Benin Things to Do Tips by sachara

The museum of Ouidah is located in one of the former forts of Ouidah, just south of the Grand Marche.
Ouidah was one of the most important centres of slavetrading in West Africa, so the exhibitions in the museum concern for a major part the slave trade and the connections of Benin with Brazil and the Caribbean.
Entrance fee is 1000 CFA, including a friendly guide.
First I couldn't enter the museum, because there was not enough change.

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Phone: 341021
Address: Ouidah is at the coast 42 KM west of Cotonou
Directions: The museum is in the centre of Ouidah, just south of the market.

The Musee d'Histoire d'Ouidah is also known as the Voodoo Museum. So, in this former Portuguese Fort, there are also all kind of mystical artefacts of the voodoo culture. I saw a lot of skins, skulls and other not always well recognisable materials of animals and plants.
Also nowadays the practice of voodoo remains strong in Benin and Ouidah, and also in Brasil and the Caribbean, brought there by the Dahomeyan slaves.
Since 1992 a second museum about voodoo culture is established in Ouidah, in the former Casa do Brasil ( 1 KM more west).

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Address: In Ouidah, south of the market.

In Ouidah were at least six slave forts.
The old portuegese fort, Fortaleza Sao Joao Batisita, built in 1721, is still there and can be visited. In the buildings of this fort you can find the historical museum or Voodoo Museum, but also workshops, giftshops and toilets.
You can walk in the garden and climb the fortifications. From here you have a nice view at a part of the centre of Ouidah.

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Address: Ouidah is 42 KM west of Cotonou, at the coast
Directions: The portuguese fort is good recognisable south of the market.

Walking in the garden of the Voodoo museum in Ouidah I saw this striking colourful panel with mystical eyes and snakes.
My guide couldn't explain me exactly the meaning and use from it. Anyway it was once used as a door, he said.
I liked the colours and the images of it.

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Address: In the Voodoo museum in Ouidah.

In the centre of Ouidah, opposite the catholic cathedral, you find the ''Temple des Serpents'', one of the most famous voodoo sites in town.
Snakes are important in the voodoo culture, because traditionally they were fetishes and a principal object of worship.
Normally you can visit the temple and see the snakes and get some explanation about the temple and voodoo traditions.
During my visit the temple was closed, so I didn't see the sleeping snakes, but I saw a lot of bats hanging in the trees around the temple. For me these peculiar animals looked very much like voodoo fetishes.

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Address: In the centre of Ouidah.
Directions: Ouidah is at the coast, 42 KM west of Cotonou.

In the centre of Ouidah, opposite the Sacred Python Temple, is the catholic cathedral.
The grey cathedral is an important landmark in the towncentre.
In many towns you find churches or cathedrals of the same architecture.
The fence has some nice decorations.

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Address: in the centre of Ouidah.

From the towncentre of Ouidah leads the 4 KM long Route of the Slaves to the coast, the road of no return. This is the route the slaves took to the coast to board the ships to the Americas. Along the road you can find many monumental statues of traditional African symbols. Also nowadays this road has its significance for the people of Ouidah because of the supernatural and historical legends about this road. You can still find here a lot of fetishes along the road.

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Address: Route starts in Ouidah not far from the museum.
Directions: You can walk, take a motor-cycle taxi or go with your own transport.

At the end of the Route of the Slaves stands an impressive memorial in honour of the departed slaves. The beach here is a symbolic and historical site as central and final departure point of the slaves, boarding the boats to the Americas. Near this ''point of no return'' are some giftshops and a restaurant.

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Address: 4 KM south of Ouidah at the beach.

A few hundreds of metres west of the memorial in honour of the departed slaves is another monument at the same beach.
Also this monument looks very impressive.
In the middle you can recognize the contour of the map of Benin.
This monument is erected in 2000 at the occasion of the millenium.

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Address: 4 KM south of Ouidah at the beach.
Directions: Just west of the memorial of the slaves.

It's nice to take the untarred road from Ouidah to Cotonou along the coast of the ocean. The 40 KM long route shows a beautiful scenery of the ocean and beaches edged by palmtrees.
There were also a lot of small fishermen villages along the road, with huts made of palmleaves and with many small boats at the beach.
The kids and adults were enthusiastically waving and yelling at us, when we passed.

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Directions: Coastal road between Ouidah and Cotonou