This is a question we get asked about Burkina Faso more than almost any other destination we run tours to, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a marketing one. So let's be upfront: Burkina Faso is currently under a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" advisory from the US State Department, and most Western governments, including the UK and Canada, advise against all travel to the majority of the country. That's not a small thing, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.
But "most of the country" and "the places our tours actually go" are two very different maps, and understanding that difference is the key to understanding why we still run trips here, and why we genuinely believe it can be done safely.
The Reality on the Ground
Burkina Faso has spent the past several years fighting an entrenched jihadist insurgency, led primarily by JNIM (an al-Qaeda-affiliated coalition) and ISGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahara). This conflict is real, it's serious, and it has displaced millions of Burkinabe civilians, largely across the country's rural north, east and west — regions like the Sahel, Centre-Nord and Boucle du Mouhoun, where fighting and roadblocks are an ongoing feature of daily life. If you only read the news, or only read a government travel advisory covering the entire country as a single block, you would come away thinking all of Burkina Faso is a warzone. It isn't. Ouagadougou, the capital, and the handful of areas our tours pass through operate under a far higher level of security presence and day-to-day normalcy than the advisories, written to cover the worst-case scenario across the whole country, tend to suggest. Life in the capital continues largely as normal — markets are open, restaurants are full in the evenings, and the vast majority of residents go about their daily lives without incident.
What About Everyday Crime?
Beyond the insurgency itself, general advisories also flag opportunistic crime — pickpocketing, occasional armed robbery, and the kind of low-level urban crime you'd find warnings about in plenty of major cities around the world, developed and developing alike. This is a genuinely separate issue from the security situation in the conflict-affected regions, and it's manageable with the same common sense you'd use anywhere: don't flash valuables, use trusted transport, and stay aware of your surroundings, particularly after dark. It's a far smaller factor in our route planning than the insurgency itself, but it's still worth being upfront about.
Why We Still Run Tours Here
We don't take the decision to operate in Burkina Faso lightly, and it's not a country we'd ever recommend for independent, unplanned backpacking. What we do is build a tightly controlled itinerary that stays within Ouagadougou and a small number of vetted, actively monitored areas, cutting out the regions where the insurgency is genuinely active. We work with experienced local guides and fixers who live with this situation day to day and know, far better than any foreign government desk officer, which neighbourhoods, roads and situations to avoid on any given week. Our itineraries are also kept flexible right up until departure — if the security picture in a specific area changes, we adjust the route rather than push ahead regardless. This is the same controlled, small-group model we use in other complex destinations like Mali, Afghanistan and Libya : go with people who know the country intimately, stick to a plan built around current, on-the-ground information rather than a blanket travel warning, and never treat the trip as an adventure-tourism dare.
What This Means for You as a Traveller
Safety on a trip like this isn't something we bolt on as an afterthought — it's the entire foundation the tour is built on. That means you won't be wandering off on your own to explore wherever you fancy; you'll be moving with the group, our guides and our drivers, following a route that has been assessed and re-assessed right up until the day you land. You'll also be flying in rather than crossing any land border — we've laid out exactly what that looks like in our guide to getting in and out of the country .
It also means we're upfront with every traveller before they book: this is not a beach holiday, and you're coming to a country that is genuinely dealing with a difficult security situation, even if the parts you'll see are calmer and more stable than the headlines suggest. Comprehensive travel insurance that specifically covers travel to Level 4 destinations is a requirement for anyone joining one of our Burkina Faso departures , and we'll help you find a policy that actually covers you if you don't already have one.
So, Is It Safe?
Our honest answer is this: Burkina Faso, as a whole country, is not currently safe for casual or independent travel, and we'd never suggest otherwise. But a carefully planned, professionally guided trip that sticks to Ouagadougou and a small number of actively monitored areas, run by people who live and work in the country and adjust plans as the situation demands, is a genuinely different proposition, and one we believe can be done responsibly. We think Burkina Faso, and its people, deserve to be seen beyond the headlines, and we'd rather offer travellers a safe, well-managed way to do that than leave the country entirely off the map — especially when there's so much good food waiting on the other side of that flight .
Do we offer Burkina Faso tours?
We do — built the way we've described above: Ouagadougou-based, tightly controlled, and run by guides who live and work in the country year-round.
How can I book a tour?
If you have questions about our current Burkina Faso departures, our security protocols, or anything else about travelling here, reach out to us directly at [email protected] or check out the tours on our website — we're always happy to talk through exactly what a trip like this involves before you commit to anything.
