Burkina Faso is probably one of the poorest countries in West Africa, it borders touching those of Benin, Niger, Mali, Togo, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. French is the official language and other languages such as Mooré, Mossi amongst other dialects are also widespread. In the capital, Ouagadougou one may visit the Ethnography Museum where there is a large collection of Mossi artifacts of great interest. An event of cultural interest is also the Moro-Naba ceremony just outside the Palace, which takes place every Friday morning, the performance includes traditional music and dancing.

In the capital there are other museum and imposing mosques, such as the Grand Mosquée in the Kibidwé districts, while just outside the town of Banfora one must find the time to visit the impressive Karfiguéla Waterfalls or the peculiar Sindou Rock Formations at Sindou.

These areas are also excellent for hiking and mountain biking, for they offer exceptional views, notably from the top of the Banfora Escarpment.

Burkina is excellent for wildlife spotting in the reservoir sites near Pabre or Sabou where crocodiles can be seen close up. There are plenty of national parks and reserves to visit, such as the Kabore Tembi, the ‘W’ and the Ranch de Nazinga, here one can spot antelopes, monkeys, elephants, baboons and warthogs.

The south of Burkina is composed of wooded savannah, while in the north the desert prevails. Three great rivers provide water in the great plains of the valley, the Black, Red and White Volta. The best months to visit are November to February when the weather is cooler and there is less rainfall, the rest of the year the temperatures can get unbearably hot.

The people from Burkina Faso are called Burkinabé.