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- Apply for a visa early. Unless you are a member of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), you will most likely need to apply for a visa to travel to Benin.
- A yellow fever certificate is vital. This is mandatory while traveling in African countries and also in some parts of Asia. All visitors traveling to Benin need a yellow fever certificate and you will be refused entry without one.
- Cash is king in Benin. Card services are available in affluent areas in Benin but if you are dealing with local guides and need to move around, you need cash.
- Benin is a French-speaking country. French is the official language of Benin and is spoken by everyone. English... less so. If you can't speak French, you'll struggle to communicate – your best bet is a translation app on your phone or hiring a tour guide that speaks English to help your trip go smoothly.
Benin is a small West African country located on the Gulf of Guinea, bordered by Togo, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Despite its small size, Benin is packed with culture, history, and natural beauty. Here are 10 reasons why you should visit Benin. 1. The People – Benin is known for its friendly and hospitable people.
- Ganvie. Best place to go for a boat tour. The largest lake village in Africa is a popular and spectacular place to visit when exploring Benin. Ganvie has a population of 20,000 people located on Lake Nokoue, a 16,000-hectare body of water close to Cotonou.
- Abomey. Best historical site in Benin. This was once the capital of Benin, which was then known as Dahomey. Abomey was an ancient West African Kingdom that existed between 1600 and 1814.
- Ouidah. Best city to learn about Vodou. If you're a history lover or have a fascination with the occult, Ouidah should be at the top of your itinerary. The city was invaded by the French at the end of the nineteenth century when the Dahomey kingdom was declining.
- Cotonou. Best city for nightlife. As the largest city in Benin, Cotonou is busy, vibrant, and filled with an abundance of ethnic groups that include the country's main tribes – the Adja, the Bariba, the Fon, the Yoruba and the Fula, who make up over four-fifths of Benin's population.
- You Need to Obtain Your Visa in Advance
- You’Ll Need A Yellow Fever Certificate
- The Official Language Is French
- The Currency of Benin Is The West African CFA Franc
- Accessing Money in Benin
- Get A Local Sim Card
- Getting Around Benin
- Best Time to Visit Benin
- Try The Peulh Cheese
- Voodoo Is More Than A Religion, It’S A Belief System and A Way of Life
Most visitors to Benin need a visa to enter unless they are from one of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African State) countries. There are various different types of visas for Beninyou can apply for including a 30 days Single Entry, 30 days Multiple Entry and 90 days Multiple Entry, as well as different business visas too. The easiest way t...
Just like Sierra Leone and many other West African countries, visitors to Benin needs to have a proof of Yellow Fever vaccination, so if you don’t have it already, make sure you get it in good time – at least 10 days before you travel.
Whilst there are around 55 languages spoken in Benin, 50 of them indigenous, French is the official language. The main local languages are Fon, Yoruba, Bariba and Dendi. I can understand very basic French, but I would have struggled without a French-speaking guide and luckily two of my group were also fluent French speakers. This helped us immensel...
The currency of Benin is the West African CFA franc (CFA). What’s great about this currency, is that it is used in 8 different West African countries, so as well as Benin, it’s used in Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo – which makes things easy when you cross the borders.
Paying by cash is the easiest way to pay in Benin, although cards are accepted in many of the more high-end places. Getting hold of CFA francs outside of West Africa (except maybe in France) can be pretty tricky, so you’re best to either use the ATM’s when you’re there or take some money to exchange. I usually take USD or GBP when I go to East or S...
Local SIM cards are cheap, easy to come by, and will help you navigate the country more easily. We got our SIM cards from MTN, a big, reliable phone company that operates all over Africa. We purchased ours from the guys on the street outside the MTN store on the corner between Rue 102 and Boulevard Steinmetz in Cotonou. Always take your passport wi...
In Cotonou and the major cities, you can easily get around using motorbike taxis known as zemidjans or zems. You can spot the drivers by their yellow vests. These guys are everywhere, speeding around town but they are best used for short distances in the daytime only and don’t expect to be able to wear a helmet, unless you bring your own. These tax...
Roughly, the wet season runs from May to September, whilst the rest of the year is dry. The cooler part of the dry season runs from October to January and the hotter part of the dry season is from February to April. I visited Benin at the end of February and it was so bloody hot – I’ve never been so sweaty in my life (although I was ill with fibroi...
We had some pretty good food in Benin. You get the usual West African foods, such as maize (fufu), jollof rice (from Nigeria), plantain, fresh fish, peanut soup, a good selection of fresh fruit, and in the cities, there is a selection of different cuisines too. The ice creams at Cornetto in Cotonou are a welcome break from the heat! But one of my f...
Now the bit you’ve all been waiting for… Voodoo. I’d go as far as to say that without learning about Voodoo, you’re missing out on a lot of the most interesting and important aspects of Beninese culture. We were very lucky, as our guide was a Voodoo adept (practitioner), which meant that we got to experience the Voodoo religion in a very real, very...
Benin. Africa. Check out this year's Best in Travel winners. 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. Best Time to Visit. Best Places to Visit. Attractions.
Mar 10, 2024 · Benin might not top everyone's travel list, but that's exactly why you should go. Nestled on West Africa’s coast, this small nation is rich in history, vibrant with culture, and offers adventures you won’t find in the guidebooks. From the stilted villages of Lake Nokoué to the voodoo temples of Ouidah, Benin’s charms are anything but ...
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Top Cities to Visit in Benin. From bustling urban landscapes to historic coastal towns, Benin offers a variety of cities, each with its own unique charm and allure. Here are the top cities you should consider visiting during your trip to Benin: Porto-Novo. Despite being the official capital of Benin, Porto-Novo maintains an unhurried, small ...
