"byron3062's new Benin Page" Benin by byron3062

Benin Travel Guide: 446 reviews and 1,752 photos

My trip to Benin West Africa was with best friends Jonthan Suber, his wife Stephanie, and their new born son, Alexander. We went to visit Jonthan's parents, who were the UPC Missionaries in Benin at the time. This is French speaking country Jonthan and myself both speak french, so we were able to communicte with the people here. This was an unique experince. Jonthan and myself rode a train from Southern Benin to Northern Benin, a three day trip up and down. We were advised that it would not be safe for white men to make this trip. That made it more of a challenge for us. You have never had a train experince until you have ridden in an African train packed with people, pigs, goats, chickens, and anything else that you can imagine. We had a great time.

Intro Written Jan 27, 2001
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Reviews (14)

This is a open air fish... Warnings and Dangers (2)

This is a open air fish market. The temperature is about 100+ degrees, the flies come in the thousands so you can only... more travel advice

Be very careful where you eat.... - Benin

Be very careful where you eat.... Warnings and Dangers (2)

Be very careful where you eat. This is a photo of one of the many open air butcher shops. As you can see, the meat is... more travel advice

Watch out for many of the... Tourist Traps (1)

Watch out for many of the street vendors. Most of them do not speak any English and will try to rip you off if you do... more travel advice

We were introduced to a... Off The Beaten Path (1)

We were introduced to a witchdoctor of the village. This is a photo of her. We were told that in her earlier days that... more travel advice

What to Pack (1)
Packing List
Local Customs (1)
Anything can be bought for the...
Transportation (2)
See All Back in the Bush Country we...
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Comments (22)

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Wafro Jan 10, 2007 at 8:08 AM

Nice to read you enjoyed Benin, but the next time you visit Africa, you really should try the local food. GRTZ
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grets Oct 20, 2006 at 2:10 PM

Looking forward to my visit to Benin in December, experiencing the voodoo culture first hand. One of the pleasures of travelling for me is to try the street food - usually it is safer that buffets in 4* hotels! Thanks for sharing. :-)
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sachara Sep 12, 2003 at 2:30 PM

Thank you for sharing your experiences in Benin. I will go there in a few months. I also often ate food from streetvendors in West Africa without problems.
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lizad Sep 11, 2003 at 6:42 AM

I found your warnings about the food in Benin inaccurate. I spent a 3 weeks backpacking around Benin in 99 and I loved it. It has one of the best cuisines in West Africa. I ate food bought from street vendors most of the time and never got sick .
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thelittlevoice Aug 31, 2003 at 6:26 AM

thanks for sharing the great tips. benin surely looks like a good place to visit!
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johnsakura Jun 27, 2003 at 5:33 PM

Wonderful tips on Benin, keep on going. good luck to you! joao
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janika Jun 11, 2003 at 6:46 PM

What an amazing place and very helpful info. Not too many of us will ever see it, but you brought us one step closer. Thank you!
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broad56 Jun 5, 2003 at 5:09 PM

Nice page. There are Houses simmilar to the ones in Ganvie, Benin!
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mr.jacob May 17, 2003 at 6:55 PM

glad you had a great time, but chickens on a train?! :/
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ymike2000 May 2, 2003 at 6:14 AM

I know someone in the Peace Corps who lived in Benin for 2 years. I'd never seen pictures of it before. Thanks for all the great info!