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Benin

The birthplace of Vodou and a pivotal platform of the slave trade for nearly three centuries, Benin is steeped in a rich and complex history still very much in evidence today.

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　　Housed in a colonial building built by slaves at the beginning of the 20th century, this museum gives an overview of life in Somba communities. The exhibition includes various musical instruments, jewellery, crowns and artefacts. Most interesting is the habitat room, which has models of the different types of tata...

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Parc National de la Pendjari

　　This 2750-sq-km national park is one of West Africa's best for wildlife. Visitors may spot lions, leopards, elephants, baboons and hippos. The best viewing time is near the end of the dry season (November to February), when the animals congregate at water holes. With waterfalls, a woody landscape and good...

Route des Esclaves

　　The Route of the Slaves includes the slave auction plaza, the Tree of Forgetfulness (where slaves were branded with their owners' symbols and, to make them forget where they came from, forced to walk around the tree in circles) and the Tree of Return, another tree the slaves often circled...

Zinzou Foundation Museum

　　This museum of contemporary African art, housed in a stunning 1920s Afro-Brazilian villa, displays paintings and sculptures as well as light, video and sound installations. It's a classy affair, run by the Zinzou foundation out of Cotonou, a respectable organisation with a strong history of supporting Beninese artists. Most guides...

　　The Centre Songhai is a major research, teaching and production centre in sustainable farming. There are one-hour guided tours to visit the plantations and workshops. You can also buy the centre's produce – anything from fresh quail eggs to biscuits and preserves. Songhai is about 1km north of town. Every...

Eglise St Michel

　　This pastel pink and green Catholic church is a simple affair, but notable for its exterior (it looks a bit like a pink gingerbread house). The interior is less interesting, but provides a cool respite from the manic city. ...

Fidjirossé Beach

　　This pretty stretch of sand is a lovely place to embrace local culture and cool off. It's a favorite spot for Beninese to retreat to with families and is lined with coconut palms and a handful of buvettes for daytime snacking. ...

　　This mosque's two white towers stand out in this city of low-lying structures. It's an interesting place to pause for a few moments for a spot of people-watching and to observe the coming and goings of worshippers. There's no public access inside. ...

Centre Culturel Français

　　This busy cultural centre has a gallery, an outdoor theatre, a library and a cinema. ...

　　This market sells anything associated with Vodou, including varieties of tree barks and dried plants (both used in traditional medicine) and stalwarts for Vodou rites, such as dried animal parts, particularly skins, heads and hoofs (anything from ducks, turtles and horses to dogs and monkeys). Live rats and fish often...

Fondation Zinsou

　　Named after the family that started it, this fantastic exhibition space seeks to promote contemporary African art among Beninese people through photography, paintings and sculptures. The chic boutique sells beautiful art books and the cafe offers wi-fi access. The gallery regularly provides shuttles from schools to the centre in order...

Cathedral de Notre Dame

　　With its vibrant red and white stripes, this Catholic cathedral is not just a place of worship but also home to a small bookshop selling titles by regional writers as well as a handful of academic texts. The stripes continue into the inside with sandstone and cream-coloured arches. Beyond its...

Grand Marché de Dantokpa

　　The seemingly endless Grand Marché du Dantokpa is Cotonou's throbbing heart, bordered by the lagoon and Blvd St Michel. Everything under the sun can be purchased in its labyrinthine lanes, from fish to soap, plastic sandals to goats, pirated DVDs to spare car parts. More traditional fare, such as batiks...

Latest stories from Benin

　　This stilt village, located in the lagoon of Lake Nokoue, was created for the Tofinu people to stay safe from slave hunters. It has become part of their culture and way of life. The teetering houses, schools, churches and other structures form a ramshackle village. The villagers live almost exclusively...

Musée Ethnographique de Porto Novo

Musée Historique d'Abomey

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