Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
can visit the factory and attend the spectacular sugar-cane fires from November to April.
Ring the factory for details of the visits or ask your hotel.
You'll need wheels to explore the area; if you don't have your own, charter a taxi for
the day. Taxi driver
Hema Dounbia
(
76 40 44 47)
comes warmly recommended.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Sénoufo Country
Sindou Peaks
One of Burkina Faso's most spectacular landscapes, the
Sindou Peaks
(Pics de Sindou; admission
CFA1000, includes 45min guided walk)
are a narrow, craggy chain featuring a fantastic array of tor-
tuous cones sculpted by the elements.
Located about 50km west of Banfora, this geological fantasyland is ideal for hiking.
Coming from Banfora, the main gateway is about 1km before the entrance to Sindou
town. There's a little booth staffed by guides from the local tourism cooperative
Association
Djiguiya
( 76 08 46 60;
www.djiguiya.org
)
. Run by the brilliant Tiémoko Ouattara, it promotes
responsible travel and offers a range of services to travellers: anything from half-day
walks to multiday treks in Sénoufo country with sunrise breakfast in the peaks, moped and
cycling tours, cultural activities and homestays.
The association runs the friendly
Campement Soutrala
( 76 08 46 60; Sindou; r without bathroom
CFA4000)
in Sindou. Facilities are spartan (bucket showers, no electricity) and meals must
be ordered two hours in advance (mains CFA800 to CFA2000), but it's a good base if
you'd like to spend time in the area rather than visit on a day trip from Banfora.
There is a handful of
taxis-brousses
plying the dirt road (slated to be surfaced in 2013)
between Sindou and Banfora every day. Consider chartering a taxi for the day
(CFA25,000) to make it more expedient.
Niansogoni
Well off the beaten path - Niansogoni is 37km southwest of Sindou, near the border with
Mali - this tiny settlement is a terrific place to experience local life. The scenery is gor-
geous, with a series of limestone hills, cliffs and escarpmentlike formations that loom on
the horizon. From Niansogoni, you can walk to an old village nestled in an alcove of the
escarpment, where you can see old granaries and dwellings. The village dates back to the
14th century and was abandoned in 1980.
