Travel Smart
Honest, sourced guidance so you travel confident. Most of any country is calmer than the headlines suggest.
Safety
Countrywide advisory (Government of Canada)
Exercise increased cautionExercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories) Regional advisories apply; see the source for zone-level detail.
Source: Government of Canada · Verified 2026-07-26
Abidjan (southern coastal city)
Exercise increased cautionWest Africa's most cosmopolitan and economically dynamic city. Safe in central business districts and affluent neighborhoods; petty theft and armed robbery exist in poor districts and at night. Tourist-heavy areas are secure during day.
Avoid: Avoid Plateau (downtown) late at night. Gesco, Abobo, and Yopougon neighborhoods are high-crime after dark. Do not walk alone in isolated areas. Armed robbery (especially of mobile phones, wallets) occurs at night.
Common scams: Fake taxi operators; inflated prices for tourists; unofficial guides; street vendors swapping goods; fake 'authorities' demanding bribes.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Central & Southern Interior (Yamoussoukro, Bouake, Gagnoa)
Exercise normal precautionsStable, welcoming towns and villages. Yamoussoukro is quiet despite its grand architecture; Bouake is recovering from conflict; interior villages are agriculturally focused and safe.
Source: UK FCDO · Verified 2026-07-06
Northwestern Border Zone (Man, Danane, San-Piedro)
Reconsider travelBorder regions with Guinea and Liberia remain unstable. Armed groups, trafficking, and sporadic violence occur. Remote areas have limited state presence.
Avoid: Avoid the Guinea and Liberia borders entirely. Do not travel to Man or Danane without explicit security clearance. Border crossings are problematic.
Source: UK FCDO, US State Department · Verified 2026-07-06
4 zones rated separately against Government of Canada, UK FCDO, US State Department. Oldest check on this page: 6 July 2026.
Emergency Contacts
Police Nationale
police
UK FCDO gives 110, 111 and 170 for police. The number 17, quoted very widely for Ivorian police and correct in several neighbouring countries, is not among them.
SourceSAMU
ambulance
The ambulance number published by UK FCDO. The number 15 is not what the Foreign Office gives for Cote d'Ivoire.
SourceSapeurs-Pompiers
fire
The fire number published by UK FCDO. It is 180 rather than the 18 used across much of the region.
SourcePolyclinique Internationale Sainte-Anne Marie (PISAM)
hospital · Abidjan
Cocody, Abidjan
The private hospital most visitors in Abidjan are taken to, listed first by the British Embassy. The first number is the emergency line. That list was last updated in October 2020, so if a number fails, ask locally rather than assuming the hospital has closed.
SourceCHU de Cocody
hospital · Abidjan
Cocody, Abidjan
The main public teaching hospital, from the same British Embassy list. CHU de Treichville on +225 21 25 28 52 serves the south of the city. Both are public, so expect them to be busy in a way the private polycliniques are not.
Source