How to Find Cheap Hotels in Burkina Faso

Although this landlocked West African nation is among the poorest countries in the world, travel in Burkina Faso is generally safe. The country's name, given in 1984, means "the land of upright people," and its citizens, called Burkinabè, live up to their name.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Passport
• Map of Burkina Faso
• Computer with Internet access

Know Your Destination

1. Visit an archaeological dig. Hunter-gatherer relics that date from 12,000 to 5,000 B.C. have been found in the northwest region of Burkina Faso; more recent sites are also located there and in other regions of the country.

2. Include the capital city of Ouagadougou (often shortened to "Ouaga") in your itinerary. Ouaga is the site of the country's Presidential Palace and the National Museum, as well as the National Museum of Music showcasing folk music of 60 different ethnic groups.

3. Take in the Moro-Naba ceremony if you are in Ouaga on an early Friday morning. Outside the Moro-Naba Palace, Mossi leaders ceremonially celebrate unity and peace with the Moro-Naba leader, who wears colorful costumes astride a horse fitted for battle.

Booking Your Accommodations

4. Look for an in-country travel agent on the Web site of the Burkina Faso embassy to the United States (see Resources below). A good local agent can be invaluable in finding cheap accommodations that meet your needs. You can also contact Burkina Faso Tourism and Hotels Board at 011 ([phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources, below).

5. Spend $20 U.S. or less on cheap accommodations in the African style (meaning fans instead of air conditioning and communal bathrooms). Luxury, European-style hotels will run in the neighborhood of $75 U.S. per night.

6. Get truly down to earth by camping along the road--a cheap option that could not be considered in other more hazardous African countries.

7. Try to book your travel to Burkina Faso during the annual National Culture Week in Bobo-Dioulasso. This is a major event featuring music, dance, masks and theater. Another cultural opportunity is FESPACO, the annual Pan-African film festival held in Ouaga.

Tips & Warnings

• All phone numbers include the international prefix "011." When calling internationally but not from the United States or Canada, substitute that "011" with "00." All country codes are within parentheses and begin with a "+" sign.
• Parlez français. French is the national language of Burkina Faso, which gained independence from France in 1960. Most Burkinabè speak Sudanic African languages.
• Show cultural sensitivity to the mostly Muslim Burkinabè by using your right hand for greeting and handing objects to others.
• Avoid the main market in Ouagadougou after dark; although daytime danger is low (even in this part of town), muggings have been reported in the main market at night.
• Don't confuse relative safety with absolute security. As a traveler, you are likely to be fabulously wealthy in comparison to the locals, and among the roughly one million people in Ouagadougou, there are bound to be a few bad eggs.