Visit Assinie.
White sand, Aby Lagoon, N'zima culture and luxury resorts 90 min from Abidjan.
Assinie, Côte d'Ivoire: overview
Assinie (officially Assinie-Mafia) is in the Adiaké department of the Sud-Comoé region, in south-eastern Côte d'Ivoire, east of Abidjan and close to the Ghanaian border. The municipality covers 77 km² and had 21,941 inhabitants at the 2021 census. Its eastern half is a peninsula about 15 km long, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Aby lagoon.
The place has a long history. The French settled in 1687, occupied Fort Saint-Louis from 1701 to 1704 and built Fort-Joinville in 1843. In 1907 Assinie was the country's third port. The modern resort followed: a Club Méditerranée village opened in 1969, a second holiday village at Assouindé in 1980, and the film Les Bronzés was shot here in 1978.
The people who shaped this coast are the N'zima, an Akan people. Every autumn, they celebrate their new year with the Abissa in Grand-Bassam, a UNESCO-listed historic town 43 km east of Abidjan.
How to use this guide
This is an independent guide. Each page states its sources and says what we could not verify, and we remove claims we cannot back. Start with the beaches and swimming precautions, the Aby lagoon and how to get there. For the seasons, the climate source gives four of them on the south coast, with highs of 27 to 32 °C in Abidjan.
Sources: Wikipédia, Assinie, Wikipédia, Grand-Bassam, Wikipédia, Climat de la Côte d'Ivoire.
Assinie in three facts
Between ocean and lagoon
A peninsula about 15 km long and 100 to 1,000 metres wide, between the Atlantic and the Aby lagoon.
A long history
Fort Saint-Louis (1701-1704), Fort-Joinville (1843), third port of the country in 1907, a Club Méditerranée village in 1969.
East of Abidjan
80 to 94 km depending on the source, by road A100 then B-107. The road ends at Assinie-Mafia.
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Frequently asked questions about Assinie
Where is Assinie located?+
Assinie (Assinie-Mafia) lies in the Adiaké department of the Sud-Comoé region, east of Abidjan and close to the Ghanaian border. Sources give between 80 and 94 km by road.
What is the best time to visit Assinie?+
The south of Côte d'Ivoire has four seasons: a long dry season from December to April, a long rainy season from May to July, a short dry season in August and September, and a short rainy season in October and November. The dry months are the safest bet for the beach.
How do you get to Assinie from Abidjan?+
By road A100 heading east, then the B-107 to Assinie-Mafia, where the road ends. The peninsula is reached by car, private boat or pirogue. We have no sourced fares or travel times: see our "Getting to Assinie" page.
Can you swim at Assinie?+
With care. A February 2023 report warned of heavy swell, rip currents and physalias on the ocean coast. The lagoon shore is much calmer. Ask your accommodation about conditions on the day.
Is Grand-Bassam close to Assinie?+
Grand-Bassam is 43 km from Abidjan and Assinie is 80 to 94 km, so expect roughly 40 to 50 km between them, based on those distances. Check a live map.