The origin of voodoo and a pivotal platform of the slave trade for nearly three centuries, enter into the ritual world of the Afro-Brazilian heritage of Ouidah, Abomey and Porto Novo…
If there is one single peaceful West African country that has successfully operated political handovers without any sort of violence, that would be also be Benin.
This little country in the Gulf of Guinea boasts breath-taking lagoons and beaches fringed with coconut trees as far as the eye can see, as well as stunning savannah hills and dramatic mountains and forests filled with wildlife. Game life is abundant here, particularly in the W park, a three-frontier game reserve contiguous to Burkina Faso and Niger, considered the biggest trans-frontier biosphere reserve on the earth.
Benin is the land of voodoo, an ever-prevalent animist cult that has spread to Brazil, Haiti and Cuba. The land was also marked by the slave trade, with millions of people deported from its shores. Today, many African-Americans come to walk in the footsteps of their history.
HIGHLIGHTS
Culture:
- Observe a Vodoo ceremony
- Visit the royal palaces; colonial vestiges in Abomey
- Shop at the animated Dantokpa Market in Cotonou
- See the Tata Somba castles and culture
- Go on a village and nature walk in the Tin-Tin Sacred Hill Village
- Visit the historic town of Porto-Novo and the Orisha cult
- Travel along the slave trade route, the Python Temple, the Cathedral and the Sacred Forest in Ouidah
Nature:
- Safari in the Pendjari and W National Parks where you can see the Lion, Elphant, Crocodile, Hippopotamus, Monkey, Antelopes, Red River Hog and Kob.
- Go on a hunting safari in Pendjari and Komkombri National Parks
Adventure:
- Porto-Novo city tours including the market, the ols mosque, the Songhaï Centre, the Honmay Royal Palce and the Da Silva Museum
- Tanongo waterfalls in Penjari National Parc
- Pirogue ride on the Nokoué Lake and Vilage walk in Ganvié
Relaxation:
- Beach relaxation in Grand Popo
- Visit the fishermen village in Grand Popo