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!

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10. Cap Skirring, Senegal

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.

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9. Senegambia, The 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.

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8. Labadi Beach, Ghana

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.

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7. Lake Aheme, Benin

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.

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6. Togo (in general)

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.

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5. Monrovia, Liberia

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.
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4. Lagos, Nigeria

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.

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3. Cote d’Ivoire (in general)

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.

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2. Guinea (in general)

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.

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1. Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone

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!

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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!

 

Abidjan in a word: Magnifique!

Chance of Hooking up: 3.5 / 5
Quality of Girls: 4 / 5
Nightlife: 4 / 5
Smoking tolerance level: 4 / 5

City guide ratings explained

Costs €$£

Beer: €1 for 1 litre beers in Marqui bars, €4 for small bottle in clubs.
Bed: €20 – €50 for a private room.
Bud: €3 for a small bag.
Board: €3 for a half a chicken with chips.
Budget other: You will need taxis to get everywhere and they can be expensive. Budget an $15 extra a day. The most expensive clubs charge $20 for a small beer!

Currency Conversion

Overview

It may be not be a great budget option and a little intimidating in size (5 million people), but dam is Abidjan kickin! We were there at the end of the civil war and it was still buzzin! Out of all the cities I’ve visited in West Africa, this would be the first city I’d recommend to live in. Abidjan is a modern developed metropolis, with clean streets, sky scrappers and high end shopping malls. It’s not what you’d expect for West Africa. The people are fantastic and the night is rockin’ too. Highly recommended.

The Girls

If you haven’t already, I’d strongly recommend  you read my article Sex in Africa 101 before continuing.

If you plan on hooking up with any girl in West Africa, try and make it an Ivorian. First and foremost, many Ivorians have a relatively decent income and it’s not hard to find ‘good’ girls (i.e not prostitutes, some even buy you drinks!). Secondary, Ivorian’s in general are great company. They tend to be more educated, worldly, sophisticated and progressive. All this, and they still maintain their feminine charms and man do they know how to dress sexy. Plus it just sounds hot… ‘Ivorian’. These chicks are keepers!

Ok, so the average woman on the street isn’t all that, but when you have a melting pot of  over 60 tribes with 20 million people, the cream of the crop is inevitable going to be sexy as hell. In Abidjan, the second biggest city in West Africa, the competition is astounding. A night out here can leave your head spinning. Not only will go to clubs where every second local girl has the body of a runway model, you will also encounter a healthy splash of hot Lebanese and French girls. You could spend a year in Abidjan in pussy heaven. All that said.. your chance of hooking up increases ten-fold with French. Even very basic French (Pimsleur level 1) will get you laid like a rock star.

Night times can still be pretty sleazy as is the trend in the region, so if you want to avoid any potential shores I’d highly recommend picking up girls in the day time. Shopping malls are the best place to meet wealthy, well-bred girls. The Mall in Memroz has tons of cute girls hanging around.

Abidjan is a perfect city for pipelining as well, due to the population. Girls with online profiles in Africa tend to be more educated and a little better off as well.

Nightlife Recommendations

Abidjan nightlife can be a little bit of a pain in the ass. There are many nightlife districts, all of which are miles away from each other and pub crawling usually involves taxis. We couldn’t go to the popular Princess road in Yopougon, as people were still been killed there and everywhere was forced to close. We spent most of our time in the more affluent district of Zone 4. This where you will find the highest quality women.

Any Marquai Bar

Start your night dining and drinking at one of the city’s atmospheric bars before you go out. It’s a great place to mingle with locals and down a few 1 litre club beers (€1). These places are great and also act as good places to bounce to at 6 am after the club. The party never stops!

Le Cabane Bambou

This trendy little bar is a good pre-club place. A little pricey but good vibes. It’s a favorite for sexy Lebanese girls and Ivorian courtesans. The bar girls are gorgeous too.

Le Club St. Germain

“Fuck me.” That’s what you’ll be saying when you walk in the door of Abidjan’s most dubious establishment. This is not in Lonely planet for a reason. It’s expensive ($6 a beer) and it’s shoring central, but it’s free in,  wild every night and packed with scanty clad  girls. This was the only club still pumping in the height of the civil war; a mandatory visit is required. Wanna see photos!? Website here. We are featured in this album!!

High Life is the’s city most pretentious club. Located in the CBD, it’s attracts a few models and the rich, but expect to pay $20 in and $20 per beer! It was very disappointing, but they do let you smoke weed inside. P.S – The manger Frank is the man. He let us in free and got us free drinks.

Getting High

Where to buy marijuana: As usual I’d ask male bar staff or better yet – waiters at marquai bars. Order it with your food. You can also ask the young guys selling credit on the roadside. Avoid taxi drivers.

Prague Marijuana Prices: We got a decent bag (small handful) for €3 in the capital Yamoussoukro. Even that was paying over the odds. Our Marquai waiter arranged someone to fetch it.

My Abidjan Experience

We entered Cote d’Ivoire in style during the civil war (read here), then staged the notorious Siege of Abidjan. Sadly Captain Cluck met his end on the way to the city. A large piece baggage fell on top of him in transit

Here are some random pics from the Siege..

Why not check out more cheeky City Guides?

The Siege of Abidjan was the finest so far in West Africa…

The streets of Cote d’Ivoire’s capital are shellshocked. And so began the night of the resurrection; the first time the bars and clubs had opened their doors in three months. The troops assemble and march to the bass drum. The air is hormonal. Everybody had been hibernating and now it was mating season.

In the high end venues, the ratio of girls in the nightclub is around 80% and standards are through the roof. Competition is fierce. All of a sudden, the bar is raided by Mexican Pirates! ARGHH!!! (pics coming).

They plunder their African booty with little effort.

As for me… I exchange a few numbers, keeping my options open for who’s cooking the next night. On a side trip to the bathroom, I briefly makeout with a serious little hottie wearing a french maid corset. After that, a bootylicious babe approaches me and tells me to wait outside. She wants to be pillaged immediately. I exit with the girl at my tale, only to find the hottie from the bathroom standing outside. Turns out – both girls are sisters!

Forced to make a choice, the bathroom beauty was too hot to put down (but easy to pickup at just 35 kilos!). I had my way with her while her sister tried to sleep in the same bed – a bizarre scenario, even for me! I saw her watching occasionally. She looked quite envious of her dainty little sister, who was clearly enjoying being railed. The sis I had chosen strangely caught off on the whole thing. She didn’t hold back on the volume and wouldn’t let me stop until the sun came up. At one stage in the night, her big sister even asked if she could have me when she was finished!!! Unfortunately, my girl was in no mood for sharing… but I’m not complaining too much, she was a little stunner!

Showing up just after a civil war is prime time for a cheeky Seige. Good times.