Benin travel guide




Benin is...
Benin isn't...
Our Benin Holidays
Cultural holiday in Ghana, Togo and Benin
Join an amazing group trip through Ghana, Togo and Benin.
Ghana, Togo and Benin holiday
Tribal culture, colourful customs and Ouidah Voodoo Festival
Ghana, Togo and Benin holiday, gold and magic
Traditional villages and voodoo in Ghana, Togo and Benin
Ghana, Togo & Benin tour, Ouidah voodoo festival
The magic of Benin's voodoo festival, plus Ghana and Togo
Togo & Benin holiday
See voodoo, unique cultures & slave history in Togo & Benin
West Africa explorer tour, Marrakech to Cotonou
An epic journey from Morocco to the voodoo coast of Benin
Benin small group tour
Explore Benin's voodoo culture and ethnic diversity.
West African overland tour
Off the beaten track West Africa overland tour
Ghana, Togo and Benin cultural holiday
Explore the unique African culture in three countries
Afrochella festival holiday in West Africa
Cultural festival holiday in Ghana, Togo & Benin featuring Afrochella
Western Trans Africa overland tour, Dakar to Cape Town
The ultimate Africa overland experience
West Africa tours, Ghana Togo & Benin
Explore West Africa's highlights overland
Accra to Capetown, Africa overland expedition
On this epic overland journey from Accra to Cape Town
West Africa tour, Bissau to Cotonou
Voodoo heartlands, traditional storytellers and lush islands
WHAT WE RATE & WHAT WE DON'T
Meeting a king
Pendjari National Park
Somba villages
Beninese cuisine
The Voodoo Festival
Ganvié
Combining countries
Ouidah
Getting snap happy
Roadside voodoo
Touching Egunguns
Giving gifts
Our top Benin Holiday
Cultural holiday in Ghana, Togo and Benin
Join an amazing group trip through Ghana, Togo and Benin.
2021: 11 Feb, 25 Mar, 17 Jun, 29 Jul, 11 Aug, 21 Oct, 2 Dec, 27 Dec
2022: 24 Feb, 7 Apr, 30 Jun, 11 Aug, 22 Sep, 21 Oct, 27 Dec
FOOD, SHOPPING & PEOPLE
Eating & drinking in Benin
Benin’s cuisine is West African with a tasty French twist. It’s also heavy on the sauce, which is often made with peanuts, tomatoes and onions, or crab.Seafood is abundant along the coast, with many varieties of shellfish, fried fish and smoked fish. Carbs come in the form of pounded cassava and yam (fufu and garri), black eyed pea fritters (akkara)
and fried maize dumplings (akpan).
Yovo doko translates as 'European pastry', and these roadside treats are fresh, sugary donuts, deep fried on the spot.


People & language in Benin
“Ooh” – thank you (Fon)
“Oruk? mi ni……” – My name is… (Yoruba)
“Eelo ni eyi?” – How much is this? (Yoruba)
Gifts & shopping
Cotonou’s Centre de Promotion de l'Artisanat is a covered artisan centre selling everything from jewellery and woodcarving to pottery and leatherwork. Along Cotonou’s lagoon, the enormous Dantopka market also has many crafts, though many will have been imported from elsewhere in West Africa.While it’s tempting to do all your shopping in one go, do save some of your CFAs for excursions into smaller towns and villages to support local craftspeople.
You may find ritual masks on sale, but do give the fetishes – in the form of animal fetuses and skeletons – a miss.


How much does it cost?
6m lengths of wax fabric from Woodin = £20
Entry to the Abomey Historic Museum = £3.20
Bottle of Béninoise lager = 80p
Ride on a zemidjan scooter = 80p
Roadside lunch with a beer: £1.30