Places / Africa / Burkina Faso
Bobo-Dioulasso
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The UK Foreign Office currently advises against travel to all or parts of Burkina Faso. This guide is for a safer time. Check the latest travel advice.
At a glance
- Country
- Burkina Faso
- Region
- Hauts-Bassins
- Population
- 900,000
- Best time to go
- November to February
- Main airport
- Bobo-Dioulasso (BOY)
- Coordinates
- 11.18°N, 4.30°W
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Overview
Bobo-Dioulasso is Burkina Faso's second city, greener and more relaxed than the capital, with shady avenues of mango trees and a deep musical tradition of balafon and djembe.
Its most famous landmark is the Grand Mosque, built of mud in the Sudano-Sahelian style. Around it, the old quarter of Kibidwé still keeps its narrow lanes, family compounds and sacred catfish in the river. This guide is written for a future visit, when travel is safer.
Things to see
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Photo: qiv, CC BY-SA 2.0 Grand Mosque
A striking mud-brick mosque bristling with wooden beams, built in the late nineteenth century.
Tickets and tours -
Kibidwé old quarter
The oldest part of the city, best visited with a local guide who can explain its compounds and shrines.
Tickets and tours -
Photo: Adam Jones, PhD, CC BY-SA 2.0 Railway station
A handsome colonial-era station in Sudanese style, on the old line from Abidjan.
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Photo: Artur Rumpel, CC BY-SA 3.0 Central market
A large and busy market for cloth, spices, crafts and fresh produce in the middle of town.
Things to do
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Photo: Kotoviski photograph by Henryk Kotowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 Hear live music
Seek out evening concerts of balafon, djembe and modern West African sounds in the city's bars and cultural centres.
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Photo: Marco Schmidt [1], CC BY-SA 3.0 Mare aux Hippopotames
A lake north of the city where hippos can be seen from a pirogue.
Find tours -
Koro village
A hillside village of stone houses on rocky outcrops, a short trip east of town.
Where to stay
City centre
Close to the mosque, market and station; good for walking.
Hotels in City centreQuieter suburbs
Guesthouses with gardens a short taxi ride from the centre.
Hotels in Quieter suburbs
Getting around
Taxis and motorbikes are the main ways around. The centre is walkable outside the hottest hours.
Bobo-Dioulasso is linked by road with Ouagadougou, around five hours away; its airport has had only limited services.
When to go
November to February is the coolest, driest time, with harmattan dust. March to May is very hot, and the rains fall between June and September.
Plan your trip to Bobo-Dioulasso
Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.