Return to the source
For travellers of African descent whose family story passed through the Bight of Benin. Not a tour of the slave route; a return, paced for feeling, with people who have kept the memory and can hold the silence.
Four parts, at your pace
Before you come
A two-hour session with our researcher to go through what you have: DNA results, surnames, oral history, documents. We say plainly what the records can and cannot tell, and we build the journey around the directions they give.
In Ouidah
The Route des Esclaves walked at your pace with a historian from the town, the fort and the archives, the Zomachi memorial, the Door of No Return at dawn with nobody else there. A welcome ceremony with a temple if you wish one, never as a show.
Inland
Where the records point to a region, a day there: Abomey and the kingdom that sold and was sold, the Yoruba towns of Kétou, the Mahi villages of the Collines. A family name can open a door; we knock first.
Practical help
E-visa, Beninese citizenship enquiries for people of African descent under the 2024 law, documents, translations, and the quiet logistics of staying longer or coming back. We have done this before and we stay in touch after.
Return, five days
Return
From 980 000 F≈ €1,495 · 5 days
Ouidah, the Route des Esclaves and the Door of No Return, walked slowly with people who can hold the silence.
Learn more
The Twelve Kings
From 1 450 000 F≈ €2,210 · 7 days
Abomey's palaces and bas-reliefs, then the road the kingdom took to the sea.
Learn moreAsked by most people before they come
I have no documents at all. Is it still worth coming?
Yes. Most people arrive with very little. Ouidah itself, the memorial route and the communities that trace their lineage to the returnees from Brazil are the heart of the journey, with or without a paper trail.
Can you help with the citizenship law for people of African descent?
We explain the process and introduce you to the official platform and to a lawyer in Cotonou who handles applications. We do not act as your legal representative.
Is this journey only for African Americans?
No. It is for anyone from the Americas, the Caribbean or Europe whose ancestry runs through this coast: Brazilian, Haitian, Cuban, Jamaican, French Caribbean and others. Our team works in French, English and Portuguese.
Start a conversation
Write to us with what you know, however little. We reply personally within one working day.