On this journey through a region where the past and present are condensed, we are going to immerse ourselves in an ancient history of powerful empires and ancestral cultures. From the origins, in the mythical city of Abomey, to the present in Porto Novo and Cotonou. A trip to get closer to Yoruba and Fon customs. A trip to know the sources of power Dahomey kingdoms. A trip to measure what the slave trade was in this region of the Gulf of Guinea, to learn how this infamous human trafficking operated, and to reflect on its implications today. A journey to rethink history and to approach an otherness unknown to the Western world. We will travel the complex African routes in comfortable minibuses and 4x4 trucks, we will enter immense lakes in motorized canoes, and we will stay in comforting hotels or guest houses that combine the quality of international hotels and African warmth and hospitality. We will reach corners unexplored by tourism, to connect with local worldviews (like de Voddo religion) and learn from these ways of linking with the planet and the afterlife.
About me: Juan Ignacio Incardona (Argentina, 1987) is a journalist, Master in History from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and writer. His master's thesis addressed the question of the historical memory of the transatlantic slave trade in Benin. He is a specialist in this process and in the history of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa. He has previously traveled through South America, the eastern African coast, central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Siberia. He is the author of several books of travel chronicles, including: “Africa, sweeping borders” and “Mongolia, nomadic culture.” He also collaborates with various media outlets such as the newspaper El País, El Salto and the magazine El Viejo Topo, among others. His future doctoral thesis aims to analyze all the spaces of memory about the slave trade on the west African coast, from Senegal to Angola.
Accommodation: We will stay in comforting hotels or guest houses that combine the quality of international hotels and African warmth and hospitality. You will have single or double rooms according to the places. In most of the cases, we try to stay at local hotels, to help the community that we visit. The breakfast will be included. In case of questions, please use the Q&A. See you in Benin!
What's included?
Transportation in the country
Local guide and chofer
Visits to local ceremonies
Hotels and breakfast
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Juan Ignacio Incardona (Argentina, 1987) periodista, magíster en Historia por la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona y escritor.
You can chat with Juan Ignacio once you reserve your spot.
Trip Itinerary
1
Cotonou
Day 1-2
Pick up at the airport and transfer to the hotel. We will have a first approach to this multifaceted city. We are going to visit the amazons' statue, a new giant monument to this fascinating warriors. We will stay in the Easy hotel.
2
Porto-Novo
Day 2-3
Visit the Dantokpa market, one of the largest in West Africa, in Cotonou, including its impressive fetish section. We will move to Porto Novo, a place with magnificent architectural wealth: churches, mosques, voodoo temples, French colonial buildings and Afro-Brazilian architecture, a unique style on the continent, built by slave-owning descendants who returned from Brazil to the country of their ancestors and built American-type mansions but adapted to local materials. We will sleep in HOTEL AYELAWADJE.
3
Cove
Day 3-4
All day long with Holi tribe. Visit of the most interesting ethnic groups in Benin, the Holi, an animist people who stand out because women of a certain age sport complex body tattoos. It is worth observing its extremely beautiful bamboo architecture, as well as the facial scarification of the people. Explore the nature of the region. We will stay at HOTEL TG in Cove.
4
Cove
Day 4-5
We will leave for Agonve Island to visit this fishing village of the Mahi ethnic group. We will cross the Negro River by canoe, to contemplate the flora and fauna of this sacred place. Excursion through a nearby sacred forest. We will continue the route to Cove where one of my contacts will take us to a town where there will be cultural demonstrations (there is the possibility of witnessing the mask dance). We will stay in hotel TG in Cove.
5
Dassa-Zoumé
Day 5-6
We will head west towards the Angolin hills. We will trek through these hills visiting traditional villages, chatting with their inhabitants and discovering their way of life. We will try to get closer to knowing the Fulani: one of the last nomadic peoples in Africa. Their way of subsistence, as well as their architecture (due to their nomadism, the houses are not made of clay) are worth seeing, as well as their facial decorations. We took advantage of our stay in this area to go to the Dankoli fetish sanctuary in Savalou. There we will witness a voodoo ritual. We will stay in Hotel Jeco in Dassa.
6
Parakou
Day 6-7
We are going to the capital of the Baatonu people. We will explore the territory of this centuries-old ethnic group. We will visit the royal palace and local markets. We will stay at the Kobourou city Hotel.
7
Nikki
Day 7-8
We continue discovering the Bariba culture. We will reach Nikki, the cradle of the Baatonu kingdom. They give their king total respect because he is the guardian of tradition. We visited him to chat with him and have him tell us about his history and his present. We will stay at the Hotel Chez John.
8
Basso
Day 8-9
We will travel more than 90 kilometers to reach Basso along a complex road. We will arrive at the local hostel at noon. We will visit several Fulani houses. We will try to be there on a Sunday, the day where their market takes place. The Fulani Borgu go there to buy or sell.
9
Djougou
Day 9-10
We leave Basso early to reach Djougou. We visited the Lokpa people, another of the many ethnic groups that live together in Benin, in the very north of the country. We will stay at the Hotel La donga or similar.
10
Natitingou
Day 10-11
We will arrive at the Taneka country, an area of forests and nature. Some very remote places. One of the most traditional ethnic groups of Benin, the Taneka, is preserved there. Their ancient culture remains intact over time, as they lived isolated from the modern world until just a few years ago. We will learn from them, and we will be able to talk to the town's sorcerer, who will explain more about their customs. If possible, we will get lost in a haven of peace in the middle of nowhere, in the Kota waterfall, in the mountains, an ideal place to bathe and relax in the purest heart of Africa before continuing on the way to Natitingou, where we will sleep at the hotel le Berliet.
11
Boukoumbé
Day 11-12
We will continue the trip to the Sierra de Atakora, the highest point in Benin where the landscape changes radically and becomes more mountainous with small valleys inhabited by several animist ethnic groups, among which the Ditamarí or "Somba" known as the adobe artisans stand out. Its famous two-story houses called 'tata' are unique in Africa and are worth a leisurely visit. We will stay at the Tata Koubeti hotel.
12
Abomey
Day 12-13
Return to the south of the country. In the afternoon we will arrive at the historical capital of the kingdom of Dahomey, which gave its name to the country in French times and where the royal palace and UNESCO world heritage museums are located. The kingdom of Danxome (Dahomey) was a powerful empire that dominated the Gulf of Guinea, destroyed many enemy tribes, and even sold many prisoners into slavery. They had an army of female soldiers (known as "Amazons"), something unique in history. We will get closer to its history. We will spend the night at Tata Edith's hostel.
13
Grand Popo
Day 13-14
The adventure continues, towards one of the strong points of the trip, and one of the main attractions of Benin: voodoo. We explore the animist villages to get closer to the traditional ceremonies and rituals (the Zangbeto Dance, the fetish temple, etc.). We will move to the area of Lake Ahemé, a sacred place of the Mina and Pedah peoples (ethnic groups from the southwestern Beninese). We will stay at the Hôtel Belle Azure in Grand Popo.
14
Ganvie
Day 14-15
We will pass through Ouidah to travel the last stretch of the “slave route”, the route they took from where they were auctioned to the beach, where more than a million captives left for America. We will also visit the incredible python temple. We will then continue towards the lake port of Calaví, where we will take a canoe to explore Lake Nokoué and its mythical African Venice: Ganvié. We will arrive at this large town of houses on stilts inhabited by people of the Tofi ethnic group, who took refuge in Lake Nokoué in the 18th century fleeing from slavery. Currently, aquatic 'streets' have been formed where people do all their activities. We will stay at the Chez M hostel or similar.
15
Cotonou
Day 15
We return to the starting point after 14 nights of fascinating experiences. We go to the craft market to buy souvenirs, we can visit some of the most curious corners of the city, which refer to its communist past, its beaches, and then we transfer to the airport.
Trip Summary
Accommodation
Hotel & Bed & Breakfast
15 days trip
Cotonou, Porto-Novo & 13 more
Transportation
Car, Other
What's excluded?
International flights
travel insurance
Meals
Tips
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Benin
Unkwown country 
Transportation in the country 
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