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What we know
from the ground
Guides written by the people who go back every season. No listicles, no superlatives: what you need to know before you go, and what nobody mentions.
What to do in Ouidah: a complete guide
Ouidah is a town you walk, in the order it tells its own story. Here is what there is to see, how long to allow, and how to behave once you are there.
Ganvié, the Venice of Africa: visiting, and doing it well
Ganvié stands on poles driven into the bed of Lake Nokoué: houses, shops, school and market all sit at water level. Here is what you see there, what you come to understand, and how to go without turning a lived-in village into scenery.
Vodun Days in Ouidah: dates, programme, advice
The 4th edition runs from 2 to 9 January 2027, followed by the main vodun ceremony on the 10th. Eight days, against three before. Here is what happens, how to prepare, and how to behave.
Northern Togo: Kara and Tamberma country
After hours of flatland the road starts to climb and Togo changes register. Kara opens up the north; the Koutammakou valley next door holds the most startling earth houses in West Africa — and people live in them.
Travelling to Benin: budget, visa, health — the practical guide
A trip to Benin is prepared in a precise order, and the expensive mistakes all happen before departure. Here is what to settle, where to check it, and what we cannot do for you.
When is the best time to visit Benin and Togo?
November to March, and we stand by that. But the gap between December and March is real, and a well-planned rainy season gives you a different trip — not a lesser one.
What to pack for West Africa
The right bag for Benin and Togo is light, soft-sided, and built around two constraints nobody anticipates: dust, and the places where you take your shoes off.
Travelling solo in Benin: safety and practical advice
Travelling alone in Benin does not call for courage so much as preparation. Here is what being on your own genuinely changes — and what it does not change at all.
Benin or Togo: which country for a first trip?
For a first trip, Benin. It packs more major sites into a shorter distance, and its history is legible on the ground. But the real answer is that the two combine in a fortnight — the border is two hours from either side.
What to do in Kpalimé and the Plateaux region
Kpalimé is visited for its relief: Mount Agou, Togo’s high point at 986 metres, the coffee and cocoa plantations of the Kloto plateau, and villages clinging to the slopes. This is the green, cool part of the country, roughly 120 kilometres from Lomé.
The Slave Route and the Door of No Return, at Ouidah
At Ouidah, a road a few kilometres long links the old auction square to the beach. It is the path taken by captives sold towards the Americas. At its end stands the Door of No Return, a memorial raised in 1995 facing the ocean.
Guided or independent travel in Benin and Togo?
Independent travel works well along the coast, between Cotonou, Ouidah and Lomé. It gets markedly harder as soon as you head north, and it gives you access to neither ceremonies nor villages without a local introduction. Here is where the line falls.
What budget should you plan for Benin and Togo?
The flight is almost always the largest single item, by a wide margin. On the ground, it is road transport and accommodation that separate two trips of the same length — not food, and not site entry fees, which stay modest.
How to find a French-speaking guide in Benin or Togo
French is the official language in both countries: finding someone who speaks it is not the problem. The real criterion is whether the person is from there, whether they know the specific place you are going, and whether they can get you in as something other than a visitor.
Combining Benin and Togo: the two-week itinerary
Two weeks are enough to do both countries as a loop: southern Benin, the climb to the Atacora, the crossing into Togo in the north, then back down through Kpalimé to Lomé. The point of the loop is simple — you never drive the same road twice.
Markets and crafts: what you bring back from Benin and Togo
Wax cloth, lost-wax bronze, Kloto wood carving and recycled glass beads are the four crafts you find everywhere and that are worth the trouble. For the rest of the stalls, it pays to check where things come from before buying.
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