Benin is situated in West Africa on the northern coast of the Gulf of Guinea. It has land borders to the north by Niger, on the west by Togo, and on the northwest by Burkina Faso. The coast has no natural harbors, river mouths or islands, due to access difficulty because of sandbanks. Behind the coastline is a network of lagoons, from that of Grand Popo on the Togo border (navigable at all seasons) and joined to Lake Aheme, to that of Porto-Novo on the east, in which flows Benin's longest river, the Oueme, navigable for some 125 miles of its total of 285 miles. Beside Oueme, the only other major river in the south is Couffo, which flows into Lake Aheme. The Mono, serving from Parahoue to Grand Pope, has the boundary with Togo and is navigable for 50 miles but subject to torrential floods in the rainy season.
Benin's northern rivers, the Mekrou, Alibory and Sota, which are tributaries of the Niger, and the Pandjari, a tributary of the Volta, are torrential and broken by rocks. North of the narrow belt of coastal sand is a region of lateritic clay, the main oil palm area, intersected by a marshy depression between Allada and Abomey that stretches east to the Nigerian frontier. North of the hills of Dassa, the height ranges from 200 to 500 feet, broken only by the Atakora Mountains (1,500 - 2,400 ft), stretching in a southwesterly direction into Togo.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival at Cotonou International Airport. Assist with custom formalities. Transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel. Dinner
Day 2: Depart for Natitingou, the capital of the Safari region. On your way enjoy the beautiful scenery of the countryside: the hills of Dassa (where an annual pilgrimage is organized at the foot of the hill in honor of the Virgin Mary), Save and Parakou (the most important town in the north of Benin). Lunch. Arrive at Natitingou late afternoon to visit the Museum of the town retracing the history and heritage of the Atacora civilization. Overnight at hotel B, D
Days 3 – 5: Depart for the Pendjari National Park for a memorable and fascinating sightseeing! On your way admire the unique architectural buildings of the Tata Sombas and visit one of them. Appreciate this unique wildlife in West Africa and the waterfalls. Overnight at the Park B, D
Day 6: Return to Natitingou and enjoy nightlife in this small town, in the north of Benin. B, D
Day 7: Return to Cotonou with a stopover at Abomey to visit the History Museum of Abomey classified as world heritage by UNESCO. B, D
Day 8: Last minute shopping at the Art center and the big market (one of the biggest in west Africa). Farewell Dinner.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
Benin
Ecotourism
Cultural Journey
|
