Rock My Benin & Togo Adventure

In the morning, we’ll make our way to Porto-Novo, the former capital of the French Dahomey colony which existed in the first half of the 20th century. Porto-Novo is still the administrative capital of Benin today, however you will find it much calmer than hectic Cotonou.

Porto-Novo, was one of the main places where slave ships departed from, and where many slaves returned to after they were given their freedom. With them, they brought the Afro-Brazilian culture which you experience in the city.

Another interesting highlight is the Porto-Novo Museum of Ethnography, one of the best in the country, which gives you an interesting insight into the Yoruba culture.

In the afternoon, we will continue to Ganvié which can only be reached by motorised canoe. Ganvie is an amazing town built on stilts in the middle of Lac Noukoué. Roughly 40.000 people of the Tofinu tribe live here, and it is one of the last surviving stilt villages dating back around 400 years. At that time, the Tofinu people built these villages to escape Dahomey slave hunters who were banned from venturing into the water by religious customs.

In the afternoon, we’ll take a guided boat tour through the community and spend the night in the village.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Guesthouse)
• Activities: Porto Novo Tour, Ganvié Boat Tour

In the morning, we’ll explore the Ganvié by boat and get a further understanding of the local stilt village life, the morning rituals and activities.

From there we’ll continue to Ouidah, a town with a rich history, known for being the home of the voodoo religion.

The voodoo religion is deeply rooted in the Benin culture and is not a belief system, but an entire way of life. Practitioners believe in hundreds of different smaller gods and one supreme being.

The belief is that after a person dies, his or her soul turns into a spirit, and has supernatural powers. Traditional priests, also called juju men or fetish priests, are able to communicate best with the spirits.

Through a variety of rites or ceremonies, the spirits manifest themselves on earth in different ways and can communicate with the living, as well as intervene in particular areas of people’s lives.

Whilst we are here, we will tour the city, learning about the Voodooism.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Hotel)
• Activities: Ganvié Boat Tour

We’ll spend today in Ouidah, immersing ourselves in the sights and sounds of the city.

We’ll visit some of the other highlights such as the History Museum (located in the old fort previously known as the Fortaleza São João Batista) and the beautiful restored house of Brazil Museum, which showcases art exhibitions.

Other related highlights are the Python Temple, where you find the harmless python snakes which are used in voodoo ceremonies, and the Sacred Forest of Kpassé, where you can hear the great stories of the trees.

In addition, you will find sculptures that symbolize voodoo and animist deities and beliefs.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Hotel)
• Activities: Ouidah Voodoo & City Tour

We’ll make our way to Abomey, capital of the former Dahomey Empire (16th to 19th Century).

Abomey is known for its famous and historically significant traditional sites such as the Royal Palace and Museum (a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Every new king added his own residence within the palace grounds, resulting in twelve palaces in the empire at its peak. Currently, only two of them remain.

We’ll visit the royal palaces and learn more about the Fon people, who founded the Dahomey Empire.

Abomey is also known for its strong voodoo culture, powerful magic sorcerers and ceremonies.

We’ll continue to Dassa-Zoumé, ‘the city of 41 hills’, a town situated in the green rolling hills and it is believed that the Virgin Mary made an ‘apparition’ here. Since then Dassa-Zoumé has become a popular site for pilgrimages.

We’ll spend the night at a rustic local farm-house surrounded by a nice garden where vegetables are grown and processed into food products.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Guesthouse)
• Activities: Abomey Tour

Today we’ll spend the day visiting different Somba villages and learning about their inhabitants who live very much in a traditional Beninese way.

We’ll immerse ourselves in this wonderful environment and visit a local priest.

We’ll pay a visit to Dankoli, an ordinary town at the foot of a rocky hill but claimed to have one of the strongest and most powerful fetishes (an object believed to have supernatural powers) in the country.

The fetish is situated under a magnificent tree and receives streams of believers who wish to ask for help and guidance from the spirits.

We’ll continue your way to Boukoumbé, where we’ll spend the night in a Tata Somba-style guesthouse (seen in the second picture above).

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Guesthouse)
• Activities: Somba Village, Visit to a Voodoo Priest, Dankoli Fetish

Today we’ll cross over into Togo, staying at Sokodé.

Along the way, explore some of the villages beautifully situated on the slope of Mount Kabyé.

In the village of Tchare near Pya, for example, the people are known for their ancient way of iron manufacturing and pottery.

We’ll end the journey in Sokodé where the local people are known for their traditional fire dance.

They believe that some people received a gift of the ancestors and therefore cannot be hurt by fire, which they prove during a traditional and spectacular fire dance. 

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Hotel)
• Activities: Village Visits, Sokodé Fire Dance

After breakfast we’ll drive to Kpalimé, a pretty town situated in Togo’s green rolling hills.

You will see the dry areas in the northern regions of Togo landscape changing to the more fertile green lands.

The area around Kpalimé is known for mount Agou, one of the highest mountains in Togo and offer some of the country’s best scenery. Furthermore, the region is also known for its fertile soil where you find many cacao and coffee plantations.

The town of Kpalimé itself is a lively place with numerous drinking spots and nice restaurants.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Guesthouse)
• Activities: None

We’ll visit the mountainous area of Klouto in the Kouma-Konda region, which is known for the masses of colourful butterflies in its forest during the rainy season.

In the morning, we’ll head out on a hike in the area ending with a picnic at the Tomegbe Falls.

During your hike, you could meet some of the local people who process locally grown coffee beans into organically certified coffee or some local artists who use natural colours from the forest for their artwork.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Guesthouse)
• Activities: Klouto Hike, Tomegbe Falls

We’ll continue to Davedi, an eco-tourism project.

A visit to the village gives you an ultimate opportunity to experience the traditional Ewe culture in southern Togo.

The area is known for its vast pineapple plantations, palm trees and palm nut processing.

Whilst there, we’ll go on a guided walk through the community with a local guide and experience how people process palm nuts into palm oil, palm wine and gin.

There are different ceremonies or performances to attend to get a better understanding of the way of living in the village and we’ll experience a twin doll ceremony.

We’ll then make our way to Togo’s vibrant capital, Lomé, to spend the night.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Hotel)
• Activities: Eco-Village Visit, Village Performance, Twin Doll Ceremony

Acclimatize in the early morning and enjoy the francophone atmosphere in Lomé, which was once claimed to be the ‘Paris of West Africa’.

The city still has its charm in its broad boulevards, palm-fringed beaches and crumbling colonial buildings.

We’ll visit Nana Benz, the flamboyant market in Lomé. Almost everything is for sale here; including many colourful fabrics.

We’ll also visit Le Marché des Fetisheurs, the voodoo market where people buy unusual and mystical items for their traditional ceremonies.

The evening is free to experience the Lomé nightlife.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Hotel)
• Activities: Lomé Tour

In the morning, we’ll stop at the Vogan fetish market, about 45km north-east from Lomé and one of the largest voodoo markets in West Africa.

We’ll then cross the Benin and make our way to Possotomé, a small village alongside the lake Ahémè, where there are different interesting excursions to learn more about the day-to-day activities of the villagers.

Attend a Zangbeto dance/ceremony in the evening. The Zangebetos are also referred to as the Night Watchmen and protect the community against bad spirits and malicious people.

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Guesthouse)
• Activities: Vogan Fetish Market, village Excursion, Zangbeto Dance/Ceremony

Today, we’ll continue to Grand Popo, a wonderful town with palm-fringed beaches and the perfect place to relax at the end of our adventure.

Enjoy some fascinating landscapes along the way, where the voodoo culture in the small villages is very much alive.

En-route pay a visit at the pottery village of Se, where you meet hard-working women producing wonderful clay pottery.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Hotel)
• Activities: Se Village Visit

The morning is a free to do as you please – maybe relax on the beach or explore the town.

In the afternoon, we’ll enjoy a cruise by boat through beautiful landscape along the Mono River. The cruise will take us to the river mouth at Bouche du Roi, and along the way you will see many small villages dotted at the riverside.

In the evening, we’ll toast to intrepid adventures over a delicious goodbye meal!

• Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
• Accommodation: Twin Occupancy (Hotel)
• Activities: Boat Cruise

We’ll leave for Cotonou after breakfast.

Today is always a sad day as we say goodbye to our new friends, but the memories and shared experiences will last a lifetime.

If you need any support with your pre or post-tour Africa travels, please don’t hesitate to contact us. It’s all part of the Rock My Adventure service!

Airport transfers included.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Activities: None