The West Africa I had seen through my mind’s eye for so many years was finally in front of me. Varying shades of French and local culture colored the food, speech and interactions throughout my time in Abidjan. And the humidity weighed on me like never before. As sweat fell from my forehead on a walk around the business district, I vowed never to complain about a steamy Brooklyn August afternoon again. After a few days in Cote d’Ivoire’s largest city, it was time for a respite from the mugginess at the beach in Assinie.
Without traffic, Assinie is an hour and a half drive east of Abidjan and less than 20 km from the border with Ghana. It is accessible by shared “bush taxi” – i.e., minivan – from Abidjan’s Gare de Bassam or by private vehicle, the former being significantly cheaper. The accommodations in Assinie are comprised of larger lodges on the lagoon and more intimate bungalows on the beach. The beach is only reached by boat from the various docks lining the lagoon. As Assinie is an extremely popular weekend destination for the Ivorian expat community and surfers, reservations are best made a week in advance.
Our friends had booked the last room at the African Queen Lodge on the lagoon and another room had opened for us by our arrival. Each half-bungalow is spacious, comfortable and, thankfully, well air conditioned. The lodge has a small infinity pool that overlooks the lagoon and the tall palm trees that line the beach across the water.
The paths to the beach are a 5-minute shuttle boat ride from the lodge’s docks. Upon hitting the sand, I found something common to beaches worldwide: soccer nets. Further down the beach, members of an active fishing village prepared to launch a boat flying the flags of Cameroon and France. Many boats in the village bore the signs of daily maritime journeys. Assinie has been occupied on and off for a few hundred years and I can’t imagine that the methods of the fisherman have changed greatly in that period.
Save the occasional quad whizzing by, the beach is very tranquil and the water clear. Tourists and locals ride horses on the packed part of the sand, which adds a rustic note to the backdrop of blues and whites. No music playing, shade under the palms and an occasional breeze. Decompressing is easy in Assinie.
I really enjoyed reading this. I too harbour an ambition of visiting West Africa and this sounds exactly like the type of place I would love to discover. I love the look of that beach, scruffy and windswept. I was never one for picture-perfect. Thanks Dave!
Thanks, Margherita. West Africa rewards the journey there as it’s such a different and enriching experience. Hope you make it soon!
I really enjoy all of the little moments you create with your photography style. It’s akin to how we see & process visuals in our travels and really opens up the experience to the reader. Certainly makes me want to visit. Great read!
Thank you, Erin. Taking those photos is one my favorite parts of traveling.
Your photos are wonderful and do a great job of capturing this seaside town. The soccer nets made me laugh because I think Canada and the US may be one of the only places on earth where soccer isn’t a beach activity and one is more likely to see volleyball nets than soccer nets. I was able to play a bit of late night beach soccer in Mexico a few years ago and it really is a great way to work up a sweat.
Great point, Calli! I can’t remember any beaches back in the eastern US with any soccer nets, let alone ones that had rusted from exposure. I would have loved to join you in the Mexican night beach soccer – sounds like a great workout.
You do such a wonderful job at describing a sense of place. This reminds me of what the Caribbean once was.
Thanks, Brianna – my wife said the same thing when we arrived! Wish I could travel back in time to that Caribbean now.
Hi Dave, looks like a peaceful and quiet place. Your pictures are beautiful, very inspiring. I’m in Belgium and it’s raining and it’s cold right now, your post gave me a little escape from this bad weather. 🙂
Thank you, Nina. The rains are starting in Ethiopia now, so I definitely would like to be back there myself!
This looks like an amazing place to just kick back and lose yourself for a while! You’ve definitely convince me I need to go there soon!
Thanks for stopping by, Michael. Pretty easy to let time pass in Assinie.
Never been to Africa but would love to go one day. Not for the beaches but actually, this would be a nice bonus after seeing some wildlife 🙂 happy traveling!
Hi Antonette – This was my first African beach town, as I’ve been concentrating on the wildlife and historical aspects of the continent – nice change of pace, though!
Looks like a great place to get away from it all. Very peaceful and few people – what could be better!
Thanks, Karen – an ideal spot to unwind 🙂
Dave, you need to stop sharing these heavenly destinations lol If I was given a choice between Thailand’s Kohs, or this, I’d definitely choose la Cote D’Ivoir. I did try to google the African Queen Lodge, but it seemed all booked up. Do you recommend other lodges in the area? Thanks for sharing.
Haha, thanks Rashad! I’ve heard L’Eden and L’Ocean are nice spots as well.
Wow Dave! Amazing photos. I want to go. Like now. How’s the food? Missing kitfo yet?
I start missing kitfo the second I walk out of a kitfo bet. Food was really good, I’ll be posting on Ivorian cuisine before too long.
I am starting to get sick with jealousy at some of the places you are visiting. These pictures are beautiful! I would sit by this beach all day and just watch the waves come in…Stunning pictures!
Thanks, Bianca 🙂 I had no problem doing just that!
Wonderful pictures you took there. After reading a couple of posts about Africa on your website AFrica gets more and more appealing…
Africa will change your perspective on many levels – I’d really enjoy seeing your photos from an African trip and reading your reactions.
What an amazing place… I love the shots of the boats, especially the black and white one. Reminds me of a tiny place we visited in Cuba years ago, nothing to do but relax – this looks like a great place to completely unwind!
Those boats were quite the throwback – very cool getting to see the fishing village up close.
These beaches look amazing. And don’t worry, hot humid days in Brooklyn are on the event horizon soon enoguh 🙂
Haha, I don’t doubt it – no beaches like this within an hour and a half of BK, though! Thanks for stopping by Lisa, nice to get to know your blog 🙂
Great photos. Looks like a good place to visit if you are a beach lover!
Thanks, Angela! Looks like you’ve spent the winter on the slopes, so it may just be time for the beach 🙂
Brooklyn. Africa. Enjoyed the weather comparison. I’ve spent some pretty steamy days in NYC. But the beaches make it look all worth it.
Most of those rough NYC days were spent in a suit, which I thankfully was not wearing in Cote d’Ivoire. Thanks for stopping by, Jen!
Assinie looks like a great place to chill out. Although, the humidity you’ve described scared me away immediately :). Lovely photos, Dave!
I guess you’ll need to head directly to the beach in that case 🙂
Your pictures are making me miss the beach! I live in a land locked country and miss being by the beach terribly. Your making me very jealous. Looks incredibly peaceful. Perfect!
Thanks, Samantha! I had not seen the ocean for a few months when I got to Cote d’Ivoire, so Assinie did the trick.
I’ve always been curious about Cote d’Ivoire and it looks beautiful! The beach looks like there’s barely any people there, is Assinie a popular or well known destination?
Hi Sammi! Assinie is pretty well known among Ivorians and the expat community. We just barely got a room there, but the beach was still pretty empty somehow.
Wow, this pictures are absolutely gorgeous. I especially love that second picture with the palm trees reflected in the water… heavenly! It looks like such a nice place to unwind.
Thanks, Anna! After a big dinner the night before, I can’t believe I made it up in time to get that shot. It was a great spot to let things slow down a bit.
You don’t immediately think of West Africa as the place to go for a beach vacation, but this sounds heavenly and the perfect place to relax.
Hi Adelina – After a week in busy Abidjan, it really served that purpose!
Dave, this place looks great, and again I’d never heard of it. Travelling in Africa must be so different to other parts of the world, seems like there is so much to explore and so few people who have actually done it.
Thanks, Jon. Travel in Africa is a true adventure as so much of it is relatively unexplored. From what I’ve seen on your blog, you’d love it here.
Wow..these photos and scenery are stunning. Ones I never would have expected out of West Africa. It looks so idyllic and a wonderful place to relax. Just beautiful!
As I’m based inland, this was an extra special beach opportunity – had never been on that end of the Atlantic before and was amazed by the beauty.
Looks very peaceful and idyllic…Not what I would expect from west Africa. And it looks like there are good waves for surfing which makes me wanna go…
This is a really popular surfing beach, so you would be pretty content, Elena!
I think I’ll have to stop reading your blog soon…. these places are making me so jealous. Big thanks for linking up again with us for #SundayTraveler
It looks so peaceful there! I love the view from the infinity pool and the place you stayed looks really nice!
Gorgeous photos! I would love to ride those horses on the beach – that’s a big dream of mine. Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler!