Changes

It is by all means possible to hitchhike in Burkina Faso, but naturally the experience is pretty different from the one you might have in Europe, North Africa or the Middle East. In Burkina Faso the majority of people who travel do so by bus and there are few cars on the road. However, it won't take to many of the sparse cars passing before someone will stop, usually curious as to why you are standing by the road with your thumb or finger out. When the situation is explained, more often than not, the driver will be happy to help out a traveller and will probably be excited to meet you!

As with hitching in general, it is better to be outside of the bigger cities, mainly because you will attract a lot of taxis. Getting out of the two sprawling bigger cities ([[Bobo Dialasso]] and [[Ouagadougou]]) can be a bit of a mission on foot, so it might be worth taking a shared taxi or bus (in ''Ouaga'') a little way along the road. As a traveller, you may be in for some hassle if you stroll past the 10 or 20 bus companies and stations that line the exits of the cities, as they'll wonder why you are walking (and saying "I fancy hitching", even in French) probably won't satisfy them.