Encounter with the indigenious of Benin

We will pick you up at the airport. Transfer to your accommodation and check-in. Your guide will present the program for the stay, as well as an introduction to Vodun cosmology and the history of the people we will be meeting. Welcome dinner

We will embark on a dugout canoe trip to Ganvié, the legendary lakeside city inhabited by the Tofin people since the 18th century. We will explore this large city with its stilted houses, floating markets, and scenes of daily life on the water. Lunch will be served there before our return in the late afternoon.

Bopa is a region renowned for its preserved Vodun practices. Hêbiosso Sogbo is a deity of thunder and lightning, brothers in the Fon tradition, often celebrated together, and master of storms and rain. Visit the Hêbiosso-Sogbo convent. Meet the Hounon (high priest) and the Vodunsi (initiates) and learn about the role of these deities in community life. Participate in the Hêbiosso Sogbo ceremony, a procession of initiates.

We witness the processions of the followers of the Gambada deity. These performances fuse tradition, spirituality and art: the followers display the characteristics specific to the Gambada deity: Talc and Kaolin.

Departure for Ouidah. Visit to a temple of the Twins and offerings. After lunch, a photo shoot and portrait session of the Azohoun masks in a dedicated session combining details of the costumes, expressions and movements.

Departure from Grand-Popo to Ouidah. Travel along the Slave Route. After lunch, procession and ceremony of the Kokou followers in Meko. Departure for Porto-Novo, end of the day and overnight stay in the capital.

We will join Yoruba families to attend the Egungun ceremonies. These performances blend tradition, spirituality, and art: the deities wear colorful and intricately crafted costumes, embodying ancestral spirits. We will have a photo session capturing the costumes, movements, and community atmosphere. In the afternoon, we will travel to Sakété, where we will be welcomed by a family who cherishes this heritage and preserves the Gèlèdè tradition. We will learn about the symbolic presentation of the masks, the ritual hierarchy, and the social role of the ceremony. 

We will travel to the agricultural lands of the Holi people, known for their impressive scarification traditions. You will meet the village chief, who will explain the way of life and the cultural and spiritual beliefs of his community. With his permission, you will take beautiful portraits highlighting the characteristic scarifications.

Departure for Abomey, the royal city and historical capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey. We will stroll through its history-laden streets before visiting the royal palaces and museums, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An immersion into the history of this legendary kingdom, the Amazons, and their warrior dances.

Participation in a traditional Atiganli ceremony, an emblematic Vodun cult of the Dassa region. To the rhythm of drums, sacred chants and ritual dances, this immersion allows you to discover ancestral practices and the richness of Benin’s spiritual heritage.

We travel to Baatonu territory, the historical capital of the Bariba tribe. We witness equestrian demonstrations by Baatonu riders, dressed in sumptuous ceremonial costumes. A photo session follows, dedicated to portraits of the riders and their magnificently decorated horses. 

We’ll travel from Djougou to Badjoudé, a village famous for its Assassa Mask performances, one of the most impressive cultural heritage sites in northwestern Benin.

Visitors will enjoy a private Assassa Mask performance accompanied by traditional songs, drumming, and dances. Elders will explain the history of this initiation society, the symbolism of the costumes, and the role of the masks in protecting the village.

In the late afternoon, we’ll return to Djougou.

We depart for the arid north of Benin. We will enter Taneka territory, home to a people originally from Togo who fled to these mountains to escape Islamic expansion and slavery. The Taneka Mountains are among the most magical places in northern Benin. We will meet animist priests and hike to the blacksmiths’ village, perched atop the sacred mountain.

We will visit a Fulani nomadic encampment, famous for their facial tattoos and decorative hairstyles. We will meet the families and discover their nomadic way of life, the Fulani and the Gandos, in the arid northern plains.

In the Donga Mountains with an encounter with the Tamberma (Somba).
The Tamberma (called Somba in Benin) are a West African people living in the Atacora mountain range, straddling northwestern Benin and northeastern Togo. They are world-renowned for their unique traditional dwellings: the Tata Somba (or Takienta), earthen fortresses that resemble miniature castles.

The day was mainly dedicated to the return journey to Cotonou. Some final discoveries were made along the way, and free time in the evening for last-minute shopping or taking photos in the city.