Benin, a French-speaking West African nation, is a birthplace of the vodun (or “voodoo”) religion and home to the former Dahomey Kingdom from circa 1600–1900. In Abomey, Dahomey’s former capital, the Historical Museum occupies two royal palaces with bas-reliefs recounting the kingdom’s past and a throne mounted on human skulls. To the north, Pendjari National Park offers safaris with elephants, hippos and lions.
Day 01 Arrive Cotonou
Arrive in Cotonou by international flight. Meet, assist and transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 02 Cotonou – Porto Novo -Cotonou (41 Kms/ 2H appx.-ONE WAY)
Breakfast at hotel and proceed to Porto-Novo, also called Hogbonu or Adjatche. Arrive; visit Honme, the former palace of King Toffa, the nineteenth monarch of Hogbonu. Continue to the museum of ethnography displaying aspects of Birth, Life and Death with a fabulous collection of Gelede masks. Return to Cotonou. Drive to Abomey-Calavi. Aboard a motorboat, cruise the Nokoue Lake to Ganvie, Africa’s biggest stilt village. On arrival, visit the “Maison de la Francophonie”, a replica of Ganvie traditional houses. Go the narrow alleyways between the stilt houses passing the Lovers’ Lane, the floating market to a typical Ganvie souvenir shop. Return to Abomey-Calavi and continue to Cotonou.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 03 Cotonou-Allada-Ouidah (By Road) (87 Kms/ 1H 30M appx.)
Breakfast at hotel and proceed to Allada, origin of most kingdoms in southern Benin, also the birthplace of Toussaint Louverture, the Negro hero of Haiti’s ancestors. Join in the preliminary ceremonies of the voodoo festival including prayers, chanting and drumming by various priests from the area. After a brief exchange wih King Kpodegbe, road to Ouidah, the voodoo capital city of Benin. Arrive in Ouidah; experience the Slave Road from the former slave market till the awesome Door of No Return on the beach that saw millions of Africans embark on slave vessels for the Americas. Scenic drive through the coconut grove passing fishing villages for beachfront Casa del Papa. Overnight at hotel.
Day 04 Ouidah-Cotonou (By Road) (38 Kms/ 1H appx.)
Breakfast & Today, join in the official events of the voodoo festival, a religion with sixty million worshippers worldwide. Embark on a tour of Ouidah including the temple of pythons opposite the Basilica, Kpasse sacred forest dotted with many sculptures representing artist representation of many deities. This shaded wood is where the second King of Ouidah, Kpasse got deified into a tree, still visible here today. We end our tour of Ouidah visiting the museum of History, a former Portuguese slave fort. Continue to Cotonou. Overnight at hotel.
Day 05 Depart Cotonou
Departure transfer to onwards destination.
| City | Nights | 5* Hotels |
| Cotonou | 03 | Azalai Hotel de la Plage |
| Ouidah | 01 | Casa Del Papa |
- Accommodation as per the program.
- Meals as per the program.
- Entrance fees.
- Local English speaking guide.
- All transfers, sightseeing, excursions.
- All taxes
Branding
– Logo branding on Vehicles.
– Color and logo branding Merchandise.
– Departure gifts with company’s branding.
- Personal Expenses.
- Camera / Video Camera Fees.
- Medical Aid.
- Tips.
- Travel Insurance.
- Visa (If any).
– Accommodation in good hotels.
– Check-in / out time is 12 noon at most of the hotels.
– Extension to other places is also possible with a minimal extra cost.
– Additional nights are available at each place with minimal supplement.
– A visa is required and must be obtained prior to your departure from your Country.
– If quoted hotel is not available, we will provide one of a similar category and standard.
– Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road conditions, flight schedules and room availability.
– In case the government changes presently applicable taxes, increase in airlines prices, fuel surcharge our rates will need to be adjusted accordingly.
– In Asia, there is no relevance between the distance and time of travelling, as it depends upon the condition of the roads and congestion of the traffic.
– While every effort will be made to maintain the itinerary, in view of local strikes etc that are beyond our control all schedule and itineraries are subject to last moment changes.
– Clients must be fully insured, as the company cannot accept liability for loss or damage to client’s property, medical emergencies or any other loss suffered by them whilst on tour.
– In Case of issuing Domestic or International air tickets, SGV is not responsible for any refund if the flight is delayed or cancelled, as it is the responsibility of airline.