Îles Ehotilé National Park

Îles Ehotilé National Park protects six islands in the Aby Lagoon near Adiaké, about 100 km east of Abidjan, and has held national park status since 1974. The road journey to Adiaké takes about 2 hours, travelling east through Grand-Bassam and Bonoua, followed by a 30-60 minute motorised pirogue crossing hired at the Adiaké or Étuéboué landings. Because of the combined road and boat time, the park is easiest to reach as an extension of a stay in Assinie on the same lagoon system rather than as a single very long day from Abidjan, though a determined early start makes a same-day visit possible. Once on the water, the pirogue circuit takes in the sacred groves maintained by the Ehotilé people on several of the islands, mangrove fringes along the shorelines, and shell middens left by early lagoon settlements, which point to a long history of habitation before the park's protection began. Birdwatchers should keep to the early morning or late afternoon hours, when herons, kingfishers and waders are most active around the mangrove edges; the midday heat quiets both the birdlife and the mangrove air. A guide hired with the pirogue can point out the sacred grove sites, some of which carry restrictions on entry that visitors should respect. There are no restaurants on the islands, so food and water need to be brought from Adiaké or from an Assinie hotel before setting out; a packed lunch eaten on the pirogue or at a shaded landing point is the norm. The lagoon crossing is calm water rather than open ocean, making it a gentler boat trip than an Atlantic crossing, though life jackets should still be worn given the length of time on the water. The dry season from December to March keeps the lagoon calmest and the island paths driest, while the rainy months from June to September can roughen the water enough to delay or shorten the pirogue circuit.