Man, Côte d’Ivoire is the biggest city in Ivory Coast’s Mountains region. However, Man isn’t known for its city attractions. It’s known for the Dent de Man: the best day hiking trail in Côte d’Ivoire. If you’re coming from Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoires’ main city, Man will feel like a breath of fresh air. For those who love nature, hiking, and waterfalls, Man is a perfect long weekend escape from Abidjan.
I’m a mountain girl through and through, but Côte d’Ivoire is decidedly a beach country rather than a mountain country. If you’re looking to explore the beach side of Côte d’Ivoire, check out my weekend guide to Assinie, the best-known beach town in the country! However, after living in Côte d’Ivoire for 8 months and spending more days on the beach than I could count, I couldn’t believe I had never reached the mountain region.
There were two reasons for this: 1) Man is a bit far from Abidjan: the drive takes around 8 hours. 2) Even though it is the “mountain region” there are very few well-documented trails. However, there’s one trail that reigns supreme in the world of Ivory Coast hiking: La Dent de Man (The Tooth of Man). I knew that I had to tackle this trail before my year in Côte d’Ivoire was up.
If you’re looking to get off the beaten path in Côte d’Ivoire, Man is the place to be. However, like many activities in the country, planning a trip to Man can be a bit challenging if you’re relying on the internet for information. Luckily for you, I’ve consolidated everything I found on transportation, lodging, activities, and restaurants in Man from my May 2024 adventure.
How to get to Man, Côte d’Ivoire (from Abidjan)
By Car
Driving to Man in a private car is the most flexible way to get from Abidjan to Man. As of May 2024, the road is fantastic all the way to the city of Man. However, traffic can still be intense getting out of Abidjan. Without traffic, the drive takes 7-8 hours, but factor in more time for inevitable traffic jams. On the road from Abidjan to Man, you’ll pass through/near many cities and towns, including Tissale (home to hippos and pepper plantations), and Yamoussoukro (the country’s capital, home to crocodiles and a massive basilica). If the 8-hour drive feels intimidating, you can easily break it up with stops along the way.
By Airplane
Man has an airport, and you can fly directly from Abidjan to Man with Air Côte d’Ivoire! The direct flight takes just over an hour and operates ~2x per week, but you can find indirect flights connecting through other Ivorian cities a few other times per week. A round-trip flight is under $150 as of 2024.
By Bus
It may not be the fastest or most convenient, but it is possible to get to Man by bus! While I haven’t done this myself, busses apparently depart the UTB bus station in Adjame at 6:30 am daily, though you will want to be there in advance. Given that this is not a frequent route, you’ll likely want to go to the bus station a day or two in advance to confirm schedules, logistics, and pricing.
If your bus options from Abidjan are limited, you can also get a bus to Yamoussokro or Bouake (busses will run frequently from Yopougon or Adjame UTB stations), and look for a bus to Man from there, which may be more regular. If those options fail, TSR is another bus company that theoretically runs an Abidjan-Man route, though I’m unfortunately not sure what the station/timing of departure is.
Getting around in Man
Once you’ve made it to Man, you’ll also need to get from place to place. Luckily, Man is a relatively small city so this isn’t hard. If you don’t have your own car, look out for the bright green taxis just about everywhere you look! The ubiquity of these green cars lends a charming quality to the city and fits perfectly with the mountainous scenery.
Where to stay in Man, Côte d’Ivoire
Hôtel Les Cascades
On my trip to Man, we stayed in Hôtel Les Cascades which was exactly what we needed. While it’s not a luxury hotel, it’s one of the nicer hotels in Man. Hôtel Les Cascades stands out among Man hotels (and Ivoirian hotels in general) by having a functional website! However, you’ll still probably want to give them a call/text to book at +225 07 49 65 12 02. Check the website for the latest prices – we paid 40,000 CFA per night for a standard one-bed room, and they were willing to add a cot for an extra 10,000 CFA.
The hotel is on a hill which gives it great views over the town. Amenities-wise, it boasts a swimming pool and theoretically a gym, though I never checked out the gym. They have a daily breakfast buffet (free with some room arrangements, 5000 CFA otherwise), and a restaurant on site. Our group ate dinner at the restaurant one evening, and quite enjoyed the meal – see “Where to eat in Man” below for more.
If Hôtel Les Cascades is booked or you’re looking for different options for where to stay in Man, there are a few more options that come recommended by the Abidjan expat community:
Hôtel Amoitrin
Hôtel Amoitrin has a large pool and similar rates to Hôtel Les Cascades. They don’t have a website, but give them a text on WhatsApp at +225 01 01 014 202.
Hôtel Beau-Séjour
This hotel has a number of small round hut rooms which gives the premise a charming vibe. They are on the outskirts of town, so don’t expect to be able to walk to very much from the hotel. However, taxis are always an option. Hôtel Beau-Séjour also has a website, so check out pricing and details there. It is generally a bit cheaper than Amoitrin and Les Cascades, so can be a good place to stay in Man on a budget.
What to do in Man: Hiking the Dent de Man!
If you’ve made it all the way to Man, odds are you’re looking to hike the Dent de Man. It is a beautiful, challenging hike that will take you through a variety of terrains and landscapes over the approximately 8-mile loop.
How to plan for a Dent de Man hike
When you research the Dent de Man, you’ll find that it is unfortunately not on AllTrails. However, there is a good entry for it on Wikiloc. This is useful for finding the starting village and getting a sense of the route. Hikers are divided in their experience as to whether a guide is required or not to hike Dent de Man. While some have hiked it without a guide, many report arriving in the starting village and being told they absolutely cannot proceed without a guide.
If you show up to the hike without a guide, be prepared to be told you must take a guide, and be ready to negotiate. Our group pre-arranged a guide, and ended up having an excellent experience. Not only did our guide manage the village entry fees and waterfall fees (more on those later), but he also gave great explanations of the flora and sights along the way.
For those looking to pre-arrange a guide, try sending a WhatsApp to one of the Man guides below. They come highly recommended from Abidjan expat WhatsApp groups:
- Hamed: +225 07 48 527 360 (this is the guide we went with!)
- Sidiki: +225 07 08 252 652
- Bamba: +225 01 42 895 809
How much does it cost to hike the Dent de Man?
Unfortunately, no matter how you plan it, it’s not free to hike the Dent de Man. Depending on your exact circumstances, plan to budget ~10,000 CFA (~$16 USD) per person, excluding transportation. The prices to take into account include:
- Village entry fee: The village that hosts the trailhead for Dent de Man charges an entry fee to hikers. This is a flat 2000 CFA per person.
- Waterfall entry fee: The (well-worth it) waterfall costs 1000 CFA per person to access.
- Guide fee: this will depend on the guide you choose, your negotiation skills, and the size of your group. Our group of 4 eventually landed on 40,000 CFA as an all-inclusive price with our guide, meaning that he would take care of the village and waterfall fees. This worked out to ~7000 CFA per person for the guide alone.
What to expect on the Dent de Man hike
The bulk of the hike is a wide loop with several steep parts but mostly gradual ascents and descents. This loop takes you through fantastic agricultural diversity. We spotted corn, rice, cassava, igname, pineapple bushes, cocoa trees, citrus trees, mango trees, coffee shrubs, banana trees, and rubber trees throughout the hike. Our guide even selected some ripe cocoa pods for us to taste – a perfect mid-hike snack!
To reach the summit of the hike, the trail makes a short but very steep diversion from the loop. This section requires a bit of scrambling with all four limbs due to the pitch at certain points. It even includes a few fun ladder sections!
In our group we had a few folks who realized they were in over their heads a bit on the hike, so they opted to wait for us on the loop while we headed up to the top. The summit is well worth the exertion if you have it in you. The panoramic views are incredible if the day isn’t too cloudy! Once you’ve made it to the true summit, don’t miss the smaller “mini tooth” right next to the big tooth, which also has some great photo ops.
Once you’re back on the loop, towards the end of the hike you’ll also hit a beautiful waterfall. Entry to the waterfall costs 1000 CFA per person, which is generally paid at the small village when you exit. The falls are a fantastic chance to cool off knowing that the hike is almost over. There are numerous places you can dip into the falls, including some great spots to sit and get a back massage. Just watch the slippery algae while you’re getting in and out!
What to do in Man, Côte d’Ivoire (besides hiking the Dent de Man)
If you’ve somehow made it to Man and don’t have any desire to hike the Dent de Man (what??) or, more likely, you’ve hiked the Dent de Man but are looking to fill out your Man itinerary, look no further. Man isn’t a highly touristy town, but it does have a few additional sights worth seeing. I was only there for a long weekend so didn’t have time to try every single one of these out. However, researching touristic activities in Man via the internet is not for the weak. So, I figured I might as well put all of the fruits of my research efforts in one place anyway!
Splash in Man’s waterfalls
You have two main options for waterfalls in Man. The first is the one described above on the Dent de Man hike. However, if you don’t want to do the full hike, you can also do just the quick out-and-back to the waterfall. We saw plenty of people doing just the short waterfall hike rather than the full Dent de Man hike!
Your other waterfall option involves even less hiking. You can get to these Man Waterfalls just outside the city center entirely by car. You’ll just need to navigate a few stairs once you get there!
Take in the views from Mt. Tonkpi
If you want incredible views but don’t want to hike, you’ve luckily got a car-accessible mountain in Man: Mt. Tonkpi! You can drive all the way to the top of Mt. Tonkpi, but be warned: the road isn’t always in the best condition. Before you embark, check in with a local to gauge how much time you should budget for the drive. Once you’ve made it to the top, there’s also a radio tower that you can climb for an even more 360-degree view of your surroundings.
Check out the local artisans: woodcarvers & weavers
Man has two main artisan attractions: the woodcarvers and the weavers. There is a small woodcarving stand at the base of the road to Hôtel Les Cascades where you can check out the carvings. If you’re lucky, you might also get to see the carvers in action! The main attraction is a gorgeous, deep red wood that polishes into stunning pieces.
Man also has fabric weavers that you can visit, not too far from the woodcarvers. Head to this maps point, and ask someone to point you towards the “tisserands”. Be aware that you won’t be able to go the full way by car – a bit of walking up a hill/stairs is required.
Wander Man’s street markets
If you’re looking to plunge headfirst into the vibrancy of Man, look no further than their market. Much of downtown Man is crowded with vendors on the streets, so there’s no shortage of market vibes. However, the densest market section (this maps location should take you to the heart of it) is barely wide enough to walk through, much less drive through. The market has fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, massive piles of attieke (a cassava-based staple food), clothes, household goods, and much more tucked away. I wandered the market solo as a young white woman and while I felt safe, I did feel very much like a spectacle. Be aware that this is not a low-energy-output (or typical touristy) activity!
Visit the monkey forest
One of Man’s easily accessible attractions is the Sacred Monkey Forest. Here, you can see (and perhaps feed) the Campbells monkeys which reside in the forest for a small fee. While it is strictly forbidden to enter the forest itself, the monkeys have learned the patterns of tourists, and come out at the promise of food.
Cross the hanging woven bridges (ponts de liane)
In a small village about an hour’s drive from Man, you can visit spectacular bridges woven from natural liane fibers. These bridges cross the Cavalla River, and are re-woven often as the natural materials break down quickly. If you have your heart set on visiting the bridges, it is best to check with Man locals to ensure that the bridges are up and not in a state of reconstruction when you plan to visit. For a small fee, you can walk across the bridges (barefoot, to protect the integrity of the bridges), if you dare!
Where to Eat in Man, Côte d’Ivoire
Restaurant les Délices de L’Ouest
We ate at this spot our first night in Man, and had a great meal. The poulet yassa was particularly good. The majority of the menu is Ivorian or West African cuisine, with a few other random dishes thrown in there for fun. It’s not a particularly fancy spot, but feels like a step or two up from a classic maquis.
Hôtel Les Cascades restaurant
You don’t need to be a guest at Hôtel Les Cascades to eat at their restaurant. In fact, I was tipped off to the quality of their food based on the number of non-guests who ate there while we stayed at the hotel! We tried it out on our last night, and were pleasantly surprised by the quality, value for money (we expected a significantly more expensive menu), and the surprising selection of vegetarian options on the menu (a rarity for Côte d’Ivoire).
Alibaba
Aliaba is a Lebanese restaurant right in the middle of town which is great if you want a break from Ivorian food while in Man. They have an extensive menu of sandwiches, burgers, and plates at fair prices.
Man is a gem in Western Côte d’Ivoire which makes an excellent city escape. With its famous hike and a surprising number of other touristic attractions, it’s easy to fill a long weekend (or even a week!) in Man.