Burkina Faso (Land of the Honest People) is a country in Africa bordering Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo. Burkina Faso has been independent from France since 1960. The capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou. A number of major cities in Burkina Faso are: Bobo Dioulasso, Koudougou, Banfora and Ouahigouya. See weddinginfashion for economy of Africa.
Burkina Faso is a poor country and most of the inhabitants depend on agriculture. Various aid organizations have projects running to offer the children from Burkina Faso a better life. The country is well developed culturally. Especially in the field of music, dance, theater and film. Burkina Faso is also known worldwide for its architecture. Many buildings use a lot of color, paintings, special shapes, mosaic and wooden posts.
Where is Burkina Faso?
Travel information of Burkina Faso
Official name: Republic of Burkina Faso
Continent: Africa
Area: 274,000 km²
Capital: Ouagadougou
Country code: BF, BFA
Population: 21,510,181 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Republic
Highest point: 749 m (Tena Kourou)
Distance (Amsterdam – Ouagadougou): 4,472 km
Flight time: approximately 7 hours
Negative claim advice
Current status: All trips to Burkina Faso are discouraged.
Current color code: Red. Due to this status, a negative travel advice
is in effect for Burkina Faso.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), there may be (temporary) measures in place in Burkina Faso that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Burkina Faso, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
At the moment there are no travel organizations that offer travel to Burkina Faso. If you want to put together your own trip or are looking for separate travel components such as hotels, airline tickets and a rental car, please visit our travel offer page.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Burkina Faso?
Weather and climate
Burkina Faso generally has a sunny, hot and dry climate. Temperatures can reach 45 degrees in summer. In the winter months, temperatures drop to about 20 degrees.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Burkina Faso can be found on our extensive weather page.
Extensive information about the climate of Burkina Faso can be found at Climate info.
Best time
November, December, January and February are the best months to travel to Burkina Faso. This way you avoid the extremely hot season, the rainy season and you also have the least chance of sandstorms, which incidentally rarely occur.
Language
French is the official language in Burkina Faso. However, the most widely spoken language is More, which is spoken by approximately 40% of the population. In addition, there are approximately 70 local languages.
Would you like to translate from or into French for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon departure from Burkina Faso.
A visa is required. You can apply for this in person at the embassy of Burkina Faso in Brussels.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Dutch embassy and consulate in Burkina Faso: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy of Burkina-Faso in Belgium (also for the Netherlands): rijksoverheid.nl.
Consulates of Burkina-Faso in the Netherlands: rijksoverheid.nl.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting Burkina Faso, it is mandatory to get vaccinated against yellow fever.
In addition, there are one or more vaccinations that are recommended.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Malaria
Malaria occurs in Burkina Faso. Malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by malaria mosquitoes. This infectious disease can lead to death if not treated in time and/or incorrectly.
For prevention and control of malaria, please visit our malaria page.
Money and Currency
In Burkina Faso, payments are made with the CFA franc (XOF).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Burkina Faso can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in Burkina Faso are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -20% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (49% cheaper), food (10% more expensive), imported beer in catering (34% cheaper), cigarettes (79% cheaper) and public transport (78% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Burkina Faso it is not customary to tip. Generally a service charge is already added to the bill.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 2 hours earlier in Burkina Faso.
During our winter time it is 1 hour earlier in Burkina Faso.
Burkina Faso has no difference in winter time and summer time.
Find the local time, date and time zone for Burkina Faso on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Burkina Faso you have to drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Burkina Faso.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Burkina Faso.
Electricity
In Burkina Faso you can use a Dutch flat plug.
A round plug must have a recess for the grounding pin present in the socket. You need a travel plug if your plug does not have such a recess.
More information about electricity in Burkina Faso can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 306333 (Ouagadougou), 981233 (Bobo Dioulasso)
– Fire: 18 (Ouagadougou, Bobo Dioulasso)
– Ambulance: 306074 (Ouagadougou), 970009 or 970010 (Bobo Dioulasso)
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news regarding Burkina Faso can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Burkina Faso can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Burkina Faso end in.bf.
Burkina Faso official website: burkina.com.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Burkina Faso is 00226 or +226.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Burkina Faso? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of Burkina Faso.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from Burkina Faso.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Burkina Faso.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Burkina Faso can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Burkina Faso, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travel reports
Are you looking for a travel report about Burkina Faso?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Burkina Faso. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Burkina Faso can be found on Protected Planet.
An overview of the world heritage sites in Burkina Faso can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Burkina Faso? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Entrepreneurship and doing business
If you intend to do business in or do business with Burkina Faso, it is wise to prepare well. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency can help you with this. On PaulSourcing.com you will find a large amount of information about Burkina Faso, including: opportunities, import and export rules, trade figures, do’s and don’ts, business partners and subsidies.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Burkina Faso.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking at all ages.
– Alcohol and traffic: No maximum permitted alcohol content.
– Tobacco: Unknown
– Smoking ban: No
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world?
…Burkina Faso is the largest cotton producer in Africa?
…A school week in Burkina Faso lasts from Monday to Saturday?
…60% of the inhabitants of Burkina Faso are Muslim?
