Guideforafrica.com gives as much possible information on Public, gazetted and national holidays in Burkina Faso for the Calendar year 2012. All the public holidays as declared by the government are also applicable to all its employees and they need not work on those days. Some extra optional holidays are also given.
So during these days / periods, you will not be able to access any government services. The Central Bank of the country and other major banking institutions also remain closed, although ATMs stay operational (24 hours service). Some foreign exchange points stay open for just a few hours of the public holiday. However, remember if planning for a visa application or extension, or send something from a post office, or use the main branch of a bank, travelers should endeavor to avoid these days. However, most of the happening hotspots such as resort beaches, night clubs, recreation grounds and small shopping centres generally remain open to their clients.

Below are the Public and National Holidays in Burkina Faso for the January 2012-December 2012 period.
01 January: New Year’s Day
03 January: Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d’État
04 February: Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet) (Islamic Day)
08 March: Women’s Day (International Day)
09 April: Easter Monday (Christian Day)
01 May: Workers Day (International Day) – Government offices, and most banking institutions and businesses remain closed.
17 May: Ascension (Christian Day)
04 August: Revolution Day
05 August: Independence Day
15 August: Assumption (Christian Day)
19 August: Aid El Segheir (End of Ramadan)
15 October: Anniversary of the 1987 Coup d’État
26 October: Aid El Kébir (Feast of the Sacrifice)
01 November: All Saints’ Day (Christian Day)
15 November: El am Hejir (New Year) (Islamic Day)
11 December: Proclamation of the Republic
25 December: Christmas Day (Christian Day)
26 December: Boxing Day (Christian Day)
Note:
- Some public holidays are celebrated on the same date every year. This is particularly applicable to the internationally recognized dates.
- The main impact for the tourist during Public Holidays in Burkina Faso is the increased competition for travel and accommodation especially to those who use long weekends to get away from the busy centres. It is therefore plausible to make your hotel as well flight bookings well in advance especially for the foreign visitors.

TOURS AND SAFARIS AGENTS IN BURKINA FASO

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• By Air: Ouagadougou International Airport (OUA) located 8km (5 miles) from the city is the main airport that handles all international flights to Burkina Faso. Borgo airport located16km (10 miles) from Bobo Dioulasso handles mainly domestic flights. The national airline is Air Burkina (2J). There are several other major airlines flying into Burkina Faso from many cities around the world.
• By Road: Routes are from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo, although these are often barely adequate. Regular bus services run during the dry season, from Bobo to Bamako in Mali, and from Ouagadougou to Niamey in Niger and to Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire. Bush taxis operate some routes.
• By Rail: There is a train running 517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d’Ivoire border. There is also train service servicing Abidjan-Bobo-Ouaga-Kaya.

GETTING AROUND
Modes of transportation for getting around the country are by air, rail, cars, buses, and car hire.

• By Road: This is the most popular way traveling within the country. However, most roads tend impassable during the July to October wet season. You should avoid driving at night as some streets are not well lit and poor headlights of some road users. Buses are available and absolutely economical and plentiful. Available are also car hire services from most hotels in the city. Shared taxis are available in major centers at negotiable fares.
• By Air: Borgo airport 16km (10 miles) from Bobo Dioulasso is the main domestic airport and handles local flights between Bobo Dioulasso and Ouagadougou with Air Burkina. But be aware that when you fly, you miss out on many interesting attractions.

MAIN CITIES: Ouagadougou (the capital city), Banfora, Bobo-Dioulasso- (the second largest city in the south-west), Bokin, Dedougou, Djibo, Dori, Fada N’goruma, Gaoua, Gorom-Gorom, Kaya, Koudougou, Leo, Oradara, Ouahigouya, Zorgo.
MONEY / CURRENCY: Burkina Faso currency is the Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFA). Credit cards are not extensively used. Mastercard is unacceptable at ATMs. Banks are wide spread in Ouaga and Bobo.
ENTRY POLICY: Passport and a visa are required to enter the country. Travelers need to obtain a visa well in advance. Travelers from the EU countries can obtain visas upon arrival at Ouagadougou International Airport. Temporary driving licenses are available from the local authorities on presentation of a valid national driving license.

• Lively capital Ouagadougou; the country’s largest city takes pride in several attractions including wildlife parks such as the Bangr-Weoogo urban and L’Unité Pédagogique. The parks shelter animals in a semi-free state. Other prominent city spots holiday tourists are the Garden of Ouaga-Loudun Friendship, Ouagadougou Cathedral; Naba Koom – a statue portraying a woman handling a calabash; the National Museum of Music; La Place du Grand Lyon – a monument adjacent the French cultural Center featuring an imposing lion; Parc Animalier de Ziniaré zoo and several other attractions.
• An adventure trip to the north into the hauntingly beautiful Sahel Region on the tip of the Sahara can also be rewarding. Here expect to meet nomad businessmen. In the south, to the intricately patterned villages of the Kassena people. You also meet the Tuareg and Fulani families who are renowned for their warm reception to visitors.
• Guide for Africa also highly recommends a journey to the south west corner up to the town of Banfora. This region is home to some of the country’s most spectacular natural sites, such as the enigmatic Domes of Fabedougou and the pretty Karfiguela Falls. The falls are ideal honeymoon spots for adventurous couples.  Head off to the nearby to observe the hippos, taking a pirogue out onto the water and getting surprisingly close to these enormous creatures. You will have to spend the night camping near a village and have the chance to taste some of the local millet beer.
• Finally we travel to Burkina’s western region, to its unusual rock formations, traditional cultures and the fortified villages of the Lobi people, one of the last ethnic groups to accept colonial rule. We also track elephants with near guaranteed sightings, explore mud built mosques, and immerse ourselves in Burkina’s contemporary life in the amiable cities of Ouagadougou and Bob-Dioulasso.
• On your holiday in Burkina Faso you may also not want to miss driving to Gaoua, the major town in Lobi. With the help of local agents, you may tour their fortress style houses dotted and possibly spot women panning for grains of gold in the rivers and streams.

Once on holiday, have several Burkina Faso tours through some very remote areas where you will spend time in the company of local communities.
For where to stay, liaise with the local Burkina Faso tour operators who are most of the time in contact or in business with most top Burkina Faso hotels. They should help you negotiate a better package and price on your behalf. They are also informed when hotels have lowered their rates or have a promotion going on.
So as you plan your honeymoon after the wedding or if you are married and want to re-energize and bring the spice back into your marriage, look no further than doing it local, Burkina Faso holidays have a lot for you for a cherished moment in life.

Safari National Parks in Burkina Faso

Resting Elephant in W National Park

If you want to catch glimpses of true wilderness in Africa, you need to visit its most famous National Parks. Burkina Faso National Parks and Reserve areas serve as homes to countless rare and exotic flora and fauna species. They offer truly mesmerizing safaris and you will also vouch for the same after visiting other sites in the country:

• Arli National Park: This national park is located in southeastern Burkina Faso. The park serves as a home to around 200 elephants, 200 hippos and 100 lions. There are also buffalo, baboons, red and green monkeys, warthog, boar and various antelope such as western hartebeest and roan antelope. There are also bushbucks, duikers and waterbuck. Apart from wildlife, wide variety of habitats, ranging from the gallery forests of the Arli and Pendjari rivers to you can also explore the savanna woodland and sandstone hills of the Gobnangou chain.
• Kaboré Tambi National Park: The Park is situated between Ouagadougou and the border with Ghana and follows the course of the Nazinon River. The bird enthusiasts can explore here a variety of 175 bird species.
• Deux Balés National Park: This wildlife sanctuary in Burkina Faso is found in the central eastern region of the country. Along with rich diversity of flora, you will get to see a variety of wildlife in Burkina Faso in this park including Hippopotamus, buffalos, elephants, crocodiles and antelopes. The vegetation comprises Sudano-Zambezian savanna with a carpet of grasses, and trees such as Anogeissus leiocarpus, Isoberlinia doka and Terminalia laxiflora. There is gallery forest on the riverbanks.
• W National Park: Expect to enjoy some of the best views of the wildlife in Burkina Faso in this park alone. This W-shaped park is located around a meander in the River Niger. The Park is known for its large safari animals, including aardvarks, baboons, buffalo, caracal, cheetahs, elephants, hippopotamuses, leopards, lions, serval and warthogs. The park provides a home for
  

  Grazing

  some of West Africa’s last wild African Elephants. However, the rare West African Giraffe, today restricted to small parts of the Niger, is absent from the park. The W Park is also known for historic occurrence of packs of the endangered Painted Hunting Dog.

Burkina Faso tours will rejuvenate you by opening a world of gorgeous panorama and will pamper you with a pocket full of sweet memories to be taken home. Enjoy your Burkina Faso Safaris!

Burkina Faso Flag

Location: formerly Upper Volta is a landlocked country in West Africa.
Neighbours: It is neighboured by 6 countries namely Mali (north); Niger (east); Benin (south east); Côte d’Ivoire (south west); and Togo and Ghana (south).
Capital City: Ouagadougou.
Residents: known as Burkinabè
Independence: Full self governing was attained in 1960.
History: Country was originally administered as part of Côte d’Ivoire colony.
Topography: Burkina Faso comprises of two major types of countryside with an average altitude is 400m and the difference between the highest and lowest terrain is no greater than 600m. Generally, this is a relatively flat country with a very few localised exceptions. The larger part of the country is occupied by a peneplain which forms a gently undulating landscape with, in some areas, a few isolated hills, and the last vestiges of a Precambrian massif. The south-west forms a sandstone massif, where the highest peak Ténakourou 749 m is found. The basin of the Niger River drains 27% of the country’s surface whose tributaries of le Béli, le Gorouol, le Goudébo and le Dargol is seasonal streams and only flow for 4 to 6 months a year. Other prominent lakes include Tingrela, Bam and Dem, and the large ponds of Oursi, Béli, Yomboli, and Markoye.
Climate: Burkina Faso has experiences a tropical climate with two marked distinct seasons: the rainy season with between 24-35 inches (600 and 900 mm) of rainfall, and the dry season during which the harmattan blows, a hot dry wind from the Sahara. The rainy season lasts approximately 4 months, May/ June to September, and is shorter in the north of the country.
Government: It is headed by a constitutional President the real power center in the political structure elected by popular vote for a seven-year term. No limit in the number of terms for the president. Country has a parliament – the Assemblée Nationale with two chambers consisting of 111 members elected by popular vote every five years. Representatives are of religious groups, traditional rulers, trade unions, women’s organizations and other social groups. The cabinet has thirty-five ministers headed by the Prime Minister who is appointed by the president. Administratively Burkina Faso is divided into 13 regions, 45 provinces, and 301 departments.
National Holidays: National holidays honor independence and the Sankara revolution: On 11 December 1959, the Republic was proclaimed and on 5 August 1960, Upper Volta

Burkinabe Boys

became independent.
Population: Burkina Faso’s population stands at 12,603,185. (2002 estimate) It is mainly concentrated in the south and center of the country, sometimes exceeding 48 per sq km. Annual migrations of hundreds of thousands are common due to seasonal employment. Population growth rate is 2.71% (2000 est.)
Life expectancy: An estimated life expectancy at birth is slightly less than 50 years of age.
Mortality Rates: High prevalence of AIDS has resulted into low life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates in the country.
Education: Education in Burkina Faso is structured primary, secondary, and higher education. Education is technically free and officially mandatory until the age of 16, however few Burkinabè have had formal education. The United Nations Development Program Report places Burkina Faso as the most illiterate country in the world, with only a 12.8% literacy rate.
Religion: Approximately 45% continue to hold traditional beliefs. About 43% of the population is Muslim, Christianity, spread by missionaries in colonial times, accounts for 12% more among the urban elite.

Cultural Entertainer

Participants of dancers decorate themselves with masks supplemented by wind and stringed instruments which makes the dances so charming. Cultural and traditional ceremonies of the many ethnic groups in Burkina Faso have long involved dancing with masks. However, there is some colonial influence of the dances today. What a great country to tour if you are interested in learning West African dances!
Religion
Approximately 50% of the population is Muslim; Christianity shares about 30%, and followers of traditional African religions (typically animism of various forms) make up about 20%. However sometimes elements of animism are incorporated in Christians and Muslims religious practices.
Language
The primary language used in Burkina Faso is French, the language of the former colonizing power. This is the language in public administration, education, business and the media. Though there are also several historical and tribal languages widely spoken such as Mooré (in the Central dominantly and Dyula (West), a few other languages are also used in radio programs and on television news. Others are Bwamu, Dagara, and Lobiri, Bisa, Sane and Bobo.
Marriage
Today arranged marriages, which were the rule in former times, are rare, especially in urban contexts. In a customary marriage, the husband pays bride price to the bride’s family. The amount varies according to ethnic group from symbolic to substantial contributions that take many years to acquire. Women join their husbands after marriage, and this forges an alliance between two families. Divorce is possible; any children stay with the husband’s family, and the family receives the bride price should the woman remarry. If the husband dies, the widow is expected to marry a brother of her late husband. Polygamy is extensive especially with in the traditional and Muslim faiths, but is opposed by the Christian churches. The culture of Burkina Faso is indeed quite appealing for any visitor.

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa bounded by six countries namely Niger to the east, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) to the south west, Ghana and Togo to the south, Mali to the north, Niger and Benin to the south east.
Formerly Upper Volta, present Burkina Faso is among the poorest and most illiterate countries in the world. Burkina Faso’s capital city is Ouagadougou and its inhabitants are known as Burkinabè.
The country’s population stands at 15.263 million people at a growth rate of 2.71%; estimated life expectancy at birth of slightly below 50 years of age.
Geography
Burkina Faso is a relatively flat country whose average altitude averages at approximately 400m. The country is generally made up of two types of landscape i.e. the larger peneplain forming a gently surging landscape punctuated with a few isolated hills and the last vestiges of a Precambrian massif; and the sandstone massif in the southwest which forms the highest peak, Ténakourou at an elevation of 749m.
Burkina Faso is watered by three rivers that is the Black Volta (Mouhoun), the White Volta (Nakambé) and the Red Volta (Nazinon). 27% of the country’s land surface is also drained by the River Niger whose tributaries of Béli, Gorouol, Goudébo and Dargol are seasonal streams. Much as Burkina Faso also comprises several in land water lakes, there are pronounced cases of water shortage particularly in the north.
Climate
Burkina Faso essentially experiences a tropical climate with two distinct seasons. In the rainy season, the country receives between 600 and 900 millimeters of rainfall. This rainy season lasts approximately four months, May / June to September, and is shorter in the north of the country. The dry season characteristic of the harmattan – a hot dry wind from the Sahara – blows. Three climatic zones can be defined: the Sahel, the Sudan-Sahel, and the Sudan-Guinea. The Sahel in the north typically receives less rainfall a year but with high temperatures.
Economy
Burkina Faso is one of the countries with the most backward economies in the world. It is ranked as the 28th poorest nation among other nations such as the Republic of the Congo and Tajikistan, represented numerically in its low GDP per capita income of $1,300. It has just a handful of natural resources. Dominantly agricultural, the sector represents 32% of its gross domestic product and occupies 80% of the working population. It consists mostly of livestock but also, especially in the south and southwest, of growing sorghum, millet, maize (corn), peanuts, rice, and cotton. Industry remains dominated by unprofitable government-managed companies, particularly in its mineral exploitation of copper, iron, manganese, and, above all, gold.
People and Culture
Burkina Faso is an ethnically integrated, secular state with 15.2 million residents – (by the 2008 est.). The Burkinabès belong to two major West African cultural groups namely the Voltaic and the Mande. The Voltaic Mossi make up approximately 50% of the country’s population their decency is attached to warriors who migrated to present-day Burkina Faso from Ghana for seasonal agricultural work establishing an empire that lasted more than 800 years. Their principle economic activity is cultivation.
Most of Burkina’s people are settled in the south and central areas of the country.
Religion
Approximately 50% of the population is Muslim; Christians, both Roman Catholics and Protestants, comprise about 30% of the population, with their largest concentration in urban areas, whereas up to a 20% adhere to the traditional African religion. The introduction of Islam to Burkina Faso was initially resisted by the Mossi rulers. Many Christians and Muslims incorporate elements of animism into their religious practices.
Tourism
Burkina Faso is an excellent destination for anyone interested in seeing the original beauty of West Africa and its residents; and exploring African culture and music at its roots. Burkina Faso’s fauna and flora are exceptional and are sheltered in two national parks and several game reserves.

• New Year’s Day,1 January
• Anniversary of the 1966 Coup d’ État, 3 January
• Women’s Day, 8 March
• Labour Day,1 May
• Revolution Day, 4 August
• Independence Day, 5 August
• Proclamation Day, 11 December
• Christmas Day, 25 Dec & Boxing Day, 26 December

Accommodation
Finding a good, comfortable and affordable stay in hotels is equally important. If you are travelling to Burkina Faso, especially the first timers, it’s recommended that you always book your hotel accommodation in Burkina Faso well in advance. Similarly those planning for Burkina Faso holidays, it’s plausible to make prior arrangements for your lodging and accommodation. Availability of safari lodges in Burkina Faso is very hard to find even during the off seasons especially in major tourist places in Burkina Faso.
Your pocket budget is a very important thing to plan your Burkina Faso Vacation. The Hotel where you will be staying needs to fit into your budget. It is sensible that you find out the room rates beforehand by either calling up at the hotel or by simply searching online hotels in Burkina Faso. All hotels in the country match the world class categories. Visitors are encouraged to make their reservations in advance.