Africa
Mud-brick villages, painted walls and West Africa's great film festival.
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country of Sahel savannah, granite outcrops and deep-rooted village traditions. Ouagadougou hosts FESPACO, Africa's best-known film festival, and a lively crafts scene, while the painted houses of Tiébélé, the Sindou Peaks and the waterfalls near Banfora show off the south-west. Bobo-Dioulasso's old mosque is a landmark of Sudano-Sahelian mud architecture.
Much of the country is currently affected by armed conflict and insecurity, and many governments advise against all or most travel. Travellers should check their government's current travel advice before planning a trip. In calmer times, visits revolve around music, markets, riz gras and grilled meat, and slow road journeys. The cool, dry months from November to February are the most comfortable; March to May is fiercely hot.
January, November, December.