Togo and Benin voodoo culture tour
| country: | Benin, Togo |
| departures: | 2010: 5 Jan, 23 Oct, 20 Nov, 18 Dec 2011: 8 Jan, 6 Aug |
| price: | From £1690 - £1830 (7 days) including flights from the UK, from £1095 - £1150 excluding flights. Based on 2 sharing. Single supplement £195 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
An extraordinary short journey to two of Africa's least-known nations. Travel is mainly on roads and well-maintained tracks but come prepared for some rough rides. Whilst we expect to follow the itinerary above, please note that some of the visits included on this tour are by their nature unpredictable and cannot be guaranteed.
Voodoo Villages & Python Temple:
Overlooking the Gulf of Guinea, Togo's vibrant capital Lome provides our introduction to West Africa and the cult of voodoo. We visit Akodessewa fetish market with its bizarre display of religious and medicinal ingredients before heading east to rural villages where voodoo shrines and fetish ceremonies dominate the lives of local people. Over the border in Benin, we take a trip along the Mono river to explore remote villages before visiting the python temple and Portuguese fort in the old slave trade post of Ouidah. Later we take pirogues across Lake Nokoue to the stilt village of Ganvie. We spend a night in this traditional fishing community and may have a privileged encounter with a local Bokono oracle.
Ancient Kingdoms & Gelede Ceremony:
At Abomey we visit the Royal Palaces of the pre-colonial kingdom of Dahomey. With thrones of human skulls and walls made with human blood, the history of Dahomey is steeped in tales of brutality and extravagance before its eventual conquest by the French. At nearby Cove, we aim to witness a Gelede mask ceremony, dedicated to the great earth mother divinity Oudua. Returning south at Ketou we hope to meet the local Oba (Yoouba king) before our journey ends in Benin's capital Porto Novo. Here we visit the markets and old Portuguese town as well as King Toffa's palace, the old throne of one of Sub-Saharan Africa's longest royal dynasties.
Voodoo Villages & Python Temple:
Overlooking the Gulf of Guinea, Togo's vibrant capital Lome provides our introduction to West Africa and the cult of voodoo. We visit Akodessewa fetish market with its bizarre display of religious and medicinal ingredients before heading east to rural villages where voodoo shrines and fetish ceremonies dominate the lives of local people. Over the border in Benin, we take a trip along the Mono river to explore remote villages before visiting the python temple and Portuguese fort in the old slave trade post of Ouidah. Later we take pirogues across Lake Nokoue to the stilt village of Ganvie. We spend a night in this traditional fishing community and may have a privileged encounter with a local Bokono oracle.
Ancient Kingdoms & Gelede Ceremony:
At Abomey we visit the Royal Palaces of the pre-colonial kingdom of Dahomey. With thrones of human skulls and walls made with human blood, the history of Dahomey is steeped in tales of brutality and extravagance before its eventual conquest by the French. At nearby Cove, we aim to witness a Gelede mask ceremony, dedicated to the great earth mother divinity Oudua. Returning south at Ketou we hope to meet the local Oba (Yoouba king) before our journey ends in Benin's capital Porto Novo. Here we visit the markets and old Portuguese town as well as King Toffa's palace, the old throne of one of Sub-Saharan Africa's longest royal dynasties.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Lome (Togo). |
| Day 2: | Sightseeing in Lome; drive Agbodrafo via voodoo villages. |
| Day 3: | Boat trip along Mono river (Benin); continue to Ouidah. |
| Day 4: | Visit Ouidah; pirogue to Ganvie stilt village. |
| Day 5: | Drive Abomey; visit Royal Palace; mask ceremony at Cove. |
| Day 6: | Drive Porto Novo via Ketou; continue to Cotonou; fly London. |
| Day 7: | Arrive London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Community:
Festivals express the very soul of a community, rooted as they are in local history and folklore. They’ll engage all your senses, with their din, colours, scents, tastes – the sheer rawness and spontaneity of the whole experience. This is a fabulous way to learn about the local customs and traditions and get an authentic view of the country you are travelling to in an unpackaged way. Travel to West Africa is very much about the people and their culture. We don’t want to go as voyeurs though; we want to really learn about the local people and respect their traditions so their heritage is preserved on their terms. We include a variety of activities on this trip give many opportunities to learn about local life and customs and foster positive communication between ourselves and the host communities. This is greatly helped by using a local tour leader who bridges the gap between our different worlds. This enables us to visit places that we may not have the chance to otherwise, such as a local school and clinic. Rather than being voyeuristic, these are positive and respectful experiences where we can get more of an insight into real life in West Africa and have the chance to put something back. Employing a local leader also generates employment in a region where there are limited opportunities. Our tour also supports a variety of local businesses such as hotels, boat operators, craftspeople, local guides and small tourism initiatives, meaning that we really do bring an economic benefit to a wide range of people in the region. Many of these excursions such as the tribal dances and crocodile pools are run by the local communities themselves and the financial benefits are spread to the wider community. Environment: As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |