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Burkina Faso travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Grand Mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso
Grand Mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso. Photo: qiv, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5h 45mflight from London
West African CFA franccurrency
Visa neededfor UK passports
Type C, Eplugs

Painted villages and sandstone peaks; FCDO advises against travel

Don't miss

  1. Tiébélé painted houses
  2. Sindou Peaks
  3. FESPACO
Good forCulture

Best time to visit Burkina Faso from the UK

The UK government advises against all travel here. Check the FCDO advice below before making any plans.

The UK FCDO advises against all travel.

23 C23°J26.6 C27°F30.2 C30°M32.4 C32°A32 C32°M29.7 C30°J27.4 C27°J26.3 C26°A26.6 C27°S27.6 C28°O25.8 C26°N23.3 C23°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Ouagadougou, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Ouagadougou for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Warmest: April (32°C) · coolest: January (23°C)A 9°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2326.630.232.43229.727.426.326.627.625.823.3

Festivals and events

  • FESPACO film festival Feb–Mar · Ouagadougou (every 2 years)

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 5h 45m
Distance
4,349 km
Main airport
OUA

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Practical info and travel guidance

West African CFA francCapital: Ouagadougou
Type C, E · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
17
EmergencyAmbulance 18
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against all travelYour travel insurance may not cover you.
  • VisaVisa needed in advanceApply online or through the embassy
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Burkina Faso, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 10 December 2025. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Burkina Faso before you book and again before you go.

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