Time Needed: 2-3 Days
Backpacker’s Budget: 30-35 USD a day

Things to Do and See in Ouagadougou

As mentioned in the intro to this city, there isn’t an overwhelming amount of tourism activities set up in Ouagadougou.  In fact, when I was there the two biggest museums were under-construction and free from exhibits.  That being said, you’ll be able to find some worthy attractions to explore.

• The Grand Mosque: Unlike the calm surrounding the mosque in Bobo-Dioulasso, this mosque is surrounded by the chaos of a market.  Both are fun to explore.
• National Museum: Had no exhibits when I was there so ask before spending the money to get out here.
• Mora-Naba Palace: It doesn’t look like much of a palace, but it the home to the Mossi chief.  If you’re around at 7am on a Friday, there is a ceremony worth watching.

Where to Eat in Ouagadougou

The food situation in Ouagadougou is surprisingly good.  Thanks to a healthy expat population, you’ll have a wide variety of foreign foods, a couple good supermarkets, and the nice local food to choose from.

• Le Foret: This place has great African food including stuff from nearby countries like Senegal.  Meals run about $5-6 USD.
• Le Verdoyant: Near the massive traffic circle, this place has fantastic pizzas and pasta.  Most of the crowd consists of expats.  Pizzas run about $12
• Chez Tonti: If you’re looking for cheap as chips Burkinabe food, this is the place.  You can get a rice and sauce here for about $2 USD
• Pavillon Vert: The hotel has good grub at an average price.  If you’re staying here it’s a convinient dinner grab.

Where to Stay in Ouagadougou

There’s a fairly decent array of places to stay in Ouagadougou, and like pretty much everywhere in the country it’s all pretty good value.

• Pavillon Vert: This is where I stayed, and I doubt there’s anywhere of such good value.  I paid $15 for a private room with a fan.  The hotel also has free wifi and a restaurant along with tourist information.
• Case d’Hotes: I stopped in here to check out the rooms and it’s a really nice place.  Unfortunately it was a little out of my price range at $30 a night.  They also had wifi.

Getting out of town

Ouagadougou, in many ways, is the center of this part of West Africa.  There are regular buses to just about everywhere in Burkina Faso.  There are also regular buses to both Mali and Ghana.

Back to the Burkina Faso travel guides

“I don’t think so,” I reply to a group of guests from Jollyboys Backpackers. “The geometry of it doesn’t work.”

The bus driver asks us to step out of the vehicle and then proceeds to slam the vehicle into the walls over a deep ditch grooved into the road.  It wouldn’t be a day in Africa without a breakdown, flat tire, or bus stuck on a dirt road.  It can be frustrating, but like good travellers our group makes the most of it.  The girls find a group of village kids and start playing “What Time is it Mr. Wolf”.  The boys help try to dig out the bus, we push rocks under the tires and push along with about 10 other locals that have come to our aid.

We decide it’s best to inflate the canoes and hike the last couple kilometers to the river front.  We balance the boats on our heads and moan with each step to the shore.

After a quick bit of explanation, we all step into our boats and push our way into the light rapids of the Zambezi River.  Light shrieks ring out across the waters as small waves dance off the surface of the water and into the boats.  The river starts quickly and chops in white-tipped waves before smoothing out into a scene of reflective waters and reflective moods.  There are few places I feel more at peace than the river.  We float casually down the river; Zambia on our left and Zimbabwe on our right.

In the distance, the sound of a family of hippos can be heard.  When they call out, it sounds like a cow is laughing on the shores.  I see the rippling of water and spot the eyes of one of the huge mammals.  Farther down the river, I spy a family of hippos sleeping on the shore, they look like rocks in the distance.  Again they call out, issuing a territorial warning.

As our canoe journey ends, we are whisked away on a game drive through the national park.  Though it’s small, the river side park swells from wildlife.  At one point, there is a giraffe on the road, a herd of elephants across the road, and a group of antelope grazing in an open field.  Through my travels in West and Central Africa, finding wildlife was a mission, here in Livingstone it’s hard to avoid them.  Between buffalo and brightly-painted bee-eaters, the abundance of wildlife is much more impressive than I ever imagined.

The safari truck ends at the river, and we end the day the only way that one should ever end a day: with gin and tonic.  The booze cruise starts gently up the Zambezi River and quickly turns becomes rowdy.  In a complete juxtaposition from the canoe ride in the morning, this evening is far from a scene of peace and serenity.  The boat is a pub on water, and I imagine that the voices of passengers must ring out across the water warning all animals of our presence.  To my surprise however, we come across a family of hippos bobbing their heads up and down through the water.

As the sky turns a soft yellow and then burns a bright red after the sun meets the horizon.  The beauty of the sun setting on the river delivers another moment of peace.  Aside from the sound of clicking camera shutters and the occasional “awww”, the boat falls into full appreciation of the river, of the sunset, and of nature in general.  There are few places in the world as powerful as the Zambezi River, and today we’ve seen it from all all angles.

I’m led down a dirt trail away from the bridge and hooked up to a zipline.  With a couple words of instruction the guide shoves me across the gorge towards the bridge.  I soar gracefully across the brown rock gorge with the rapids of the heavily flowing Zambezi below me.  Mist slaps my face and then for a moment clears up enough so I can see Victoria Falls pouring behind the bridge.  As I arrive at the landing point, there is a shriek and a scream, as a girl dives from the bridge with the bungee harnessed to her feet.  She springs back upwards, nearly to the arch of the bridge.

I’m pulled over the ledge of the bridge and my legs shake not from the adrenaline of the zipline but the realization that I’m next up to do the bungee jump.

I crawl under the bungee jump station’s barrier and out onto the ledge.  The floor is see-through and past my feet I can see the river 111 meters below.  This is the third highest bungee jump in the world, and as I stare down I don’t doubt it.  I’m turned away from the ledge and told to sit on a bench where my feet are bound.  I’m asked to sit farther back on the bench, but every inch closer to the edge, the more my heart beats.  Though I’m sitting 4 or 5 feet from the ledge, each foot away from it feels more comfortable.

With my feet wrapped heavily in towels and rope, and weight pulling heavily from the bungee cord, I stand and face the open air of the world beyond the ledge.  I waddle like a penguin towards the edge and make the mistake of looking at my toes as they hang over the edge.  The guide holds his hands in the pits of my arms and I stand staring at the horizon without the support of the rail.  They count down, and I jump.

Heavy wind kisses my face as I attempt to scream an elated cry.  The free fall seems to last forever and the water seems to be racing towards me uncomfortably quick.  Finally, the bungee tugs at my legs and I’m drawn back towards the sky; I can’t help but cheer as I do.  As I bob up and down and spin in the recoil of the bungee, I have no idea which way is up, down, left or right.  Eventually, a man slides down on a wire and drags me back to the base of the bridge.

I’ve done it, the Victoria Falls Bungee Jump, one of the many items on my African bucket list has just been crossed off.  But I’m not done yet, still on the docket here is a bridge swing from the same launching pad as the bungee.

I’m again strapped to a series of harnesses and ropes, but this time I’m attached to rope at my waist.  The heavy ropes pull me towards the lip and I have to lean back as to not be dragged into the gorge.  After the bungee, walking to the edge feels like a piece of cake. I lean my toes over the edge and hop foot first into the river basin.

After a quick moment’s regret, and the shout of a profanity, the anchored rope catches hold and I’m sent into a fierce swing across the gorge.  The mist of the falls drenches my face, the wind tosses the last of my hair, and a perfectly round rainbow stands proud along the river walls beside me.  It’s hard to explain the feeling of being swung at top speed over the great Zambezi, but the word euphoria comes to mind.  And as the rope’s swing comes to a stop I find myself hanging in one of the world’s most beautiful settings.  From adrenaline to peace.

Since I was young pushing the playground swing has high as I could, I’ve craved the rush of adrenaline.  Though I got my fix here in Livingstone, I know that it will only satisfy my extreme palate for so long.  Like a drug addict, the adrenaline junkie is always looking for a better fix, a bigger buzz, and a wilder ride.  What will be my next fix?  I guess you’ll have to stay tuned.