Escape & Traditions

We begin our first day of exploration with a visit to the open-air international market of Cotonou: the Dantokpa market.

This vast space has the gift of turning our heads with its diverse and multiple items: amulets, fabrics, cloths, cult objects, etc. Also, food products, handicrafts and industrial goods rub shoulders there.

Many merchants come from all corners of Africa to set up their stalls, hoping to close a golden deal. Each day, this great bazaar brings together thousands of customers and vendors.

Then we take the road to Porto, the administrative capital of Bénin. It is also the capital of the Oueme Department. This beautiful and charming port city is distinguished by its multiethnic character and especially by the colonial architecture of its buildings, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (such as its Grand Mosque).

An African city known as the heart of the worship cults of the god Orisha, three distinct religions predominate there: Christianity, the Yoruba religion and Voodoo, and Islam.

Stroll around the lagoon bordering the "Red City", another UNESCO World Heritage Site. A city bearing the marks of architecture brought by repatriated Afro-Brazilian slaves.

We continue with some history and culture at the ethnographic museum. You can admire various indigenous artifacts such as Guelede identity celebration, weapons and musical instruments.

Contemplation of the Grand Mosque of Porto. This building proves to be a real treat for the eyes. Its multicolored facades and architectural style are reminiscent of those of the churches of Salvador da Bahia in Brazil.

We finish with a tour of the old quarter of the city. The colonial houses that line its streets immerse us in a completely different world.

We head towards Pobé. This small town already sparks our curiosity while we're still on our way.

We heard that Holi groups have settled here. They fascinate us with their traditional tattoos and their python scarification.

We're also told that with a bit of luck, we'll see their Guèlèdè dance.

We arrive late in the evening and prepare ourselves to spend the night in the heart of the jungle of the village of Pobe.

We have breakfast quickly so we can head towards the interior of the Agonlin region around the town of Covè.

We plan to use this day to witness firsthand the ancestral way of life of the local population. Customs based on subsistence farming, hunting and the worship of ancestors.

We then take the long track connecting Gbaname and Parakou.

Along the way there is a Woodabe encampment. These nomads originally from Nigeria are particularly striking for their Géréwol festival, a celebration featuring a beauty and seduction competition between young members of the tribe. The men groom themselves and the women make themselves desired. These festivities take place every year, just after the rainy season.

We, however, will simply soak in the atmosphere floating through the camp and exchange with these nomads.

Then, we will go to rest in a local house nearby.

Upon waking, we savor a hearty breakfast and then set our course for the Somba region.

But who are the Sombas? They are a tribe of pagans who practice python scarification on their young people. Before 1960, these indigenous people were inveterate nudists and refused the country's reforms.

The arrival of Catholic missionaries and state representatives in this Sahelian region corrected these habits. Schooling and Western civilization put an end to their practice of nudity. Nevertheless, they preserved their animist culture and their traditional tattoos.

We tour the area on foot and enjoy encounters with the locals.

Route towards Boukoumbé.

After a good night's sleep, we pack our bags to head to the central part of Bénin.

We are on the road all morning.

Once we arrive, we immediately continue with an expedition on the slopes of the Dassa mountains topped with small houses.

We will also roam around its 41 Dassa Hills sacred sites and its stone cutters, in the Notre-Dame d'Arigbo Cave, and on the Princes' Hill.

We continue our journey and arrive in the historic city of Dassa where we will stop by to greet the city's mayor.

The morning is free, then we head towards Abomey.

On the way, we make a brief stop at Bohicon to see what its market looks like. Amulets, animal carcasses, and ingredients for voodoo worship are sold there.

In the Beninese royal capital, Abomey, we enjoy visiting its royal palaces, the place where the sovereigns of the kingdom of Dahomey lived. They abandoned the place following the defeat of King Behanzin to French colonists. Later, these castles were renovated by UNESCO and became history museums.

There are notably the thrones of former monarchs. These are characterized by their craftsmanship: they are made of human skulls and pottery.

The sunset marks the end of our journey.

We take the road to Ouidah to spend the night there.

We reserve our second-to-last day in Bénin for long hours of strolling through the historic city of Ouidah. We have our morning snack and then head towards the Python Temple. This is located opposite the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the city's cathedral.

Then, we stretch our legs exploring The sacred forest Kpassè Zoun. It is a wooded area where hundred-year-old trees stand. We enjoy discovering its voodoo temple with its statues of voodoo deities, as well as contemplating the king's iroko tree.

We continue with a walk through the colonial quarter where houses with French, Portuguese and English architecture succeed one another. A visit to the former colonial fort converted into a historical museum completes this tour.

The Slave Route remains an unmissable circuit in Ouidah. We walk several kilometers of beach to retrace one by one the 5 stages of this trail, symbol of the slave trade in Bénin.

We end our visit to the city with a brief stop at the Zinsou Foundation to admire contemporary African art, before heading to our destination for tonight: Grand.

Before taking our return flight, we first head to Ganvié.

This village is built in the middle of Lake Nokoué and has been inhabited since 1770 by the Toffin, a tribe that fled inter-ethnic conflicts and the evils of slavery.

The spectacle that unfolds before our eyes is exceptional: its floating market with a thousand colors and scents, and its bamboo houses and straw dwellings on stilts.

Arrived in Cotonou, we do our last shopping at the craft center.

You can find objects from local culture such as wooden Egungun, bracelets, wooden sculptures, masks, furniture, fabrics, weapons, musical instruments, silver jewelry, etc.

Our driver then takes us to the airport, which marks the end of our trip.