Country Information

Capital: Ouagadougou

Time zone: GMT

Telephone services: Country Code: 226
Outgoing Code: 00

Emergency telephone numbers: Unavailable

Tourist information: Direction de l’Administration Touristique et Hôtelière, BP 624, Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso Tel: 306 396

Passport information: A valid passport is required by all. Return Ticket Required.

Visa information: Visa required by all.

Health information: Polio, Typhoid: Vaccination recommended
Malaria: Take precautions as Falciparum variety present.
Yellow Fever: R. with vaccination certificate if arriving from an infected area. OTHER: Bilharzia, Rabies, Cholera, River Blindness and Sleeping Sickness.
Other Health Risks: A meningitis epidemic has affected West Africa – seek medical advice before travelling.

Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink. Avoid dairy products as they are not pasteurised. Fruit and vegetables should be peeled before consumption.

Currency: CFA Franc (CFA Fr).
Visa and MasterCard have limited acceptance. Travellers cheques are accepted on a limited basis. French francs are the preferred currency.
ATM availability: Unavailable.

Cost of living: Burkina Faso is the sixth poorest country in the world

Languages: French with several indigenous languages.

Weather: Tropical climate. Dec – Mar are the best months. rainy season = Jun – Oct. Winds blow Nov- Feb which brings cool and dry weather.

Electricity: 220/380 volts AC 50 Hz. Plugs = 2 pin.

Post: Up to 2 weeks by airmail. There are few post offices. Poste Restante is available with a mail- charge for collection of letters.

Transport: ROAD: Most are impassable during the raining season. Police check points often cause delay. FLIGHTS: there are few domestic flights. DOCUMENTATION: Temporary driving licences are available from local authorities if you present a valid national driving license.

Special information: Most visits to Burkina Faso are trouble free, but criminal incidents do occur and care should be taken, particularly after dark. Customs should be respected especially in traditional rural areas. Clothing can be casual and should be appropriate for the hot weather.

Capital: Kabul

Time zone: GMT + 4.5

Telephone services: At the time of writing no services were available.

Emergency telephone numbers: At the time of writing no services were available.

Tourist information: Afghan Tourist Organisation (ATO), Ansari Wat, Shar-i-Nau, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: (9251) 30323.

Passport information: Valid passport required by all. Return Ticket required. Requirements may be subject to short-term change. Contact the relevant authority before departure.

Visa information: Visa required by all except: Nationals of Afghanistan holding official passports. Travellers holding re-entry permits issued by Afghanistan. Travellers holding confirmed onward tickets and continuing their journey to another country by the same aircraft within 2 hours.

Health information: Polio, Typhoid, Vaccination recommended
Malaria: Exists in the falciparum and vivax varieties.
Yellow Fever: A vaccination certificate is required if arriving from endemic or infected areas. Travellers arriving from non endemic areas should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas.
Other Health Risks: Cutaneous leishmaniasis, Cholera, tick born relapsing fever, Typhus, and Rabies are all present.

Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink. Avoid dairy products as they are not pasteurised. Fruit and vegetables should be peeled before consumption

Currency: Afghani (Af) = 100 puls.
Credit cards and travellers cheques are not accepted.
ATM availability: Unavailable.

Cost of living: Limited accommodation and commodities in Kabul. All are inexpensive

Languages: Pashtu and Dari Persian. English, French, German and Russian are also spoken

Weather: Regions above 2500m are extremely cold. There are considerable differences between temperatures in the summer and winter and between day and night in lowland regions and the valleys

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50 Hz.

Post: No postal, telephone, fax or telex services available.

Transport: Buses, trolley buses and taxis operate in Kabul. It is essential to check these services with the relevant airline offices

Special information: EXTREME RISK: No travellers should enter Afghanistan and great care is needed in bordering countries and especially regions close to the international border with Afghanistan.

Capital: Sofia

Time zone: GMT + 2

Telephone services: Country Code: 359
Outgoing Code: 00, some calls go through the international operator.

Emergency telephone numbers: Ambulance – 150, Fire – 160, Police – 166

Passport information: A valid passport with at least 6 months remaining validity at time of departure is required. Requirements may change at short notice. Contact the relevant authority before finalising travel arrangements.

Visa information: Visa required by all.

Health information: No information available at present.

Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink.

Currency: Lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki. Exchange: A bordereau receipt will be given and must be kept until departure. NOTE: Import and export of local currency is prohibited. Amounts of currency over US$ 1000 have to be declared. Diners Club American Express and Visa have limited acceptance. Traveller’s cheques can be exchanged in major banks. US dollars and Pound sterling are the preferred currency.
ATM availability: Over 100 locations (MasterCard/Cirrus only).

Cost of living: Inexpensive when compared with Western Europe.

Languages: Bulgarian. English is spoken in resorts. Turkish, Russian, French and German may also be spoken.

Weather: Summers are the warmest with some rainfall. Winters are cold with snow. Rain falls frequently in the Spring and Autumn.

Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50 Hz. Plugs are 2 pin.

Post: 4 days to 2 weeks to Western Europe

Transport: FLIGHTS: Air travel is only slightly more expensive than rail and more convenient. RAIL: Reservations are essential, 1st Class is advisable. ROAD: Speed limits are strictly enforced as are drinking and driving penalties. CAR HIRE: Can be arranged through hotels. DOCUMENTATION: AN IDP should be obtained although foreign driving licences are acceptable for short journeys. A ‘Green’ card is compulsory.

Special information: A nod of the head means “No” and shaking the head means “Yes”. Dress should be conservative but casual. It is advisable to register with the police, a hotel or guest house within 48 hours of arrival. Do not accept food or drink from strangers. Exercise caution in Sofia particularly at night.