart to stick with a HAL tour in Abidjan.

You have an amazing voyage ahead of you.

Barbara

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by bcummin

[Wayfairers]

21 hours ago, bcummin said:

I was in Abidjan last fall on the 2022 Grand Africa Voyage.

I would guess that your waitlisted HAL tour will happen, considering all the changes that happen during the voyage.

I would call Abidjan unpredictable and full of surprises, not yet fine-tuned for tourists.

 

First the ship docked at a different place than originally planned.  Friends noticed that dock workers had to scramble to make it ready for us.

From my journal:  "I met my Across Africa Tour leaders onboard.  The ship docked about 7am, and we were to meet our guide about 8am.  Some in our group wanted to go stand in line for leaving the ship, so all ten of us joined the long line already back down a hallway.  It was a long wait.  The ship was not cleared until 8:30am.  We made it off the ship and joined the crowd of people on the dock.  Nobody from AAT in sight.  We heard that they were still

Wayfairers, I hope that this is helpful to you.  It was the worst but best tour imaginable, considering the hospitality of the one village that we got to visit.  I remember finding a similar Viator tour online, but I do not see it this year.  You might be smart to stick with a HAL tour in Abidjan.

You have an amazing voyage ahead of you.

Barbara

 

Thank you for the information - very helpful.  I followed the GA2022 board and saw how unhappy several were with Across Africa so have chosen not to book any of their tours.  I did get on my waitlisted HAL tour almost 2 weeks ago - very happy about that - especially after reading about your experience!   I am using HAL more than normal and making sure those outside of HAL are fully refundable if HAL decides to skip the port. I am definitely looking forward to this cruise!

[bcummin]

Glad that you got your HAL tour.  Wise choice.

I had better luck than some with Across Africa Tours, and I would still do business with them because of the good prices.  In retrospect, I think that they are a good company.  Some African ports are not used to many tourists and organized tours.  You will be seeing raw, unvarnished cultures along your journey.

Barbara 

[Wayfairers]

10 hours ago, bcummin said:

Glad that you got your HAL tour.  Wise choice.

I had better luck than some with Across Africa Tours, and I would still do business with them because of the good prices.  In retrospect, I think that they are a good company.  Some African ports are not used to many tourists and organized tours.  You will be seeing raw, unvarnished cultures along your journey.

Barbara 

Thanks….good to know you would still use Across Africa.   It did seem like some of the problems they had were people setting expectations too high for the area.  My biggest concern was when they didn’t refund for missed ports.  

 

Looking forward to the raw, unvarnished culture…..we are those weird people that want way off the beaten path areas and have found ourselves to be the only tourists in an area not set up for tourists numerous times…..hoping to see more of what we experienced in Myanmar and other places in Southeast Asia when we asked our private guides to take us where tourists don’t normally go.

[bcummin]

Glad to hear this. It was the raw, unvarnished cultures that made some cruisers dislike the west African ports.  Expect Africa to be different.  Lots to learn.

My only Across Africa Tours refund problem was after the disaster in Durban.  (I made the mistake of booking only one day safari, and it was the disaster.)  I used that refund to buy another AAT tour.

Expect surprises.

Barbara