11-days tour

Arrival in Cotonou by international flight. Meeting the guide, transfer and accommodation at the Hotel du Lac. Meet the guide again to discuss about the trip and short briefing. Accommodation: Hotel du Lac

Breakfast and departure for Ganvie, the biggest lake village in Africa, where live more than 40,000 Tofinu people doing their activities aboard small pirogues. Ganvie is also known as the African Venice, appears a great concentration of Tofín fishermen families who used to hide in Lake Nokoué escaping from slavery in the 18th century. Tour along the water, meet the people, learn about Tofín culture. Head for Porto-Novo, the administrative capital of Benin via Cotonou. We will have Egoungoun dance performance in Adjarra and drive to Ketou Overnight in Ketou. Accommodation: Residence Celine Hotel. Meals: breakfast, lunch

After breakfast we will have Guelede dance before heading to Natitingou.(long way driving). On the way we will stop in Djougou for warriors dance(TEKE) Accommodation at Totora Hotel. Meals: breakfast, lunch

After breakfast we explore some Tata Somba villages. Commonly called Somba the Betamaribe people, animists, they live mainly south-west of Natitingou in the plains of Boukoumbé near the Togolese border. The Somba live isolated in the middle of their crop fields rather than clustered in villages. Their dwellings, the Tata Somba are a typical constructions which resemble miniature fortresses. The Somba people are known for their traditional body scarring rituals, starting between the age of two and three. These special marks are a form of lifelong identification marks (tattoo ID), which identify a person as belonging to one's tribe as well as more coded personal information. Additional marks are added at puberty, readiness for marriage, post-child birth as a form of visible communication. Here in the morning we will have the dance of men initiation and after the visit the dance of women initiation. In the afternoon we will drive to Pendjari National Park the most important animal reserve in West Africa. Overnight at the Pendjari Lodge. Accommodation: Pendjari Lodge. Meals: breakfast, lunch

Very early in the morning we will drive to the Park. Pendjari National Park is the most important animal reserve in Africa. We will spend the day in the park and come back in the evening. Accommodation: Totora hotel Meals: breakfast, lunch

In the morning after breakfast departure to Taneka KOKO in YOM tribe to have the dance of circumcision and visit the village. In this tribe before they circumcise boys they must have 25 or 30 years old. After the dance we will take the road to Savalou to visit Dankoly voodoo temple; From here we will drive directly to Abomey to visit the royal palace. Abomey is the historic city of Benin. The kingdom of Abomey is the most important kingdom in the south of Benin. The role of the kings of Abomey in the slavery trade was very important. It is that kingdom who gave his name to the country before changed it to Benin. In Abomey we will visit the kingdom of the 12 kings of Abomey. Overnight stay in Nifur Hotel Bohicon. Accommodation: Nifur Hotel Bohicon Meals: breakfast, lunch

In the morning we will drive to mythical city of Ouidah, capital of the African Voodoo. Visit the History Museum, former Portuguese fortress, the Python Temple, the sacred forest Kpassè with its innumerable convents and shrines. Experience the Slave Route to the Gate of No Return by the Sea.In the night we will take part of the ceremony of purification in the sacred forest. Overnight stay in Casa del papa Hotel on the Ocean’s beach. Accommodation: Casa del papa Hotel Meals: breakfast, lunch

Early in the morning we will drive to the city to visit the priest and the kings making sacrifices to start the ceremony before coming back to hotel for the breakfast. Today is the big day of the Voodoo festival where come people from all over the world from Africa to America and the Caribbean. The Voodoo religion, very unknown and misinterpreted by some theorists is one of the most important religion the world. Every person who attends to this celebration will discover that Voodoo and Evil are different things. In the collective imagination. Voodoo believes that the ancestors and natural forces decide life of its believers. At that time thousands of devotees go to Ouidah, the main center of this cult to receive the blessing of the Voodoo leader of the city. Today, the great priests and their faithful from all over Benin and even neighboring countries meet to magnify the deities through songs, dances, drums, animal sacrifices, libations and prayers. Attend this important festival with high dignitaries and other crowned heads. Overnight in Ouidah. The main ceremony starts at 10 am on the beach and it lasts half day. Then we will follow the Voodoo priest in their different sacrifices and « private » ceremonies and come back to hotel late in the evening. Overnight stay in Casa del papa Hotel Accommodation: Casa del papa Hotel Meals: breakfast, lunch

In the morning we will drive to Lokossa for a private Zangbeto ceremony (haystack dance), also visit some voodoo convent. In the afternoon you will rest at the beach in Casa Del Papa hotel. Accommodation: Casa del papa Hotel Meals: breakfast, lunch

In the morning after breakfast we will head to Houegbo to visit the king Glele Milonon II. He will have a conference with us about Voodoo religion, he will make some voodoo ceremony in his temple. In the afternoon we will have Sakpata ceremony and the dance. Accommodation: Casa del papa Hotel Meals: breakfast, lunch

In the morning we drive to Cotonou in order to visit some fishermen villages. In Cotonou we also visit the arts market to buy souvenirs. We will rest in afternoon before transferring to Cotonou airport and flight back. Accommodation: Half day in hotel du Lac Meals: breakfast, lunch