Airlines serving Côte d’Ivoire include Air Burkina, Air France, British Airways, Egyptair, Kenya Airways, SN Brussels, South African Airways, Trans African Airlines and VLM. Côte d’Ivoire has a shareholding in Air Afrique, although the future of this airline, due to financial difficulties, is still under negotiation. It is recommended that visitors reconfirm returns flights 72 hours in advance.

XOF3,000 for African destinations and XOF5,000 for all other departures (from Abidjan airport - prices differ according to airport flown from).

Abidjan (ABJ) (Félix Houphouët-Boigny) (website: www.aeria.ci) is 16km (10 miles) southeast of Abidjan. To/from the airport: Buses and taxis are available to the city (journey time - 25 minutes). Facilities: Duty-free shop, restaurant, shops, banks/bureaux de change, post office, pharmacy and car hire.

Yamoussoukro (ASK) (San Pedro) has been upgraded to international standard.

Main ports: Abidjan is the main port in Cote d’Ivoire; however, there are no regular passenger sailings. Cargo liners provide limited accommodation for passengers travelling from Europe.

The Abidjan-Niger Railway extends to Burkino Faso. There are two through-trains with sleeping and restaurant cars from Abidjan to Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) daily (journey time – 25 to 27 hours). Those intending to travel should be aware that the Burkina Faso rail network is under constant threat of closure because of financial difficulties; check with the appropriate authorities before finalising arrangements.

There are road links of varying quality from Kumasi (Ghana) and from Burkina Faso, Guinea and Liberia and Mali. Borders close at night.

Bus: Frequent services operate to Accra (Ghana) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). There is a service approximately once a week to Bamako (Mali); the journey can be very long (36 to 96 hours).

Bush taxis also operate on these routes.

Air Ivoire (VU) (website: www.airivoire.com) no longer runs domestic flights. Check with a travel agent for new options.

The Abidjan–Ouagadougou railway is one of the most efficient in Africa and runs trains daily from Abidjan to Bouaké and Ferkessédougou. Children under four years of age travel free. Children aged between four and 9 pay half fare.

Traffic drives on the right. Côte d’Ivoire has a good road system by West African standards, with 68,000km (42,250 miles) of roads, 5,600km (3480 miles) of which are surfaced. However, drivers should be aware of potholes and poorly lit vehicles. Petrol stations are frequent except in the north.

Bus: Small private buses and bush taxis operate throughout the country; they are efficient, although often extremely overcrowded. There are also larger coaches for longer journeys.

Taxi: These are available in main cities, although often of unsound mechanical condition.

Car hire: Cars may be hired in Abidjan, main towns and at the airport.

Documentation: Insurance is compulsory for the driver. The driver requires a UK or most other (applicable) national driving licences, accompanied by attestation from the embassy of the issuing country that it is genuine.

Extensive bus and boat services are operated in Abidjan by SOTRA on a two-tiered fare structure. Taxis are usually red and metered; rates are doubled from 0000-0600.

The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Abidjan to other major towns in the Côte d’Ivoire.

	Air	Rail
Bondoukou	1.20	-
Man	0.50	-
Odienne	2.20	-
San Pedro	1.00	-