Guide · Assinie, Côte d’Ivoire
Things to do in Assinie
Assinie-Mafia is a strip of sand between the Aby lagoon and the Atlantic, at the eastern end of the Ivorian coast. The ocean on one side, the lagoon on the other: here is what a week there holds.
What is there to do in Assinie?
Assinie-Mafia, in Côte d’Ivoire’s Sud-Comoé region about 80 km east of Abidjan, sits on a strip of sand between the Aby lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean, so most things to do there involve water. On the ocean side, you can learn to surf: the Surf Côte d’Ivoire camp runs two coached sessions a day with a certified instructor and local surf guides, for beginners to intermediates, boards included. On the lagoon side, the water is calm enough for paddleboard and kayaking at sunset. Inland, an excursion leads to the river mouth and the Ehotilé Islands National Park. Back on the beach there is yoga, meditation and stretching, volleyball, table tennis and pétanque, and film screenings on the sand at night. Assinie is also home to the Africa Surf Tour, a surf and music festival first held there in February 2025. From Abidjan, the road through Grand-Bassam takes an hour and a half to two hours, then a short boat crosses the lagoon.
Surf on the Atlantic side
The waves in front of the camp are where the week happens: two coached sessions a day with a certified instructor, video analysis, theory and progression, with local surf guides in the water. Boards, leashes and lycras are provided.
Paddleboard and kayak on the Aby lagoon
Behind the camp, the Aby lagoon is calm water: paddleboard during the day, kayaking at sunset. The boat across the lagoon is also how you arrive at the camp.
The river mouth and the Ehotilé Islands National Park
An excursion during the week leads to the river mouth and the Ehotilé Islands National Park.
On the beach
Yoga, meditation and stretching; volleyball, table tennis and pétanque; and in the evening, films screened on the beach. Full board, with fresh local cooking, fruit and coffee from the morning.
Meet the local surf community
Assinie is where Surf Côte d’Ivoire works: Diaraby, the country’s first girls’ surf club, young surfers who received boards through Surf Solidaire, and the Africa Surf Tour, first held here in February 2025. Every week at the camp gives back to the association.
Questions we’re asked
Where is Assinie?
Assinie-Mafia is in the Sud-Comoé region of Côte d’Ivoire, about 80 km east of Abidjan, on a strip of sand between the Aby lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean, at the eastern end of the Ivorian coast.
Can you surf in Assinie?
Yes. The Surf Côte d’Ivoire camp in Assinie-Mafia offers a seven-day, six-night all-inclusive surf week for beginners to intermediates, with two coached sessions a day with a certified instructor and local surf guides.
How long does it take to get from Abidjan to Assinie?
About an hour and a half to two hours by road, depending on traffic, along the coast road through Grand-Bassam. The last stretch to the camp is a short boat crossing of the lagoon.