from Sahel to the sea, tours and touristic stays in Benin, Cotonou, Porto Novo, Ouidah, Abomey, Ganvie, slaves, historical culture, laguna, novotel Orisha

BENIN is a coasting country with a lot of tourist interests : the history of slavery, voodoo worships… The place is crossed by many rivers flowing into lakes and lagoons. There are the reasons why these lands are so green and so rich in wild animals.

DAY 1 : arrival, welcome and transfer to the Mercure**** Silmande.

DAY 2 : departure for the east of Burkina Faso to discover a contemporary granite sculpture site, a real museum open air. Lunch in a restaurant at FADA N’GOURMA, the last big town before the border of Benin. Diner and night in the KOMPIENGA hotel, near the dam similarly called.

DAY 3 : after breakfast, you will go to the north Benin for touring the biggest reserve of animals in west Africa. You will cross the border with the aim of surprising some cobs, bubales, monkeys, elephants and of course a lot of birds. With a little chance you may also see lions and buffaloes. Night in the PENDJARI hotel (swimming pool).

DAY 4 : last ride in the reserve. A stop at the pond of BALI to see all kinds of animals. After the picnic, you will go to the waterfall of TANOUGOU where bathing is possible. Night in the encampment of Tanougou, built close to the waterfall.

DAY 5 : tour of Somba's villages (an ethnic group from the north Benin). They live in a mountainous region called Atakora. Their house is a kind of farm fortress (Tata Sombas) highly characterized by its architecture. Lunch in a local restaurant. Night and diner in PLM Tata Somba at NATITTINGOU.

DAY 6 : you will cross the region of DASSA, a holy place devoted to the pilgrimage of the Black Virgin. Dassa is a town built around very strange rocks. A stop in SAVE and may be meet the king . Night in the inn of Dassa.

DAY 7 : you will go to the museum of ABOMEY, the historical capital of the kingdom of Dahomey, where you can admire some beautiful art objects remembering us the time of these past royal... Lunch in a local restaurant. Then, thanks to a canoe, you will discover the lakeside city of GANVIE : floating market, huts on piles… Night in the Lake hotel.

DAY 8 : arrival in COTONOU. Tour of the town : its craft center and its market. Later on, you will discover PORTO NOVO, the administrative capital of Benin (ethnographic museum, the Royal Palace). At the end of the afternoon, you will go to GRAND POPO, to spend the night in the inn of Grand Popo under coconut trees, near the beach.

DAY 9 : after the visit to the fishermen’s villages and to the python's temple, you will attend a Woodoo ceremony in the historical town of OUIDAH and take the ancient slave's route. Diner and night in GRAND POPO.

DAY 10 : lunch in Grand Popo and transfer to the airport of COTONOU at the end of the afternoon.

This tour is possible all along the year. CAUTION : from the 15th of may to the15th of december , the two days in the Pendjari parc are replaced by one day in GRAND POPO (beach) and an other in OUIDAH (voudoun's country).