Benin14 days

J1—3 Cotonou J4—6 Route des Pêches J7—9 Abomey J10—12 Ouidah J13—14 Grand-Popo

You are at J1—3

Days 1 to 3 · Stage 1/5

Cotonou, the arrival

You land, drop the bags, and head straight into the noise. Dantokpa is one of the largest markets in West Africa: you cross the fabric quarter, the spice quarter, the remedies quarter, and come out with a full head.

The Place de l’Étoile Rouge and the Amazon statue that towers over it set the context: Benin is not told in the past tense. In the evening you eat with your feet in the sand at Fidjrossè, on the beach — grilled fish and bissap juice.

• Marché Dantokpa
• Place de l’Étoile Rouge
• Fidjrossè

Days 4 to 6 · Stage 2/5

The Route des Pêches and the lake villages

You leave the city by the Route des Pêches, that strip of sand between lagoon and ocean, punctuated by fishing villages and sailing pirogues hauled up on the shore.

Then you board for Ganvié. The lake city is crossed by pirogue: the floating market at first light, the acadjas planted in the lake, a Tofinu family receiving you at home. You spend the whole day there, unhurried.

• Lake villages
• Ganvié
• Lake Nokoué

Days 7 to 9 · Stage 3/5

Abomey, the kings’ capital

Abomey was the capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey. Its royal palaces, a UNESCO World Heritage site, read like an archive: bas-reliefs, thrones, treasure rooms, and the story of a power that stood up to everyone.

You round it out with the workshops: weaving, forging, wood carving. These are the same gestures that decorated the palaces and that fill the stalls today.

• Royal palaces (UNESCO)
• Craft workshops

Days 10 to 12 · Stage 4/5

Ouidah, memory and vodun

Three days in Ouidah, because one is not enough. The Python Temple first, then the Slave Route walked down to the Door of No Return, facing the ocean.

The sacred forest closes the loop. If your trip falls in January, this is where the Vodun Days are held — and the programme is built around them.

• Python Temple
• Door of No Return
• Sacred forest

Days 13 and 14 · Stage 5/5

Grand-Popo, time to come down

Two days on the beach to let everything settle. Grand-Popo, its coconut palms, its long shore beaten by the Gulf of Guinea, and the Villa Karo — the Finnish-African cultural centre that hosts artists and exhibitions.

This is the time for the last conversations, sorting the photos, and the list of what you will come back for.

• Grand-Popo beach
• Villa Karo

• Accommodation

  Every night, from simple comfort to 4★ depending on your package.

• Meals

  Breakfast every day, full board on the Immersion Totale package.

• Private transport

  Vehicle and driver for the whole journey, transfers included.

• French-speaking guide

  Tony is with you, from the first day to the last.

• Visits and entries

  Every site in the programme, entrance fees settled.

• 24/7 WhatsApp line

  A question, a hiccup, an idea: Tony answers.

• Everything included, except international flights and tips

• Secure payment, available in 3 instalments at no extra cost

• Tony reachable 24/7 on WhatsApp for the whole trip