HOLIDAY IN BENIN   >   AFRICA 


Provinces in Benin : Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Mono, Oueme, Zou.

The country is a long stretch of land perpendicular to the Coast of the Gulf of Guinea [ Atlantic ].

Capital City of Benin:  Porto Novo.


hotels, tour operators - benin tours, travel guides, travel to benin

links


Hotels in Benin / Hostels

   -   Hotel in Cotonou
Novotel Cotonou Orisha [ city centre; Parking + Restaurant + Swimming pool + Meeting room ].

Travel Agents / Tour Operators

     -   African safaris & holidays
100's of holidays to Africa from dozens of leading specialist tour companies and accommodations who are passionate about conserving Africa's wildlife and benefiting its people.

 
*   The Voodoo Trail 
Witnessing authentic voodoo ceremonies, traditional dances and celebrations, exploring the forests of Kpalime, meeting African spiritual leaders and royalty, impromptu deviations to meet our local friends en route, attending a ...

   -   Create your perfect trip   -   Flight, Hotel and Car

  Bukima Adventure Travel
  Mountain Travel Sobek



Travel Guides Benin / Related Books

Benin (Other Places Travel Guide)
Erika Kraus (Author), Felicie Reid (Author)
Benin is a country of wonder and mystery, fitting all levels of adventure and comfort. Its unique mixture of culture, history, geography, and wildlife provides the ultimate West African experience. From thrilling zemidjan moped rides to spotting hippos from dugout canoes, traveling across Benin will surely stimulate visitors' senses and broaden their horizons. Erika and Felicie, the authors, lived, worked, and played in Benin for over two years while attached to the Peace Corps. They experienced this fascinating country like few outsiders have before and created a national network of locals who all contributed their own specialty and unique insight for this book. To see the real Benin and to travel like a local, this book is a must.
Paperback: 208 pages; Publisher: Other Places Publishing (26 Jan 2010); ISBN-10: 0982261918; ISBN-13: 978-0982261910.

Transport / How do I travel to Benin

It is bordered on the north by Burkina Faso and the Republic of Niger, on the east by the Federal Republic of Nigeria and on the west by the Republic of Togo.

  Cotonou Airport [ no web page found 200411 ]
Other airports in Benin: Djougou Airport, Kandi Airport, Natitingou Airport, Parakou Airport, Save Airport
  Togo Airport [ then take a three hour cab to Cotonou ]

  KLM UK / Air France   -   flight tickets Benin / Flight tickets Cotonou

 
Book cheap flights to Benin at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online

  Airline Tickets /  Bargain Flights   -   Flights Benin / Price comparison possible

  Africa Lines
One of the most comfortable, reliable methods of transportation in Benin, especially when traveling to the northern part of the country, is the bus. Africa Lines has a daily schedule, with early morning departures from Cotonou to Parakou, Natitingou, and Kandi. The bus also makes several stops in large towns along the way such as Allada and Bohicon, and will pick up passengers there as well if space permits.

  Zemis [ motorcycle taxis ]
One of Benin's main forms of transportation, "zemis" are motorcycle taxis found throughout Cotonou. The term "zemi" means "get there fast" in the local Fon language.

  Maps International   -    
Mapsinternational.co.uk is one of the largest map shops online.
  Map Benin [ Uni Texas  -   Perry-Castañeda Library   -   Map Collection ]


Links 

  Benintourisme.com   -   Tourist Board [ French & English language ]

  Government Republic Benin   -   Porteil du Gouvernement du Bénin

  Porto Novo   -   Capital City of Benin   -   see Porto-novo.org
ILocated on Porto-Novo Lagoon, an arm of the Gulf of Guinea, 13 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean and about thirty kilometers from Cotonou..
The founder of the kingdom, prince Adja TÊ-AGBALIN called it " Hôgbonou " [ the entrance of the big house ] whereas Yorubas gave to the city " Adjatchè's " name [ conquered by Adja ].

  Mono River
Hike in the picturesque granite hills of the central Collines region.

  Grand Popo   -   Lounge on the sunny, palm-fringed beaches

  Ouidah   -   historical citie
  Abomey   -   historical citie

  Sahel in the upper Atakora and Alibori regions

  Abomey   -   former capital of the great Dahomey kingdom.
  Allada
  Cotonou   -   seat of government of Benin   -   Benin's gateway city
Transportation and communications hub. Situated on the Gulf of Guinea.
  Dassa zoumé
  Ganvié
  Grand Popo
  Kandi
  Koussoukouangou
  Natitingou
  Nikki
  Ouidah   -   voodoo centre of Benin, 40 km from Cotonou
Ouidah features the Musée d'Histoire de Ouidah / Voodoo Museum, various other museums and temples, a park known as the Sacred Forest and the sacred, symbolic and historical Route des Esclave [ the Route of the Slaves].
  Possotomé
  Savalou
  Tanéka-Koko
  Parakou

  Bénin Contact   -   CNF de Cotonou
Extensive information on Benin, in French, from AUPELF-UREF and REFER [ le Réseau électronique francophone d'information ].
Kota falls
  Marché Dantokpa  [ Cotenou ]
One of the largest open-air markets in West Africa
  Pendjari park
  Stilted fishing villages in the lagoon near Porto Novo
  Tanougou waterfalls

History of Benin

Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)

The African kingdom of Dahomey originated in Benin. By the 17th century, the kingdom, ruled by an oba, stretched beyond the borders of present-day Benin, covered a large part of West-Africa. The kingdom was prosperous and established slave trading relations with the Europeans (mostly Portuguese and Dutch) who first arrived in the late 15th century. The coastal part of the kingdom became known as the Slave Coast.
By the 18th century, Dahomey started to fall apart, enabling the French to take over the area in 1892. See for more Benin's History [ Kingdom of Benin, Colonial Benin, Post-colonial Benin ]

  History of Benin   -   Wikipedia
Kingdom of Benin, Colonial Benin, Post-colonial Benin.

  Archives Nationales du Benin
  Abomey Historical Museum
Today a town in the Republic of Benin situated on the Gulf of Guinea, Abomey was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Danhomè. It is about 65 miles from the coast. The Royal Palaces in the heart of the city are major material evidence of this civilisation.
The Abomey Historical Museum, under the tutelage of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, Direction of Cultural Heritage, was created by the French colonial administration in 1943. With a surface of about 5 acres, it is situated on the palatial site and comprises the palaces of King Guézo and King Glèlè. The entire palatial site extends over approximately 108 acres and has been on UNESCO's World Heritage list since 1985. It is a culmination of history, living culture and tourism.

  Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port 1727-1892  
Robin Law
Ouidah, an indigenous African town in the modern Republic of Benin, was the principal pre-colonial commercial centre of its region, and the second most important town of the Dahomey kingdom. It served as a major outlet for the export of slaves for the trans- Atlantic trade. Between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries Ouidah was the most important embarkation point for slaves in the region of West Africa known to outsiders as the 'Slave Coast'. Exporting over a million slaves, it was second only to Luanda in Angola for the embarkation of slaves in the whole of Africa. This is the first detailed study of the town's history, and its role in the Atlantic slave trade. Its central concerns are the organization of the African end of the slave trade, and the impact participation in the trade had on the historical development of the African societies involved. It shifts the focus from the viewpoint of the Dahomian monarchy, represented in previous studies, to the coast. Here is a well documented case study of pre-colonial urbanism, of the evolution of a merchant community, and in particular the growth of a group of private traders whose relations with the Dahomian monarchy grew increasingly problematic over time.
Paperback 320 pages (November 9, 2004);  Publisher: James Currey Publishers;  Language: English;  ISBN: 0852554974
  Ethnographique Museum of Porto Novo
  Homin Museum  -  Porto Novo
Contains cultural artifacts from all over the country, with a great deal on the history of Porto Novo itself.
Homin museum is located at the former compound of the Royal palace, and you can see the King's dining room , the shrine where the kings used to test their food against poisoning, the queen mother's kitchen (a powerful person in the kingdom and often an aunt of the king), the training place of new kings, and finally an exhibition of all the kings' talismans, important allies in the every day rule of the kings.

Cuisine  -  Benin Cooking Recipes

  Beninese Cuisine
Due to the fact that for about one century Benin was under French occupation, the Beninese cuisine reflects several French influences.
For special occasions people from Benin make a stew from sea shelves, tomatoes, Onion and the local hot sauce named pilipili.

Music, Benin Arts & Culture, Events

It is believed that Vodun (or "Voodoo", as it is commonly known") originated in Benin and was introduced to Brazil, the Caribbean Islands, and parts of North America by slaves taken from this particular area of the Slave Coast.
Since 1992 Vodun has been recognized as one of Benin's official religions, and a National Vodun Holiday is celebrated on January 10.

  Music of Benin
Post-independence, the country was home to a vibrant and innovative music scene, where native folk music combined with Ghanaian highlife, French cabaret, American rock, funk and soul, and Congolese rumba.....
  Beninese hip hop

The Art of Benin 
Nigel Barley (Author), Kevin Lovelock (Author)
When the Portuguese made the first European contact with the west African kingdom of Benin in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, the kingdom was experiencing a golden age. Its authority on the Guinea Coast was expanding through military conquests, and during the sixteenth century it became a leading power in the region and a major trade partner for European merchants. Benin remained an influential independent state and a major political and economic power on the coast, though with periods of both decline and prosperity, until its conquest by the British in 1897. The arrival in Europe of the treasures from Benin produced an enormous sensation, causing a re-evaluation of and new appreciation for African art. This sumptuous photographic book showcases a series of specially taken photographs of key pieces in the British Museums collection. It opens with an introduction to the kingdom, court and culture of Benin, which is followed by thematic sections including kingship, ceremony, women, Europeans, and animals. Throughout, stunning photographs of the works are featured alongside close-up details.
Hardcover: 144 pages; Publisher: British Museum Press (15 Mar 2010); ISBN-10: 0714125911; ISBN-13: 978-0714125916.

Benin: Royal Arts of a West African Kingdom (Art Institute of Chicago)
KB Berzock (Author)
In the late fifteenth century, the Kingdom of Benin (located in present-day southwestern Nigeria) established a mercantile relationship with Portugal, significantly increasing its wealth and might. Benin became a regional powerhouse and under a long lineage of divine rulers, or obas, it wielded great economic and political influence. The obas also supported guilds of artists, chief among them brass casters and ivory carvers, whom they employed to produce objects that honoured royal ancestors, recorded history, and glorified life at court. The sophisticated creations of Benin's royal artists stand among the greatest works of African art.This stunning book features a selection of Benin's extraordinary artworks that range from finely cast bronze figures, altar heads, and wall plaques to ivory tusks, pendants and arm cuffs embellished in detailed bas relief. An insightful essay outlines the kingdom's history and sheds light on these masterworks by describing their production and function in the context of the royal court.
Paperback: 36 pages; Publisher: Yale University Press (2 Sep 2008); ISBN-10: 0300136773; ISBN-13: 978-0300136777.


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