The Site is located in the province of Houet some 60 kilometres north of the city of Bobo-Dioulasso. The reserve benefits from a great diversity of landscapes and habitats. The Site is famous for its hippos that live permanently in the pond which gives the Site its name; there are also other mammals such as elephant, warthog, kéwel (Tragelaphus scriptus) and roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus). The local residents use the Site to gather edible fruits and leaves as well as mushrooms, dead wood, barks and roots of various plant species for medicinal purposes. The reserve also hosts bee-forage plants which favour revenue-generating beekeeping. The Site is regarded as a sacred source of protection and abundance by its local communities, who practice rites to protect them from all misfortune and also to ensure peace, health, and good rainfall. They also avoid any action that could compromise the integrity of the Site.