Описание

This provides you an opportunity for a unique weekend getaway to Togo and Benin where you will experience the sights and sounds of the south of these intriguing countries.

Day 1      Accra – Lome, Togo

Depart Accra through the eastern coast to Aflao and after border crossing formalities, arrive in Lome and check into your hotel. After lunch, take a tour of Lome, the capital of Togo. Visit the National Museum, the independence square, and the Grand Marché where you can find some very colorful African fabrics. Also visit the Voodoo market (Akodessewa) where everything from traditional charms and medicines to the most bizarre items including snake potions, dried bat wings, monkey skulls, etc, are sold. Lome is also a shopper’s paradise for high-quality tribal masks and crafts. In the evening, for those who are up to it, take a tour of Lome dubbed ‘Lome by Night’ and see how the people spend their evenings. Overnight in Lome. (B)

Day 2      Lome – Togoville – Ouidah – Cotonou, Benin

Today we depart Lome to Lake Togo. You will cross by a traditional boat to Togoville and visit the 1910 Notre-Dame Cathedral which is decorated with paintings of African saints. Continue to the Togo/Benin border, cross into Benin and to Ouidah, the seat of Voodoo. Visit the Kpasse Forest where a 14th-century chief is said to have hidden from his enemies by transforming himself into a tree. Also visit the 17th-century Portuguese fort that depicts Benin’s turbulent past and experiences the slave route to the “Port of No Return”, a memorial dedicated to those who left the shores of Benin through slavery and also the ‘Temple of the Python’ which is said to bring fertility and vitality. Continue to Cotonou. Overnight in Cotonou. (B)

Day 3      Cotonou – Abomey – Ganvie – Cotonou

This morning, travel north to Abomey, the former capital of the old Dahomey Empire. This Empire which lasted for 300 years, rivals that of the Ashanti, both of which established their power by constantly being at war. Arrive in Abomey and visit one of the 12 magnificent palaces built by the Dahomey Kings now a Museum. You will visit the war room, the common grave of the 42 wives of King Glele and the throne room. Return to Cotonou and visit Ganvie. Take a boat ride to the village on stilts spread across Lake Nokoue and inhabited by a population of about 15,000 people. The ancestors of the Tofinu people (who now live in the village) created this settlement in the 16th century to escape being captured by the Dahomey army to be sold as slaves to the Portuguese. Spend some time touring the lake town mainly the lover’s lane and the floating market. Overnight in Cotonou. (B)

Day 4      Cotonou – Accra, Ghana

After breakfast spends some time shopping for souvenirs at the Arts & Crafts village. Later depart from Cotonou and take a return journey through Togo back to Accra, Ghana. Arrive in Accra in the evening. (B)