Travel Information

About Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

Cote d’Ivoire is a West African francophone country. The capital city is Yamoussoukro, and the largest city and defacto capital is Abidjan, where the NewSpace Africa Conference 2023 will be held. There are six spoken languages: French (official), Dioula, Baoulé), Dan, Anyin and Senari. 

A cultural crossroads of West Africa, Abidjan is characterised by a high level of industrialisation and urbanisation. It also is one of the most populous French-speaking cities in Africa. Abidjan is the country’s commercial capital, and with its gleaming skyscrapers and manicured gardens boasts impressive views, rich cultural heritage and history. Cote d’Ivoire has up to eight national parks, including the Comoe, the largest protected area in West Africa and the most diverse savannah in the world. 

Visa Requirements

Tourists coming into Ivory Coast can apply for e-visas to be issued on arrival, which last for 90 days, with the possibility to extend the duration once the individual is in the country. The Côte d’Ivoire e-Visa is only available for arrival at Abidjan Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (also known as Port Bouët Airport). For all other entry points, a traditional visa is required. Visa processing takes an average of five days and costs USD 73. 

If you are not an ECOWAS national, you must hold a valid visa or have had your application for an e-visa approved for Côte d’Ivoire before you travel. 

The following are required to start the e-visa application process.

• Travellers must have their COVID-19 and Yellow Fever vaccination cards.
• A passport valid at least six months after arrival in Côte d’Ivoire, 
• Return air tickets from the Ivory Coast, 
• Proof of accommodation: family declaration, hotel reservation, etc., contact on-site, and
• Valid travel insurance.

Visitors must apply for the e-visa online several days before their travel date to allow time for their application to be processed. Be sure to follow instructions on the website carefully to avoid any difficulties with airlines or immigration authorities. After registering and paying online, you can collect your visa on arrival at Abidjan Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport.

Vaccination 

COVID-19:  If you’re fully vaccinated, you can enter Côte d’Ivoire without needing to test or quarantine. You no longer need to show a negative PCR test nor a Declaration of Travel by Air (DDVA) on arrival in Côte d’Ivoire, but you must present proof of vaccination.  At least 14 days must have passed since your second dose of the vaccine. If you are not vaccinated, you must submit a Declaration of Travel by Air (DDVA) form and proof of a negative PCR test taken no more than 48 before your flight to Cote d’Ivoire. 

COVID-19 control measures are subject to frequent review and may change at short notice. You should check the Côte d’Ivoire government’s official site for updates, though these sometimes are not made immediately.

In addition, children aged 12 and above will need a negative PCR test to enter Côte d’Ivoire if they are not fully vaccinated.

Yellow fever: All visitors must show a valid Yellow Fever vaccination certificate on arrival at the airport. 

Travel

Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport

The Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport serves the city. It is the largest airport in the country for air traffic. The airport is the main hub of the national airline Air Côte d’Ivoire. Named after the first president of Ivory Coast, Félix Houphouët-Boigny, this international airport is served by airlines from across Africa and Europe and is currently directly connected to different airports in Europe, South and Central Americas, and many destinations within the rest of Africa and the Middle East. The airport is served by over 20 airlines, covering more than 36 destinations.

Weather

Cote d’Ivoire has a humid equatorial climate in the South and a dry tropical savannah climate in the North; thus, it gets its dry season from December to February and a rainy season from April to October due to the African monsoon. Abidjan is generally humid, with average relative humidity above 80% throughout the year. During the NewSpace Africa Conference 2023, Abidjan will be wet, humid and rainy, with an average temperature varying between 26.5°C (79.7°F) and 30.6°C (87.1°F).

Recommended Hotels
Code: NEWSPACE CONFERENCE
Dedicated buses will shuttle between each hotel and the conference center.
Breakfast included in all rooms.

Tourism

• Musée des Civilisations de Côte d’Ivoire (National museum)

• Comoé National Park: One of the largest protected areas in West Africa, this park is characterised by its great plant diversity. Due to the presence of the Comoé river, it contains plants typically only found much farther south, such as shrub savannahs and patches of thick rainforest.

• Banco National Park: Some of the most exciting things about this park includes the existence of potentially 600 primary forests; the existence of an arboretum of more than 800 species of higher plants originating from the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America; the existence of fish ponds located in the heart of the park; the existence of a semi-natural swimming pool and a restaurant, the existence of the house of the Governor Rest which serves as an eco-museum and the presence of a family of chimpanzees.

• Historic Town of Grand-Bassam: Grand-Bassam was the first capital of Côte d’Ivoire. The town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s an example of a late 19th- and early 20th-century colonial town planned with quarters specialising in commerce, administration, and housing for Europeans and Africans. The site includes the N’zima African fishing village alongside colonial architecture marked by functional houses with galleries, verandas and gardens.

• St Paul’s Cathedral: Saint Paul’s Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. This unique and modern architecture is unlike any other and is the second-largest cathedral in Africa.