Top Bar

Top 10 Destinations in West Africa

West Africa

Having traveled this route through West Africa, I am lucky enough to have visited all eleven countries on the coast from Dakar to Lagos.

Using my Top 10 destinations in South East Asia as a template, I will using the following criteria.

These places/countries are judged on:

  •   – Natural beauty / Historical wonders
  • – Unique Experiences offered
  •  – The Chill-out Factor (Off the beaten track, smoke etc.)
  • – The Craic! (Irish term meaning fun or entertainment)
  •  – The Girls  (the real X factor)

 

So here they are…

Naughty Nomad’s

TOP 10 Spots in West Africa!

😉

——————————————————————————————-

10. Cap Skirring, Senegal

Photo I took of beach bumming cow

In a word: Moo.

  I’ts got an alright beach with lazy cows.

 Meeting random cows on the road and the Beach. Enjoying fresh fish by the sea where you effectively rent the whole restaurant. The atmosphere is enhanced when the owners come out with the Djembe drums.

Many hotels have pools and you’re not far from the beach. Smoke is easily available, albeit overpriced considering the area is touristy by WA standards.

Night time options are limited but the two or three venues open late are really good fun.

 A decent gaggle of friendly girls around at night. Most speak French.

Bottom Line: The best that Senegal has to offer, but that’s ain’t saying much.

——————————————————————————————-

9. Senegambia, The Gambia

Sugar mammies are everywhere in Gambia

In a word: Simple.

  I’ts got a pretty good beach and a laid back village feel.

 Checking out all the old grannies getting stuck in the young local guys… Hilarious.

Hammocks, beach, weed everywhere – not a bad spot for chilling.

Good Restaurants and wild nightlife (but only one or two options). Check out my Gambian Coast guide for info.

 Party most nights with a good few girls about at night. They come from all over the region and nearly all speak English.

Bottom Line: Better than Senegal, but local guys can be pretty bothersome.

——————————————————————————————-

8. Labadi Beach, Ghana

Typical Labadi scene.

In a word: Slick.

  Beach and babes, that’s enough.

 Smoke Sheesha and check out a beach concert.

There’s lots of people around but your still by the beach drinking, it’s hard not to relax.

Plenty of people having fun partying. After sundown it sedates but during this is probably the best spot for partying during the day in WA.

 Loads of sexy chicks from all parts of the world strutting around in bikinis. This is the best place in Ghana to pick up.

Bottom Line: Wicked hang-out. I’d score it higher if wasn’t surrounded by crappy Accra.

——————————————————————————————-

7. Lake Aheme, Benin

This is Voodoo country

In a word: Juju.

  Quiet lake with beautiful sandy shores.

 The eco-tours there are excellent. You will learn traditional fishing methods and you learn all about voodoo. If you’re really lucky (as we were), you get to witness a voodoo sacrafice.

A 5 star set up with no tourists. Smoke available. Grab a beer lakeside and enjoy. The lake is the perfect getaway from the capital Cotonou.

Not much going on, but at weekend’s there is a local disco.

 A lot women walk around topless, but are conservative in every other respect. Wasn’t there on the weekend but I’d imagine you’d try to be sold someone’s cousin. Not a place to pick up chicks.

Bottom Line: For me, West Africa’s ultimate chill out spot.

———————————————————————————————-

6. Togo (in general)

Waterfall near Kpalimé

In a word: Pleasent.

  Between Lome’s pristine sands and butterfly walks in Kpalimé’s beautiful forests, Togo ranks high for natural beauty.

 Learn about coffee & coca plantations on a guided tour exploring the area around beautiful Kpalimé. The guides are great too.

Lomé is West Africa’s most chilled capital. Kpalimé got some nice waterfalls if you willing to trek to see them.

Lome has a laid back vibe but it hosts West’s Africa’s biggest nightclub! Check out the Lomé city guide to get a better feel for the nightlife.

 A few nationalities about. Not the easiest place to pick up but still very doable. VIP Privé club has some fine women.

Bottom Line: A breath of fresh air on the road from Accra to Lagos.

——————————————————————————————-

5. Monrovia, Liberia

Liberian girls like to share.

In a word: Threesome?

  Not great as beach isn’t up to much and apparently quite dangerous.

 Having girls call to your door late at night for threesomes. Before they rob you that is…

City isn’t so hectic. Roof toop bars are the best places for unwinding.

Liberia by night is truly an adventure. Check out my Monrovia City Guide for more info.

 Girls in Liberia love to f**k. I never had to refuse so much sex in my life as I did here. The only problem is knowing who to trust. But dam, Liberian girls are a little addictive. Hence the high ranking.

Bottom Line: West Africa’s most off the beaten track country is well worth it.
——————————————————————————————-

4. Lagos, Nigeria

This is Lagos.

In a word: Chaos.

  Nada. Although Victoria Island has some nice parts.

 Some the world’s worst traffic and daily dealings with bribery and corruption.

There’s weed around, but not much places to chill.

The craic in Lagos in unrivaled. The place is exhilarating. Probably the wildest nightlife in West Africa. Plenty of options with cheap beer and live music.

 Arguably the best looking (and friendliest) girls in Africa. You’ll understand if you read my Lagos City Guide.

Bottom Line: You haven’t been to Africa if you haven’t been to Lagos.

——————————————————————————————-

3. Cote d’Ivoire (in general)

World's BIGGEST church in Yamoussoukro

In a word: Magnifique!

  Great jungles near Liberia and lagoon views in the streets of Abidjan.

 Having the world’s biggest church all to yourself (I’m not religious but wow!). Enjoying the Marquai bars.

The capital is really laid back and it’s not hard to get your hand on weed from the Marquai bars.

Nightlife in Abidjan is mega. Biking from the Liberian border is also an epic jungle trail.

 The sexiest girls I’ve experienced in Francophone West Africa. Often friendly and well educated too.

Bottom Line: For many who visit the region, this is their favorite country in West Africa.

——————————————————————————————-

2. Guinea (in general)

Water in Fouta Djallon

In a word: Unexpected.

  With many of the region main rivers originating in the Fouta Djallon, this place is filled with mountains and waterfalls. For me, the most beautiful country in the region. Beaches in the capital.

 The Journey from hell. Ultimate jungle treks. Having to put on hoody because the chill in the mountain air (a welcome temperature change).

Taking a swim over a waterfall. Weed is abundant. Very chilled. Even in the capital you can find quiet moments by the beach.

Conakry has a pretty decent nightlife and displays great variety. The beach parties are a blast too.

 The Fula girls are gorgeous. English isn’t that prevalent but with a little French you can bag yourself a hottie.

Bottom Line: Reminded me of Ethiopia… my favourite country in West Africa.

——————————————————————————————-

1. Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone

Lumley Beach

In a word: Heaven?

  Jungle mountains by the sea. Fantastic beaches.

 Being able to smoke joints in nightclubs.

Beach bars with hookahs? Aberdeen is the ultimate chill out spot. Everyone smokes and it’s not problem in some restaurants even. You can even buy joints in clubs.

Wild nights, every night. Options are limited, but the venues are Grade A. Beers are cheap too. Freetownians really know how to have a good time. Check out my Freetown city guide for more info.

 It’s very easy to pick up in Freetown 5/5. Only Monrovia is easier. You can find some real gems here as well. There’s also Lebanese and other expats for the taking.

Bottom Line: Beautiful scenery,  loose women, weed and cheap beer in clubs = awesome. Easily the best location in West Africa!

——————————————————————————————-

Honourable Mentions

I decided to only include places I’ve actually been in the top 10. As such, the list above only covers countries on the coast from Dakar to Lagos. I contacted some fellow globe-trotters to give their top 10 on the route as well. Here are some other picks from fellow travellers…

  • Robertsport, Liberia
  • Goree Island, Senegal (I’ve been here. Good escape from Dakar but very small.)
  • Ganvie, Benin
  • Kokobrite, Ghana (Been here. It could have made the list if I had went on the weekend)
  • Sine-Saloum Delta, Senegal
  • Bissagos Islands, Guinea Bissau (nice place, but get out of Bubaque and explore further)

Check out my my West African City Guides!

Please share your favourite places! Leave a comment below!

 

, , , , , , ,

24 Responses to Top 10 Destinations in West Africa

  1. Burto August 31, 2011 at 3:13 pm #

    Brilliant post… Definitly keen on doing this trip one day… especially Gambia and Senegal……. The hottest bird i’ve ever had was from the Gambia, absolutely amazing…

    • Naughty Nomad August 31, 2011 at 6:00 pm #

      @Burto: Had one myself, class body. To be honest, they are the worst two of the lot… although you can get flights to Gambia with flythomascook.com for under €100! The stretch from from Guinea to Cote d’Ivoire is excellent, but the rest is only so-so.

  2. Jesse August 31, 2011 at 8:54 pm #

    Players everywhere are thanking you Naughty Nomad

  3. Jesse August 31, 2011 at 8:58 pm #

    Nomad, you’re website’s popup to subscribe sends me to a “404 error – Page not found” error page.

  4. Gab Kay October 1, 2012 at 11:35 pm #

    Interesting read! If you must know I had a pretty great pick up in Benin. She was a mix of Ghanaian/Togolese in her! Very wild and fun doesn’t even begin to describe this hottie! Wish had met her earlier in the week!

  5. coco October 31, 2012 at 6:25 pm #

    liberia may get topped by south africa

  6. Bad_man March 1, 2014 at 1:11 am #

    Nomad,

    Luv ur blog!however, u haven’t been to Nigeria if you have only been to Lagos!Have you been to Abuja, Jos, Calabar,Warri,? Don’t ever say you have been to Nigeria if you only been to Lagos! Its a whole world of its own. About Ethiopia, ur spot on!

    So, Experience Nigeria properly! Not only Lagos!

    Sincerely,

    Bad_Man

    • Naughty Nomad March 1, 2014 at 1:42 pm #

      Agreed. I need to go back.

    • Doc T March 7, 2014 at 8:54 pm #

      Bad_Man-Funny U Mention About Warri & Calabar.About Say 10 Years Ago A Friend of Mine Friend Visited Warri & Had An Nice Time.Now My Friend’s Friend Himself(Both R African Amerian) Mention To Me On The Phone How he Had All These Dates While In Warri-Like 1-2 Girls A Day (Yes A Day) That He Was Dating & Had To Turn This 1 Fine Chick Down Who Ask Him Out While He Was In A Bank Since His Schedule Was Booked With Him Dating These Other Girls-NO Lie!! He Stayed There 4 Like 3-4 Weeks.I Saw An Photo Of This Fine Bad Ass Big Booty Chick That A Guy Posted Of An Girl From Calabar On Nairaland.Com-She Put Buffy The Body To Shame!!

  7. Mike June 29, 2014 at 3:51 pm #

    Hey NN, off all the African countries which ones had the most women with the lightest skin

    • Naughty Nomad June 29, 2014 at 5:11 pm #

      The Arab ones, followed by Ethiopia and anywhere with Fulani tribeswomen.

  8. ElHombre August 29, 2014 at 3:07 pm #

    Been looking for a post exactly like this. Great work and thank you for putting this up. From a fellow West-Africa Lover.

    As an addition: Cotonou, Benin has decent night life. Give it a try when you are in the area.

  9. Kroomtravels September 1, 2014 at 5:08 pm #

    You want to get a feel of nigeria, call kroomtravels. Lagos isnt the only state in nigeria. +2348138741301

  10. Steve December 3, 2015 at 8:35 am #

    Nice post, but Cotonou is not the Capital of Benin. It’s Porto-Novo 😉

    • Mark Zolo December 5, 2015 at 4:19 pm #

      True… officially. For the love of God nobody should ever visit Porto-Novo: most boring shithole ever.

  11. Larry October 24, 2016 at 11:23 am #

    The city of Lagos sounds nice, because I want to meet some friendly Nigerian Women. It’s very rare to meet friendly people in any part of this world now-a-days. But Monrovia, Liberia sounds like a great place to get laid, if someone is looking for sex.

  12. felion January 16, 2017 at 1:58 am #

    Great blog will save it on my bookmark working on my plans for my journey to Africa in the next 5-6 months I’m planning on spending 7months to 1yr. I had my first backpacking experience traveling around asia for three months visiting 5 different countries i spent 3k to 4k that was for everything flying 17-18 times food, hostel stay for the first month. Now I’m ready for my motherland I prefer to see more of the real africa side not to much of the western places like South Africa

  13. Chernitelli January 20, 2017 at 1:37 am #

    Freetown is the best destination I have ever seen

  14. Gih December 1, 2018 at 1:50 pm #

    Just strap up with a condom. Don’t want to come home with THE AIDS!

  15. Michael jnr September 30, 2020 at 3:43 pm #

    Well said. Next I would be going to Nigeria

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Miscellany - September 2, 2011

    […] Frost on September 2, 2011 Naughty Nomad is home after charting the top ten travel destinations in West Africa and is writing a […]

  2. 8 Reasons Why I Read Naughty Nomad And You Should Too - September 11, 2011

    […] #4. His “Top 10” lists here and here tell you exactly where to go around the world to get the best beaches, the best weed, and the best […]

  3. Top 13 Destinations in Eastern Europe | Naughty Nomad - February 22, 2014

    […] out Top 10 Destinations in West Africa for my last regional run […]

  4. Eastern European Girls in 5 Maps | Naughty Nomad - May 6, 2014

    […] in Eastern Europe. For those interested, I’ve also done a ‘Top 10‘ for West Africa and Southeast Asia. The latter is a bit outdated, but it was also complimented with my Top 10 […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.