Top Benin hotels
Sponsored Links
In Ganvie and at the Lake Nokoue everything is built on stilts on the water or floating.So I was not surprised to see a local petrol station, not far from the launching point of Abomey-Calavi, built on stilts, providing petrol in bottles and plastic containers.
At the launching point in Abomey and on our way to Ganvie I saw a lot of pirogues, which have to be moved by hand. But on the lagoon I saw also some pirogues with a sail, using the wind.It was a nice view to see these pirogues also as sailing boats at the Lake Nokoue.
In Ganvie and at the lake Nokoue the local people use the traditional wooden pirogues for transportation of persons, but also for all kinds of goods.If you visit Ganvie or the other villages, you can choose also to take a pirogue, but there are also roofed motorboats.
Finding your bushtaxi or bus in Cotonou is not always easy. Like in many West-African cities every destination has its own motor park, auto gare, busstation or just only an embarkation point.The long distance bus to Accra in Ghana departs from one of the unpaved side roads a few blocks from the Avenue de la Republique. So best to find out in time, from where you have to leave for your destination.
To visit the beaches west of Cotonou, you have to take the unpaved road along the beach. If you don't have your own transport, you have to take a car or motorcycle as taxi. For the short distance it's also a nice road to walk, if you can stay in the shade of the palmtrees, just for reaching the next restaurant or one of the small beachbars.
In the centre of Cotonou you see a lot of motorcycles, like in many other West-African countries. Many of the motorcycles are taxis.To choose the right one, just look at the yellow shirts of the drivers.It's an easy and cheap way of transport and gives a lot of fun. Prices started from about 100 CFA. For longer distances and in the evening we took a car as taxi. The 5 KM price for a car to the campsite was 3000 CFA.
For a very comfortable and quick ride to/from Cotonou, consider hiring out a bush taxi for the trip. You have to buy all the seats, but the cost is still reasonable, US$10-15. After many cramped bush taxi rides, it was nice to have enough room for your luggage and your feet, not to mention you butt! PLus, they will take you to exactly where you want to go in Lome or Cotonou. Name the hotel, and your left at the door!
If you are heading to Northern Benin or on to Niger, and you have the time, consider taking the train. It is surprisingly comfortable, it travels away from the roads to some slightly remoter villages, and is much less crowded than a bush taxi. The down side is that it is slower and only goes to Parakou, but Parakou is a pleasant enough place to make a stop before continuing on to Pendjari National Park or Niger.
Back in the Bush Country we did not have access to the mopeds and we had a long walk from the train station to the village that we were staying in, therefore we were able to get some guys to haul our luggage on bikes to the village while we had to walk.Do not try to drive your self, nothing compared to the traffic in the states and there is few traffic laws and the ones that they do have are not obeyed.
The most convenient way of transportation in Benin was riding one of the thousands of Moped taxies. This is something that you have to experince first hand to really enjoy. First you must negotiate a price with the driver prior to getting on to the bike. They will attempt to overcharge a tourist. Once you have negotiated a price you climb on and hold on for dear life and close your eyes, the drivers will try their best to scare you. I am a daredevil myself so I thought it was very exciting.Make sure you know where you are going prior to leaving because the drivers will take you around the world if you do not tell them exactly where you want to go and charge you for the long trip.
Novotel Orisha Cotonou (Bld De La Marina.) Cotonou
51 Opinions
Hotel du Lac Cotonou
1 Review and 23 Opinions This lovely hotel sits on the edge of the Lagoon and my room overlooked it quite literally – the...
Ibis Cotonou Cotonou
1 Review and 26 Opinions Hotel Ibis Cotonou in Boulevard de la Marina is the cheaper alternative if you can not afford to...
Reviews and photos of Benin attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Benin sightseeing.
More Cities in Benin
Q: I shall be travelling through Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso very soon. Any advice on what I should or should not wear...
A: Hi I am assuming from your VT name that you don't usually favour skimpy clothing? Well, just in case I am mistaken, this is not the part of the world to venture out in...
Read 17 Replies
Sponsored Links
