West Africa Benin

7/23/2019 West Africa Benin

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If you’re heading to West Africa to unearth lost treasure, look no further than Benin. This

club-shaped country, on the western edge of Nigeria, was once one of the most power-

ful empires in Africa – the Dahomey kingdom. The ruins of the Dahomeyans’ palaces and

temples can be seen in Abomey, while Ouidah is a poignant reminder of where their riches

came from: the slave trade. The Route d’Esclaves in Ouidah was the last walk on African soil

for slaves bound for Brazil and the Caribbean. Museums here and in Porto Novo, Benin’s

lagoon-side capital, examine the resultant Afro-Brazilian society and culture.

But regardless of the ill-gotten Dahomeyan gains glittering in the Musée Historique

d’Abomey, there are plenty of treasures on Benin’s dusty streets and palm-fringed beaches.

This is the birthplace of voodoo, the country’s national religion, exported by the slaves and

distorted by Hollywood. Voodoo is an important part of everyday life and most towns bear

signs of it, such as the fetish markets stocked with the heads and skins of every animal

imaginable.

Elephants, lions and crocodiles can be seen in more animated form in the northern wildlifeparks, Pendjari and W, two of the best in West Africa. Then there are the stilt villages, home

to thousands in the southern lagoons, and the northern tata somba, mud fortresses built

by the insular Somba people. Not only is Benin a richly historical and cultural country, this

politically stable nation is one of the most tourist-friendly parts of West Africa.

FAST FACTS

Area 112,622 sq km

Capital Porto Novo

Country code %229

Famous for Voodoo; slavery; the Kings of

Dahomey; adopting Marxism; Angélique

Kidjo

Languages French, Fon, Yoruba, Dendi,

Bariba and Ge

Money West African CFA franc; US$1 =

CFA544.89; €1 = CFA655.96

Population 7.4 million

Visa CFA10,000 at border, 30-day

extension CFA12,000

Benin

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For ecotourism, CPN Les Papillons (%22 5407 13; [email protected]), an NGO based inthe village of Camaté-Shakaloké, 10km fromDassa Zoumé, hosts groups of tourists andoffers trips to other parts of Benin.

A recommended guide is Cotonou-basedFranck Tok (%95 05 61 04; [email protected]). Alanguage facilitator for the Peace Corps, heis fluent in both English and French.

TrainRun by L’Organisation Commune Benin-Nigerdes Chemins de fer et Transports (%21 32 22 06), Benin’s one railway line links Cotonou withParakou via towns including Bohicon (for

Abomey) and Dassa Zoumé. Cheap andspacious but frustratingly slow, the train

leaves Cotonou at 8.30am on Tuesday,Thursday and Saturday, arriving in Para-kou at 7pm and returning south at 8.42amthe following day. Get to the station before8am to buy tickets.

Second-class seats on the train are sig-nificantly cheaper than taking a bush taxibut the carriages tend to be crowded withhumanity and produce. First class is aboutas comfortable as you’ll find on any train inWest Africa. It has a rudimentary bar, andfood is available at stations along the way.

Tickets in 1st/2nd class from Coto-nou to Bohicon (about four hours) costCFA1400/1100, to Dassa Zoumé (about five

hours) cost CFA2900/2500, and to Parakou(about 11 hours) cost CFA5600/4000.

126 T R A N S P O R T I N B E N I N G e t t i n g A r o u n d© Lonely Planet Publications

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West Africa Benin

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