From the coast to the savannah
Benin is small enough to cross in two days and deep enough to spend a month in. Fifteen places we know well, grouped by region, south to north.
The coast
Cotonou
The big city on the lagoon: Dantokpa market, the Fondation Zinsou, the art scene and the best kitchens in the country.
[ 6°22′ N, 2°25′ E ]
Ouidah
The Route des Esclaves, the Python Temple and the Door of No Return. Where Vodun and the Atlantic meet.
[ 6°22′ N, 2°05′ E ]
Grand-Popo
Coconut palms, the Mono river mouth and a beach with nobody on it.
[ 6°17′ N, 1°49′ E ]The south
Ganvié
A town of 30,000 on stilts in Lake Nokoué, founded by people who fled the slave raids and never left.
[ 6°28′ N, 2°25′ E ]
Porto-Novo
The quiet capital: Afro-Brazilian mansions, the Great Mosque, the Honmè royal palace.
[ 6°30′ N, 2°36′ E ]
Possotomè & Lake Ahémé
Hot springs, fishing villages and a lake the Pedah people read like a book.
[ 6°34′ N, 1°56′ E ]
Abomey
The royal palaces of twelve kings, their bas-reliefs, and the court that ruled Dahomey for 300 years.
[ 7°11′ N, 1°59′ E ]
Kétou
The Yoruba kingdom on the Nigerian border, home of the Gèlèdé masquerades on UNESCO's list.
[ 7°22′ N, 2°36′ E ]The centre
The north
Natitingou
The base for the Atakora: the regional museum, the Kota falls and the road to the parks.
[ 10°18′ N, 1°23′ E ]
Koutammakou & the Tata Somba
The fortified mud houses of the Batammariba, built like castles, still lived in. A World Heritage landscape.
[ 10°10′ N, 1°06′ E ]
Tanougou falls
A waterfall and a natural pool at the foot of the Atakora, on the road into Pendjari.
[ 10°48′ N, 1°26′ E ]
Pendjari National Park
Lions, elephants, hippos and cheetahs in the W-Arly-Pendjari complex, the largest wild savannah left in West Africa.
[ 10°54′ N, 1°33′ E ]W National Park
The Niger river's great bend, shared with Niger and Burkina Faso. Wilder and emptier than Pendjari.
[ 11°54′ N, 2°36′ E ]Start planning your journey
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