Overview to Benin: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
Having made a successful transition from Marxist dictatorship to democracy back in 1990, the former French colony of Benin is one of Africa’s most stable countries. Famously welcoming and blessed with great safari, Benin is one of the continent’s standout destinations.
Many of the primary attractions are situated in the southern lowlands where Benin meets the Pacific Ocean. The beaches are golden and the resorts impressive, while the city of Cotonou is at hand should visitors need the use of its functional infrastructure.
Benin’s capital, Porto-Novo, is located in the same region. It is the ex-capital of nearby Abomey, however, that proves the more interesting destination. Once the central seat of the Dahomey Kingdom, today the city is strewn with atmospheric palaces now in various states of ruin.
The town of Ouidah also has a fascinating past. Here, the old Portuguese fort pays testament to Benin’s heavy involvement in the slave trade, while the Temple of the Sacred Python speaks of the strong voodoo roots that that are still prevalent in the national culture.
Head north and the Pendjari National Park proves the better of Benin’s two identified conservation areas. Safaris in Pendjari offer the chance to encounter everything from hippos to lions and buffaloes to crocodiles in the most remarkable of natural habitats.
