Travel in Benin

Benin is a fun-filled country that has a lot to offer traveling families: stunning beaches, fascinating history, incredible national parks, and more. If you have children and are considering of an affordable, family friendly African country to visit that's off the beaten track, Benin is the best bet for you. 

Back in 2021, a 22-year-old from Arkansas named Trevor Rainbolt shuttered himself in his Los Angeles apartment to memorize the world. For months, he spent his time studying Google Street View from his desk chair. Delivery drivers handed over his meals; a barber came to style his hair. After a while, his memory grew planetary. When you see cabbage-like plants thriving along the sides of a Russian country road, he learned, you’re most likely looking at Sakhalin Island. On a bridge lined with pea-green pavement? You’re above a river in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province. If your vista, but for the sweep of golden grasslands, screams South Africa, you’ll be in Eswatini.

The director of a newly refurbished boutique hotel in the old town of Nîmes tells me he has gained and lost a star recently. The hotel’s restaurant, Rouge, run by Benin-born chef Georgiana Viou, recently won its first Michelin star. But the hotel itself, the Margaret Chouleur, has been downgraded from a five-star to just four.

The 60th edition of the art extravaganza that’s the Venice Biennale runs until 24 November at the two main venues Giardini and Arsenale. as well as countless offsite locations, official and unofficial. There are 88 National participations this year, with four countries participating for the first time: Republic of Benin, Ethiopia, United Republic of Tanzania, and Democratic Republic of Timor Leste. Here are eleven of the must see country pavilions.

Already one of the most budget-friendly destinations in Africa, there are still plenty of ways to make your Benin trip even cheaper.

Today is equinox—when the hours of darkness and daylight are identical across the globe—but in North America, everyone’s thinking about the upcoming total solar eclipse in just over two weeks.

Within the past 12 months, the Group signed five new hotels, adding over 1,000 rooms to the region’s portfolio.

Geotourist and the West Africa Tourism Organisation (WATO) are partnering in a revolutionary data initiative to generate visitor data insights that are not currently achievable in the region. The initiative will be rolled out across 19 different countries,including:

Underrated and underexplored, the small slither of West Africa that makes up Benin is best covered by road. 

If you have your eyes set on island-hopping throughout the Lamu Archipelago or venturing on some of the most thrilling wildlife safaris in the New Year, we have good news for you: travel to Kenya is about to get a little bit easier.

Panama is the perfect vacation destination for adventure lovers, culture and history buffs, and, naturally, beach bums – its biodiversity, rich coastlines and unfathomable islands have to be seen to be believed.

The hotel’s array of Scandinavian inspired accommodation will range from contemporary standard rooms to expansive executive suites, including a presidential suite.

Kenya will grant visa-free entry to all African nationals by the end of the year, becoming the fourth nation on the continent to do so.

If you’re anything like us, you’re looking to cram as much adventure as possible into 2024.

Visas are an essential part of travel – the physical gatekeepers of entry or exit into a country – and citizens of many countries outside Africa will need a visa to visit Benin.

Global Fashion Collective (GFC) showed at Milan Fashion Week again this month, this time surrounded by glorious frescos in the 16th-century San Barnaba church. Led by Jamal Abdourahman, director of Vancouver Fashion Week, the second largest fashion week in North America, GFC is one of the top showcases of new talent from around the world, producing runway shows in various fashion capitals. In addition to Milan, GFC creates shows at New York, Paris, Tokyo and London fashion weeks and plans to add showcases in Mexico in 2024. As well as being a keen advocate of emerging fashion, Global Fashion Collective has partnered with a popular new makeup brand for all their runway needs. The healthy, mineral-based, chemical-free brand BullyBlocker, was founded two years ago by American businesswoman Donna Baker Brittingham and is fast becoming a top choice of makeup artists. Seven international talents were in the spotlight in Milan during an exclusive Spring/Summer 2024 runway presentations.

Benin is a small West African nation, proud member of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) and travelers often discover it alongside a trip to Togo.

Benin is one of the most unique and historically significant destinations in West Africa.

Benin is the birthplace of voodoo – a religion that worships natural spirits and reveres ancestors. It was also a significant source for transatlantic slave traders. A history you’ll learn more about at its museums. 

Benin may have fewer visitors than its larger West African neighbors but that's no reflection of what it has to offer travelers.

Apart from the capital city of Porto Novo and the major tourist attractions of Ganvie and Ouidah, the large majority of the small West African country of Benin goes unnoticed by most travelers.