Fada N'gourma

Fada n'Gourma is a city in East Burkina Faso, capital of the Region Est and Province Gourma, as well as seat of the king of Gulmu (i.e. Gourma).

Understand

Fada N’Gourma is mainly inhabited by the Gulmance people, along with a smattering of Mossi and Peulh. Although the Gulmance account for only 4.5% of the national population, they have a strong culture with much history surrounding it. The founder of Fada is said to have ridden a horse up a baobab tree and disappeared, but the horse’s hoof prints remain in the tree.

Red is considered a problematic color for the Gulmance (they prefer black and white) and there is a sacred mountain in the area that a person cannot go up if he or she is wearing a red shirt. Also, the crocodiles in the barrage are considered sacred, and they may not be killed.

Get in

From Ouagadougou 220 km; from Bilanga: 76 km; Kompienga: 137 km; Matiakoali: 94 km; from Kantchari: 150 km; from Niger: 172 km; from Benin: 150K

By bus

STMB: +226 40.77.06.94 (Fada) +226 50.31.13.63 (Ouaga)

Fada to Ouagadougou: one-way 2000 CFA, round-trip 3000 CFA; 07:30, 12:00, 18:00, 06:00 (Fridays only), 10:00 (every day but Friday)
Ouagadougou to Fada: one-way 2500 CFA, round-trip 3000 CFA; 07:30, 10:00, 13:30, 14:00, 18:00 daily
Fada to Kantchari: one-way 2000 CFA; 14:00 daily

ZST: +226 50.34.41.69 (Ouaga)

Fada to Ouagadougou: one-way 2000 CFA, round-trip 3000 CFA; 07:00, 09:30, 13:00, 18:00 daily
Ouagadougou to Fada: one-way 2500 CFA, round-trip 3000 CFA; 07:00, 09:00, 13:00, 18:00 daily
Ouagadougou to Kompienga: one-way 4000 CFA, round-trip 7000 CFA; 09:00 daily
Kompienga to Ouagadougou: one-way 4000 CFA, round-trip 7000 CFA; 07:00 daily

By taxi

"Far away" gare; minimum twice per day:

From Bilanga: one-way 1500 CFA
From Gayeri: one-way 1500 CFA
Fada to Piela: one-way 1750 CFA

Central gare; minimum twice per day:

From Pama: one-way 1500 CFA
From Kompienga: one-way 2000 CFA

See

Do

Botanical Garden Bantia: Visit this beautiful spot just 10 km South of Fada N'Gourma with typical savanna and wetland habitats of the region, trees marked with their scientific and gourmantché names, some birds, small mammals and reptiles. The garden has a central rest area, a small museum and a guesthouse, where you can spend the night. (+226 70 30 24 76)

FESDIG: The Festival Dilembu au Gulmu (FESDIG) is one of the highlights of the music scene in Burkina Faso, taking place every year in February/March in the village Tiantiaka just outside of Fada N'Gourma and also including poetry, dance and traditional Gulmu wrestling.

Réserve de Pama: The reserve de Pama is part of a large complex of protected areas in the SE of Burkina Faso and in the neighbouring countries Benin and Niger. An entrance to the northern part of the reserve is just a few km East of Fada on the road to Niamey.

Buy

Marché

Marché day is every Sunday, and the Fada marché seems to offer just about the same stuff as other marches in relatively big villes

Boutiques

There are a couple of pretty good alimentations where you can find things like tuna in water. In general, you can support the east by buying things like Miel du Gourma (not to be confused with imitation products like Miel Naturel du Gourma), Biala drinking water, and Lait du Gourma milk and yogurt (it’s delicious).

Eat

Restaurants

Restaurant de L’Est – moderately expensive. Like most Burkinabè restaurants, they don’t always have everything on their menu, but it’s one of the classier, more overpriced restaurants in Fada, and they have a pretty chewy pepper steak.
Les Caraibes – moderately priced. Les Caraibes offers some of the best fries in Fada, as well as good grilled fish, but be prepared to wait a long time for your food.
Ben Nevis– moderately priced. This place stole the chef from Les Caraibes, so food is good, and there is dancing next door

Street food and snacks

Bissap stand right outside the STMB gare.
Curon is a frozen lemonade-type drink sold in sachets.
The meat guy outside the internet café is good
Lait du Gourma yogurt is always nice.

Drink

There are plenty of buvettes, but one of the nicest would have to be La Plage, not because their drinks are cold but because they’re located at the beach.

Sleep

Drew’s House (free): There is no electricity or running water, but there is a nice indoor shower space as well as a guest room complete with a bed, mattress, sheets, a pillow, and its own entrance. If you want to do something to pay his family back for their kindness, they really appreciate gifts of fish. Also, you can buy Miel du Gourma from his mom’s stand.
Auberge Dieumoagu (4000-7000 CFA with fan and shared bathrooms): By far, Fada's nicest, well-managed, hostel. The traditional and artistic decorations made by a local artist make it the nicest small hostal I have seen in Burkina. It is composed of 4 big clean huts with fans and electricity, with a small restaurant and a nice paillotte. Local drummers perform there for a small fee (5000 CFA) and the owner, a gourmantche traditionalist, organizes wild trips in villages near Fada (possibility to rent a motorcycle). It is located near the barrage, right beside the SIM protestant church, 50 metres from the paved road to Ouagadougou E-mail: linomd@gmail.com, Web: Call MD to +226 70 70 99 92.
TP (4000 CFA with fan, 6000 CFA with A/C): This is your typical Burkinabè hotel space: it’s not too dirty or too clean, and the toilet in your room might not always work, but hey, it’s got a bathroom with a mirror and running water, and it’s more or less conveniently located.
Auberge La Belle Etoile ^{[formerly dead link]} (c.5000 CFA a double): Located on the road to Ouaga, 5 rooms with a fan, a paillotte in the courtyard and common shower/toilet. Quite clean. If the owner, Alfred Ouoba, aka l'ambassadeur du Gourma, a "young and dynamic Burkinabé" (ako Guide du Routard) is there, he can give you very good advice on what to do in Fada. Contact: by mail belleetoileinfo@yahoo.fr or phone 00226770809, website
Mariam Juali Catholic Mission (not expensive): This quiet and peaceful place is on the road to Pama, close to the city limit, thus relatively far from the more happening parts of town. There are gardens there and a conference room. (Tel +226 40 77 01 60)
Hotel Panache (probably the most expensive in Fada): Held by a Syrian family, it is certainly the best hotel in Fada, but totally overpriced due to lack of competition (count on 20-30,000 CFA). It has a swimming pool though and it's possible to eat at night if you order by noon. www.panachehotel.com
Hotel du 11 Décembre on the right side of the road to Niamey
Guesthouse of the Botanical Garden Bantia, c. 10 km S of Fada on the road to Pama, some comfortable and clean roundhuts in the countryside, next to the botanical garden (+226 70 30 24 76, c. 5000 CFA)

Connect

Post Office

Open M-F 07:30 – 12:00 and 15:00 – 17:00

Internet

Le Cyber Jeunes. It’s air-conditioned, the help is nice, and it’s inside a buvette. Hours: 09:00-13:00, 16:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 10:00-20:00 Saturday. 500 CFA for 15 minutes, plus 250 CFA for each additional 15 minutes.
inside "La Poste"

"Le Cyber la poste" Post Office in front of the market

Go next

This city travel guide to Fada N'gourma is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.