Autonomous District of the Mountains
The Autonomous District of the Mountains has the town of Man as its capital. This District extends to the west of the country and includes the regions of Tonkpi (to the north), Guémon (to the centre-east) and Cavally (to the south). It is bordered to the north by the border with Guinea and the District of Woroba; to the east and south by the District of Sassandra-Marahoué and the District of Bas-Sassandra; and to the west by Liberia. It is the Côte d’Ivoire district with the most nature reserves (national parks, classified forests, wildlife reserves, etc.). The main towns are Man, the district capital, capital of the Tonkpi region, Duékoué, capital of the Guémon region, Guiglo, capital of the Cavally region and Danané, capital of the Tonkpi region. The Mountain District is home to a large number of nature reserves for flora and fauna. From north to south of the District, we have the Mont Sangbé National Park, the Mont Nimba Integral Nature Reserve, the Mont Péko National Park, the Scio Classified Forest, the Goin-Débé Classified Forest, the N’Zo Wildlife Reserve, the Cavally Classified Forest and the Taï National Park.
Man is the capital of the Tonkpi Region and also the capital of the Autonomous District of the Mountains. If there’s one region you shouldn’t visit during the rainy season, it’s the Autonomous District of the Mountains. Here, the rain can crackle furiously for days on end without interruption, accompanied by a fog that hides the admirable mountain scenery.
Contemplating the jagged silhouette of the eighteen surrounding peaks at sunrise and sunset has earned Man its nickname of the “city of eighteen mountains”. It’s a joy that just a few days can’t dampen.
The town has a population of around 130,000, made up of various communities – the Dans, nicknamed Yacouba, the natives, the Malinkés, the Wobés, the Guérés – but also Malians, Guineans and Burkinabè, who arrived more recently.
One of the main towns in the Autonomous District of the Mountains is Guiglo. Situated in the west of the country, in the Cavally region of which it is the capital, Guiglo is linked to Duékoué (pronounced Djoukoué) by a tarmac road, from where motorists can reach Man, further north, or Daloa, to the east. Guiglo lies on one of the shores of the Buyo reservoir, which seems to be lost in an immense region where much land is still unexploited. To the south of the lake lies the N’ZO wildlife reserve, which borders the Taï national park. All of which makes the town an ideal base for visiting the park.