Waterfalls of Karfiguéla (Cascades de Karfiguéla)
The Karfiguéla Waterfalls is a nature reserve, also known by the resounding name of the Cascades of Banfora, as the waterfall system is located in the vicinity of the town of Banfora, in the extreme southwest of Burkina Faso. The Karthiguela Waterfalls are one of the most important and most visited tourist sites in the country.
Video: Karthiguela Waterfalls
Location
The Karthiguela Waterfalls are located on the Comoy River, at the point where the water flow descends from the Banfora mountain range to the flat terrain. A truly unique natural environment has formed around this waterfall, and the Carfiguela Waterfalls Reserve was created to protect it. It is undoubtedly one of the most visited tourist sites in Burkina Faso. Territorially, the Karthiguela Waterfalls area belongs to the administrative region of the country called Cascades. And it is the Karthiguela Waterfalls Reserve that has become the main reason why today the Cascades region has become the most developed in the whole country. Tourists are drawn here like bees to honey. What makes this region especially beautiful is the fact that it is home to a variety of ethnic groups.
.Banfora Mountains
The Banfora Mountains themselves are made up of sandstone. Despite their name, the mountains are still some distance from the village of the same name in Burkina Faso, a 12 km drive to the town. Banfora is a center for the production of medicines and essential oils. The strategic railroad line connecting Ouagadougou with Abidjan runs through it. The region is also known as the Sindou Remnants – high sandstone outcrops. These remnants are listed as a UNESCO natural heritage site.
.Sugarcane
In the vicinity of Karthiguela Falls, fields planted with sugarcane, mango and cotton trees are largely common. Sugar cane is of defining importance to the economy of the region, for it, like the well-known sugar beet, is used to produce sugar.
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As a representative of the flora of the region, sugar cane is a perennial herbaceous plant of the cereal family. To obtain sugar, the stem must be cut before the plant flowers. The composition of the sugarcane stem is as follows: 8-12% fiber, 18-21% sugar, and 67-73% water (including salts and protein substances).
.The cut stalks are pressed into juice, which contains up to 0.03% protein, 0.1% granular matter (starch), 0.22% nitrogen-containing mucilage, 0.29% salts, 18.36% sugar, and 81% water. It is this juice that is consumed: some aromatic substances, freshly quicklime (to separate the proteins) are added, and then the mixture is heated to 70 °C. The final steps in the preparation of sugar are filtration and evaporation.
.Interesting fact, the people of Banfora make “homemade” rum from sugar cane, including flavored rum.
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