A Protected Peak in the Toura Hills

Mont Glas stands at 771 metres (2,530 feet), making it the 57th-highest peak in Ivory Coast. It belongs to the Toura Hills, a range within the larger Guinea Highlands system that forms the mountainous spine of western Côte d'Ivoire. The peak's coordinates place it at the edge of Man's built-up area, in a landscape of steep forested ridges and deep valleys that locals simply call "the mountains."↗↗

The mountain is not merely a geological feature — it is a formally protected classified forest (forêt classée), a status dating back to French colonial forestry legislation. Its boundaries are defined by legal decrees running through the permanent forest domain of the Ivorian state. Today it is administered by SODEFOR, the national forest management agency.↗

Reforestation and Ecological Recovery

By the early 2010s, deforestation across the Tonkpi region had stripped many mountain flanks bare, diminishing the lush green scenery that gives Man its dramatic setting. In August 2013, SODEFOR launched a dedicated reforestation campaign on Mont Glas itself, planting assamela (a prized hardwood tree) and fromager (the cotton tree, Ceiba pentandra) to stabilise slopes and restore canopy cover. The initiative was explicitly framed as a project to protect the mountain and reclaim the visual appeal of Man's verdant peaks — an acknowledgment that Mont Glas had become a symbol of environmental degradation and the determination to reverse it.↗

Visiting the Man Mountain Area

Mont Glas is best appreciated as part of the wider mountain tapestry around Man rather than as a standalone summit destination. From its slopes you are surrounded by some of Ivory Coast's most photogenic peaks: La Dent de Man (the famous twin rocky tooth visible from miles away) sits 8 kilometres to the south, Mont Tonkoui rises 6 kilometres to the west, and Mont Tonkpi itself — at 1,189 metres the nation's highest — is barely 8 kilometres away. The village of Zadépleu, at the foot of Mont Glas, is home to a stunning natural waterfall and a rehabilitated vine bridge that draws visitors from across the country.↗↗↗

There are no established marked trails or recorded summit ascents on Mont Glas itself; it remains genuinely off the beaten track even within a region that sees few foreign visitors. Hiking in the surrounding hills requires a local guide — paths are unmarked, and Dan and Yacouba communities along the routes are far more welcoming to visitors who arrive with an intermediary.↗↗

Practical Information

Man is reached from Abidjan by road in 9–11 hours or by occasional domestic flights of around 90 minutes. The city sits in a tropical savanna highland zone with notably cooler nights (15–20 °C in the dry season) than the rest of Ivory Coast. The best months for mountain hiking are December through February, when trails are dry and visibility is good. A 4WD vehicle or motorcycle is necessary for approaching the outlying peaks and villages; the classified forest may require permission from SODEFOR or local authorities to enter.↗↗↗