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Direct flights from Europe to Ouagadougou airport leave from Paris and Brussels. If you're flying in from the USA you'll have to transfer at Paris, Dakar or Abidjan. The airport is only about 8km (3mi) from the city centre and you can usually get a taxi or bus from the terminus.

Because Burkina Faso is landlocked, getting in and out of the country by land is usually fairly cheap and the options are plentiful. Buses and vans are called cars in Burkina Faso, and they run with admirable frequency from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo and Mali. Bushtaxis and minibuses also do the same inter-country trips but you may find you have to get out at the borders, cross, and pick up another one on the other side. Minibuses are often 25% cheaper than the Peugot 504 bush taxis. There's a train between Côte d'Ivoire and Ouagadougou that leaves three times a week. Prices are on par with bus fares. Driving your own car in and out of the country is fairly easy, and generally speaking the roads are in fairly good condition.

Money and Costs

Currency: West African CFA franc (CFA)

Meals


• Budget: US$1-2

• Mid-range: US$2-5

• Top-end: US$5 and upwards
  
  Lodging
  

• Budget: US$3-7

• Mid-range: US$7-35

• Top-end: US$35 and upwards

Burkina Faso's currency, the West African franc (CFA), is fixed against the Euro dollar. For as little as US$15 a day you can get a decent room (albeit with shared bathroom facilities), clean sheets and a foursquare meal from one of the local hole-in-the-wall diners. If you want to be closer to the centre of the city, are looking for airconditioned rooms, swimming pools, and a bit of ambience with your meal, you'll be paying about US$60 a day. Fancy hotels and French cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner will set you back about US$150-200 a day.

Ecobank in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso charges little commission on travellers cheques and changes most currencies; it's best to carry American Express traveller's cheques in French francs. Banks generally require proof of purchase to change travellers' cheques, so tuck receipts away in a safe place. BICIAB in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso gives cash advances on a Visa card.

Tipping in Africa is a grey area. It's tied to the notion of a gift or cadeau, which roughly translates into the western idea of noblesse oblige, with wealthier citizens obligated to those less well off. Since all westerners (with the possible exception of hitchhikers and backpackers) appear to be rich, a tip is not out of order in most instances. A standard 10% is a reasonable tip. Check the bills in restaurants to ensure that a 10% service charge has not already been added on.