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Cotonou Travel Blogs

Background: Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged.

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By rosekanasty
June 26th 2008

Cotonou, stilt villages, and lots of transport Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Floating market in Ganvie

We arrived in Cotonou and got dropped off at the main market during rush hour. Then followed the most terrifying moto taxi ride of my life. The driver weaved between cars that I thought were going to hit each other, at one point I actually put my hand on the hood of a car I thought was going to hit us. I could see, though, that if he hadn’t driven like a maniac we would never have gotten anywhere, traffic was hardly moving. We met up with some Benin PCVs at their bureau who pointed us to an affordable hotel and [View Full Entry]

By Cocktailllll
April 26th 2008

Day Fifty-Two; Saturday, April 26 '08 Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Woke up and took a bucket shower which is really gross to do inside a bathroom. We waited aroudn our hotel for quite some time before we actually started our day to visit the stilt village in Ganvie. After our talk about visiting Nigeria subsided we got a ride to a village near the lake entrance to Ganvie. The ride on the water was crazy. We took a canoe for the four of us which was rowed by a small boy. Our sail was made out of a patched bedsheet. Our boat constantly felt like it was sinking. We actually crashed [View Full Entry]

By Silv
March 26th 2008

Words cannot describe... Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

My first African sunset

It is hard to know the words to choose to begin describing this new adventure of my life, but I guess its just easiest to start at the beginning... So my last week in Montpellier flew past, every day at school with an awesome class of people who became great friends. We had an awesome night on out final thursday, all meeting up for goodbye drinks, lots of laughs and languages around the table (sorry I forgot the cd with the photos on it, they are no longer on my camera, will post them next time). But studpidly of me I [View Full Entry]

Eat yoghurt and you will look like a sumo man

By Erika
January 15th 2007

How to Spend a Long Weekend in Cotonou Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Step 1: Disassemble plans. They hadn’t really meant anything, anyway. Don’t be silly. I left Athiémé as early as possible Friday morning to arrive on time to apply for a visa for Ghana. I made it to Cotonou by noon, and happened to find a volunteer-friend (she volunteered to be my friend) at the office. She gave me two critical pieces of information because she is a good volunteer: 1) that I needed my passport to have the visa stamped in, but because I am kinda stupid, my passport was still in Athiémé, and 2) that Ghana was on holiday, so [View Full Entry]

By Bronwen
December 2nd 2006

Curling Fundraiser Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Curling 1

Thanks to everybody for your support in my fundraising! I managed to raise just under $2000 toward my program fees for Youth Challenge International and Cross-Cultural Solutions and really appreciate everyone's help...I had tons of fun and attached a few photos from the night for your viewing pleasure... Best Bron [View Full Entry]

By empeak
November 15th 2006

country number 3! Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

moto taxi

Now we are in benin and have been doing lots of learning about voodoo and all their kings. Started out in ouidah where ol got a nice shirt made (see photo attatched) and went to some museums. Learning about voodoo and fetishes (doesn’t mean the same thing as in england) is really interesting.. voodoo is actually a religion and is focused on the positive. We in the west have completely demonised it. Fetishes (juju) are actually the bad stuff and involves magic and wishing people dead.. for instance you go to a voodoo priest and tell them you want so and [View Full Entry]

By Wild Eyed
November 11th 2006

Benin by boat... Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Ganvie, Benin

I apologize for not posting this blog sooner, but finals, travels, and the common cold have kept me occupied in the last few days. Last weekend I set off to Benin, a small country with a history steeped in the practice of voodoo, the slave trade, and grand empires. We crept into Benin at twilight, after hours of frustrating travel to the East frontier of Ghana and across Togo. The country appeared unremarkable at first sight: flat, grassy earth punctuated by a few modest mud structures and tall palm trees ending, rather abruptly, at the deep blue waters of the Gulf [View Full Entry]

By CA
November 9th 2006

Cotonou Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Got up today at 6:30, late for this part of the world, and spent our first full day in the chaotic city of Cotonou and I can safely say that I love it. We arrived yesterday and were dropped by our Peugeot 505 taxi along with the 8 other passengers in the ultimate nightmare location with a backpack. Stood on a traffic island with roads on three sides it all bulging with battered cars and a million 'zemi-johns' (motorcycle taxis). We walked one way, tried to cross then gave up and repeated this farce with the other three roads all the [View Full Entry]

By le_flow
August 2nd 2006

Who do Voodoo? Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

Voodoo

Crossing the border from Ghana into Togo felt like getting back to genuine Africa. Away from modern conveniences and into overcrowded bush-taxis, driving like there’s no tomorrow (which more than once got close to true). We had entered the hilly Danyi Plateau and were travelling on twisting roads through jungle-covered hills, to get to the Benedictine monastery outside the small village of Dzogbégan. The monks at the monastery are famous for their huge orchard, attracting people from faraway to come and enjoy their produce. Things like carambola-jam, home-proce [View Full Entry]

By tamaffa
May 22nd 2006

looks like i'm also the first person to write from Cotonou? Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou

i wanted the title of this entry to be "poop-free beach" but i was too excited to boast my "first" so me and yuss crossed another border in a non-airconditioned bus with the sea twinkling in and out of view just to our right (had to think about that direction just now) the voyage was about three hours not counting the beauracracy at the border. and so now we are in cotonou which seems like the capital but is not; porto novo is. our hotel is handily ringed with internet cafés, so even if our side of the street and the [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Africa » Benin » South » Cotonou