The 4 best road trips in Benin

17.01.2024 - 08:05 / lonelyplanet.com

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

Neighboring Nigeria to the east, Togo and Burkina Faso to the west, and Niger to the north, Benin has as much to offer as each of them.  From experiencing Vodou culture in Ouidah and learning about the Dahomey Kingdom in Abomey to visiting the revered watermen of the “Venice of Africa,” surprises and spectacular locations keep coming.

Here we've picked five road trips that take in the highlights of Benin, including the beaches of Grand Popo, the capital Porto Novo and the hustle and bustle of Cotonou. Buckle up.

Benin's most extraordinary drive
Cotonou–Ouidah; 38 km (23.5 miles); 1 hour 30 minutes

Lined by impeccable ginger-colored beaches and filled with abundant markets selling everything from plastic sandals to goats, Cotonou is the ideal place to acquaint yourself with Benin. But to get a deeper understanding of its Vodou culture, take the RNIE1 road inland and expect the unexpected. Vodou – also spelled Vodun – is a religion that draws together medicine, philosophy and justice through the idea that everything is spirit. So on this route, you could encounter people carrying animal carcasses, or Vodou priests performing rituals. Seeing energetic dances isn’t uncommon. Vodou started in Ouidah but spread to the Americas and Europe during the trans-Atlantic trade of enslaved Africans.

If you take this road trip at the beginning of the year, you up your chances of encountering Vodou rituals as locals prepare for Fête du Vodun on January 10, a countrywide celebration of the culture that focuses on Ouidah. Stop in Pahou to take in the busy, often dusty market. It’s a good spot to stretch your legs and grab refreshments – fresh pineapples, peanuts, cashews, bottled water and street food such as àkàrà (a fried black-eyed-pea cake) – and take in the cacophony of hollering stallholders, honking motorbikes and hearty bartering.

From there, the new two-lane Pahou–Ouidah carriageway significantly speeds up your journey. Pull in at the 4-hectare Sacred Forest on the outskirts of Ouidah to find wooden statues of Vodou deities – often anthropomorphized characters – hidden amongst the iroko trees and medicinal plants. Once you arrive in the town itself, head to the Ouidah Museum of History to learn more about Vodou.

Benin's most scenic road trip
Porto Novo– Ganvié; 37 km (23 miles), 2 hours

Benin's most striking road trip loops around the stunning Lake Nokoué from Porto Novo to Ganvié via the RNIE1 and RNIE2. These are dry and dusty dirt roads with plenty of potholes, so drive with caution. Home to the white-crested tiger heron and the African openbill, you'll get to see the sparkling, 16,000-hectare lake from