The city of eighteen mountains: mask country, waterfalls and liana bridges.
Man sits in the western highlands, ringed by the peaks that give it its nickname. It is the one place in Côte d'Ivoire where culture and landscape are impossible to separate: this is Dan and Wè country, where masks remain part of village life, and it is also the most dramatic terrain in the country.
It is a long way — eight hours by road from Abidjan, or a domestic flight — and that distance is the price of admission. People who make the trip generally stay three or four days, because everything worth seeing is spread across the valleys and you spend a good part of each day travelling between them.
Dan and Wè masks are not decoration: they appear at funerals, judgements and initiations, and each has a role. Visits are arranged with the families who hold them, with permission asked in advance. We never promise an appearance on a fixed date — that is not how it works.
The Dan stilt dancers perform on poles several metres high, in full costume. It is genuinely astonishing, and it is also a ritual form, not street entertainment.
Woven from living vines across the rivers, maintained by the villages that use them. The best known is at Lieupleu. Crossing one is a short, memorable experience.
Tonkoui is among the highest points in the country, with views across to Guinea on a clear morning. The Man waterfall, in forest just outside town, is an easy walk.
The political capital, and the site of one of the largest churches in the world.
ExploreCapital of the north, heart of Senufo country, and home of the painted cloth that became an emblem of the country.
ExploreThe economic capital and the point of arrival — a lagoon city of five million people.
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