Orodara, in the Black Volta Region of Burkina Faso, is capital to the Siamou ethnic group – but other ethnic groups that live in the area include the Tousian, and the more distant Sambla (further along the road to Bobo) the Turka and Samogo, and the Senoufo.
The region is rolling/hilly, and there are a few barrages (reservoirs). One barrage is in Dieri as you head towards Mali border, but it's small. There is a giant lake 7 km behind Mussodougou worth a camping trip to see, fish in, possibly swim in. The road to get to the lake is a dirt track.
The languages spoken most frequently in Orodara are French, Jula, Siamou, Senoufo, and Tousian. Orodara has lots of fruits and vegetables in most all seasons (due to old fruit tree projects, and the general availability of year round river water in the area). There is a large bakery to the west of the marketplace that sells baguettes.
If you want to get in and out of Orodara, there are various "taxis brousse" (privately operated mini-vans) options coming from Mali like Yi Houchee and Sogebaf – avoid them if you can, and get on the bus company buses: TCV or Rakieta. Either TCV or Rakieta will get you to Bobo Dioulasso in about one hour from Orodara.
During holiday seasons it is wise to book ahead, or go directly into Orodara to get your ticket – as they don’t have room always to stop for passengers who wait on the side of the road. Also note that the market day in Orodara is always Saturday – so if you are coming from Bobo Dioulasso on Saturday morning or leaving Orodara on Saturday evening you will run into difficulty getting on the bus.
The TCV and Rakieta buses run on schedules. Please see their ticket windows for time lists. The price is approximately 1000 CFA for a ride from Orodara to Bobo Dioulasso. Extra money will be paid for having the bus transport a bicycle, motorcycle, or large packages.
The best way to get around Orodara is on foot, on bicycle, or motorcycle. There are a number of neighborhoods that surround the main street (National Route 8) that runs through the town center. Most all neighborhoods have small stores that will sell some dry goods like spaghetti, matches, hard candies, and other various items. The homes in these neighborhoods are almost all exclusively made of mud brick.
Ubiquitous "buvettes" or places to sit and have a soda or beer are all along the market and RN8.
Hotel Prestige is pricy, but is on the north eastern end of town. It serves more western style food. There are several hotels across from the market that are more reasonable — and will offer a room with a mosquito net, squat toilets, and a sink.
Right next to the mosque on the road to Tin/Diguera. Hours of operation 7:30AM-noon, and 3PM–5PM. Christian and Gaston are the post office attendants who work there – along with an adorable post office cat. They are helpful and friendly, as is the post office guard. You can get money out of this post as well if you have a bank account through the Burkina Faso Postal system. Expect letters to take about 2 weeks to reach the East Coast of the USA, maybe a little longer for the West Coast of the USA.
There are two options for internet access in town, both of which are somewhat unreliable, with slow connections. Hotel Prestige has a cyber cafe open most days, and there is another run by the NGO SOS Enfants, located at the eastern end of town. Both cost 500 CFA per hour.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division