Oussouye is the largest Diola town in the region and the gateway to the national park. Its sacred forest — a dense grove of kapok and fromager trees on the edge of town — is a living religious site. Visitors may enter the fringes with a local guide, but the inner sections are off-limits except to initiated Diola men.
The town itself is a good base for the region. The weekly market brings in people from surrounding villages, and local pirogues can be hired from the waterfront for trips into the mangrove channels. The Maison des Artisans sells locally produced baskets, pottery, and carved wood.