3-Day In the Craddle of Voodoo Private Tour in Togo and Benin from Lome
Lome, Togo
Trip Type: Multi-day Tours
Duration: 3 days
A deep immersion in the word of voodoo, a religion still strongly practised in the coastal regions of Togo and Benin. Meeting a soothsayer in the evening darkness of the floating village of Ganvie, the unique village on stilts built in the centre of the lagoon. Walking in the streets of Ouidah – considered the capital city of voodoo - among shrines, sacred pythons and marks left by the slave trade. Exploring the region of Mono River by boat, visiting hidden villages behind the mangrooves attending the Zangbeto voodoo masked dance.
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A deep immersion in the word of voodoo, a religion still strongly practised in the coastal regions of Togo and Benin. Meeting a soothsayer in the evening darkness of the floating village of Ganvie, the unique village on stilts built in the centre of the lagoon. Walking in the streets of Ouidah – considered the capital city of voodoo - among shrines, sacred pythons and marks left by the slave trade. Exploring the region of Mono River by boat, visiting hidden villages behind the mangrooves attending the Zangbeto voodoo masked dance.Day 1: LOME – GANVIE
Drive to the border with Benin. We will cross the Lake Nokwe with a motorized boat to reach Ganvie, the largest and most beautiful African stilt village. The village has been able to preserve its particular customs and environment: life unfolds each day within the canoes that men, women and children lead with ease using brightly coloured poles.
The night in Ganvie is bizarre: thousands break the darkness oil lamps; the silence is interrupted by the greetings of people meeting in the water-streets. In the half-light of the evening, meeting with a bokono : In Ganvie, like in the rest of voodoo world, the « bokono », soothsayer practicing the oracle called « Fa », guides the life of their adepts.
Day 2: GANVIE - OUIDAH
Ouidah, conquered by the Dahomey army in the XVIII cent and transformed into a terminal for the slaves trade.
Walking the streets we visit the python temple and the Portuguese fort, now transformed into a museum, where the history of Ouidah is displayed. Afterwards, we finish our tour of the city by following the “slave route” to the beach where the slaves embarked.
Day 3: OUIDAH – GRAND POPO - LOME
Tour in a small motorboat from the wild beaches of Ouidah till the Mono river to discover tiny villages where the old way of extracting salt is still practiced. Our journey leads across a marvelous estuary, where the waters of the river and the ocean are meeting, giving birth to contrasting forces playing with each other… Crossing of the lagoons limited by small forests of mangroves… Along the coast the fishermen live in villages built out of branches of palm trees. Here it takes place the Zangbeto mask dance. At the end of the ceremony drive to Grand Popo and continue to the border with Togo. Arrival in Lome late in the afternoon. Drop off in town and end of our services.
Drive to the border with Benin. We will cross the Lake Nokwe with a motorized boat to reach Ganvie, the largest and most beautiful African stilt village. The village has been able to preserve its particular customs and environment: life unfolds each day within the canoes that men, women and children lead with ease using brightly coloured poles.
The night in Ganvie is bizarre: thousands break the darkness oil lamps; the silence is interrupted by the greetings of people meeting in the water-streets. In the half-light of the evening, meeting with a bokono : In Ganvie, like in the rest of voodoo world, the « bokono », soothsayer practicing the oracle called « Fa », guides the life of their adepts.
Day 2: GANVIE - OUIDAH
Ouidah, conquered by the Dahomey army in the XVIII cent and transformed into a terminal for the slaves trade.
Walking the streets we visit the python temple and the Portuguese fort, now transformed into a museum, where the history of Ouidah is displayed. Afterwards, we finish our tour of the city by following the “slave route” to the beach where the slaves embarked.
Day 3: OUIDAH – GRAND POPO - LOME
Tour in a small motorboat from the wild beaches of Ouidah till the Mono river to discover tiny villages where the old way of extracting salt is still practiced. Our journey leads across a marvelous estuary, where the waters of the river and the ocean are meeting, giving birth to contrasting forces playing with each other… Crossing of the lagoons limited by small forests of mangroves… Along the coast the fishermen live in villages built out of branches of palm trees. Here it takes place the Zangbeto mask dance. At the end of the ceremony drive to Grand Popo and continue to the border with Togo. Arrival in Lome late in the afternoon. Drop off in town and end of our services.
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