Things to Do in Burkina Faso in June

June's slightly lower temperatures make Ouagadougou walkable in ways that April's 39°C (102°F) furnace simply does not allow. The city's cultural spine runs from the Musée National, where Mossi ceremonial masks and Lobi figurines sit in hushed, cool galleries, through to the large Rood Wooko market where the smell of dried shea butter and smoked fish hits you three blocks before you arrive. The Village Artisanal de Ouagadougou, a cooperative compound on the eastern side of the city, houses bronze casters working with the lost-wax technique the Mossi have used for centuries. You will hear the tap of hammers on metal and the hiss of molten bronze hitting clay moulds. Morning walks before the afternoon rains, roughly 7am to 11am, let you cover ground in the relative cool. The Grand Mosquée de Ouagadougou and the surrounding quartier have a quiet hum in the early hours that the midday heat silences.

Bobo-Dioulasso sits roughly 360 km (224 miles) southwest of Ouagadougou. It is the country's cultural second city and arguably its more atmospheric one. The old Dioulasso quarter forms a labyrinth of banco mud-brick houses with hand-smoothed walls the colour of dried clay. It has a density and texture that Ouagadougou's more modern grid lacks. The Grande Mosquée de Bobo-Dioulasso is a Sudano-Sahelian mud structure bristling with timber buttresses. It ranks among the finest examples of the architectural style in West Africa. In June, the first rains darken the mosque's earthen walls to a deep umber. Caretakers begin the annual re-plastering that keeps the structure standing. The air in the old quarter smells of woodsmoke and wet earth after a storm. Narrow alleys amplify the sound of the muezzin's call in a way that open streets do not. The city's live music scene centres around open-air maquis bars in the Bolomakoté neighbourhood. It comes alive after dark when the heat breaks.

The Cascades de Karfiguéla lie about 12 km (7.5 miles) northwest of Banfora in the southwest. They begin to run properly in June as the early rains feed the Comoé River system. During the dry months these falls slow to a trickle. By mid-June the water spills over the stepped sandstone ledges with enough force to throw mist onto the surrounding vegetation. The air around the falls drops several degrees in temperature. The roar of water matters. So does the cool spray on your skin after hours of Sahelian heat. The green that erupts around the riverbanks in a matter of weeks makes this one of the few places in Burkina Faso that feels lush. Combine this with the Dômes de Fabédougou. These strange rounded granite formations sit roughly 20 km (12.4 miles) west of Banfora. They look like they belong on another planet. Their surfaces warm to the touch even in the shade. June's cloud cover softens the light for photography in ways that the dry-season glare does not.

Bazoulé lies about 30 km (19 miles) southwest of Ouagadougou. It is home to a colony of sacred crocodiles that the local community has coexisted with for centuries. The relationship is genuine, not staged for cameras. The crocodiles are fed by the village. They are considered protectors. They are named individually. In June, the pools begin to fill with rainwater after months of shrinkage. The crocodiles, which have been concentrated in dwindling puddles through the dry season, spread out along the expanding shoreline. Village guides will walk you within touching distance of the animals. People do touch them. Whether you want to is another question entirely. The mud around the pools in June has a particular thick, organic smell. The sound of frogs returning to the water after the first rains is constant. Go in the morning. The crocodiles are sunning on the banks then. They are less likely to be submerged.

Burkina Faso's artisan traditions rank among the most technically accomplished in West Africa. June's lower visitor numbers mean you can spend extended time with craftspeople who are not rushing between tour groups. The lost-wax bronze casters of Ouagadougou work in open-air foundries. The heat from the furnaces compounds the ambient temperature into something almost physical. The smell of hot metal and burning wax fills the workshop. Weavers in Koudougou, about 100 km (62 miles) west of the capital, produce Faso Dan Fani. This handwoven cotton cloth has become a symbol of national identity since the Thomas Sankara era in the 1980s. Watching a weaver work a traditional loom gives the textile weight. The rhythmic clack of the shuttle is audible from the street. Each pattern carries specific cultural meaning from the Mossi, Bobo, or Gurunsi traditions. Buying it off a market stall does not give you this. June is comfortable enough for workshop visits. April's peak heat would make them unbearable.