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Abidjan travel safety advice
Abidjan travel safety advice
There are a number of issues that plague Abidjan, which are indicative of the overall problems that Cote d'Ivoire is experiencing. First and foremost are the military checkpoints. While generally harmless for foreigners, they can make it maddening to get across the city in a timely fashion, especially if one is in a private care. Bribes are commonplace, but not an absolute. Carrying small bills is always a good idea. Otherwise, just agreeing with the officer bothering you is the best course of action. If you're respectful, they'll usually let you be, unless you are French, in which case you will be hassled a good deal more due to the Ivorians having heavy disdain for French involvement in their country.
Also if in a private car, you'll notice that most people roll through red lights late at night. While illegal, there have been incidents of carjackings when people are stopped, so heed this warning as you see best.
Something else to keep in mind is that Cote d'Ivoire literally shuts down at midnight until 05:00. As a remnant of a curfew imposed during the last civil war, they barricade all the main points of entry and exit to all the towns. If you find yourself on the wrong side of that barricade when it is closed (such as staying in Bassam, but partying in Abidjan) you will absolutely not be let through until 05:00.
Pickpockets are a problem in crowded places much like anywhere else in the world. Keep track of your personal items and make sure your bags are well closed when passing through busy bus stations or markets.
While the most lively of neighborhoods, places such as Koumassi, Treichville, and Yopougon are probably best avoided unless going there with a local. Yopougon is undoubtedly the safest with the most impressive assortment of street food, but there can also be young, drunken men in these areas who can be looking for trouble. That said, if you're not starting the trouble and try to diffuse the situation, you'll probably not have any issues as people in Abidjan are used to an international crowd in their city.
Women should not go out unaccompanied at night. During the day, you'll have no problems. Ivorian society is most definitely patriarchal, but at the same time, the men are respectful of international women and at times maybe a bit too respectful, giving you a lot more attention than you'd like. If you receive unwanted advances, just do as the local girls do and firmly tell them you're not interested. They'll eventually get the point or move on to other women to "charm".
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Abidjan
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Abidjan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.