Abidjan is the largest city in Côte d'Ivoire and one of the biggest cities in all of Africa. It is full of tall buildings, busy markets, and fast roads. Right in the middle of all that is Banco, a forest covering about 3,000 hectares where monkeys call from the treetops and butterflies drift between the trees.
The park was created to protect the Banco River valley and the forest around it. The river provides some of Abidjan's freshwater, which means protecting the forest also protects the city's water supply. This is a great example of how nature and cities can help each other.
Visitors can walk forest trails, spot green mamba snakes in the trees, hear chimpanzees, and watch hundreds of bird species. City children who have never seen a real forest can visit in a short bus ride. Urban national parks like Banco show that wild nature does not have to be far away.