Benin

Benin sits right in the heart of West Africa and has some extremely interesting culture and history. It is considered the heartland of the West African Voudon religion which forms the base for many voodoo religions in the Caribbean. Still today many people in Benin practice animism and even people following Christianity or Islam will still engage in animist practices. This is still very visible in the country and its many fetish markets and voodoo festivals are huge draw cards for locals today.

Pre-colonisation Benin was home to one of the most powerful African kingdoms, known as the Kingdom of Dahomey. Dahomey was famous for a centralised and militaristic society which ruled from 1600-1894. One of the most famous aspects of the kingdom was the elite female military unit known as the Dahomey Amazons (if you’ve seen the movie the Woman King you’ll know what we are talking about).

With a mixture of ethnic groups and proximity to so many other west African nations, Benin is teaming with cultures, food, music, colours and religions and is a great place to start a journey in West Africa.

If our group tour dates don’t work, then we can also arrange private tours for you and your friends.