With an area about the size of Germany, squarish Côte d'Ivoire is bordered on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Liberia and Guinea, to the north by Mali and Burkina Faso, and on the east by Ghana. Except for the western hill country around Man, Côte d'Ivoire is mostly flat. The coastal area is notable for an inland lagoon that starts at the Ghanaian border and stretches 300km (190mi) along the entire eastern half of the coast.

In the south is Yamoussoukro, the country's capital, and the cocoa and coffee farms that grow Côte d'Ivoire's major export crops. Around them are remnants of the rainforests that once covered the entire southern area; the land becomes savannah farther north. The expansion of agricultural lands poses a major threat to the country's diverse flora and fauna. Rainforests are being cut down at the highest rate in the world; the only remaining virgin forest is in the 3600 sq km (1400 sq mi) Taï National Park in the far south-western corner of Côte d'Ivoire. The timber industry is the main culprit; hardwood exports are on a level with those of Brazil, a country 20 times larger.

Côte d'Ivoire is humid and tropical along the coast and semi-arid in the north, with three distinct seasons. The country is warm and dry from November to March; hot and dry from March through May; and hot and wet from June through October; July is wettest of all. From early December to February, the harmattan winds blow sand south from the Sahara, reducing visibility in the northern mountain regions.

The CFA franc is fixed against the French franc and is the principal currency for all of French-speaking West Africa. A bare minimum budget for travellers is US$10 a day for clean but simple accommodation and excellent street-stall food. Finding cheap restaurants isn't always easy, and if you insist on eating Western food and staying in fancier accommodation, you'll need closer to US$30-40 a day. For top hotel accommodation and nights out on the town, budget about US$100 a day. Renting a car requires another US$100 a day.

The airport bank offers decent rates, so change money there if you arrive by plane. Otherwise, before changing money, it definitely pays to shop around for the best rates, as some banks offer excellent rates but also charge high commissions, while others charge no commissions but offer significantly lower rates. The French usually have no trouble obtaining cash with credit cards, as the cards are issued by French banks affiliated with those in Côte d'Ivoire; travellers from other countries may find this more difficult. The only bank which gives cash advances on a credit card is the COBACI bank in Plateau, Abidjan.

There are few clear rules about tipping. Africans are not in the habit, but rich people (ie tourists) are expected to give a

In February, the Fêtes des Masques (Festival of Masks) takes place in scattered villages in the Man region. Not to be missed is mid-April's Fête du Dipri, held in Gomon, 100km (60mi) north-west of Abidjan, when the entire village vigourously exorcises their homes of evil spells. A peaceful time to go is the cool, dry period from November to February, though shutterbugs will get much better photos in the rainy season from May to October. The tourist season tends to be from December to March and, to a lesser extent, the months of November and April.