Togo & Benin: Cultural Explorer

TOUR IN

16 Nov
-
30 Nov 2024
|
15 days

$4369

per person

Availability: 12 places

Home to a fascinating variety of vibrant cultures, Togo and Benin are lands of quite extraordinary scope and spectacle, being the spiritual home of voodoo and steeped in the tragedy and horror of the tragic trans-atlantic slave trade. Beginning in Lome, Togo’s lively capital, our journey takes us into the heart of some of West Africa’s most culturally diverse regions and geographically varied landscapes.

We’ll explore the tropical forests along the slopes of Mount Klouto and visit the spectacular adobe architecture of the Tamberma and Somba people. We’ll then head north to take in the scenic landscapes around the Atakora Mountains and hike amongst the villages of the Taneka plateau, our gateway into the voodoo world. Filled with an extraordinary wealth of experiences and encounters, we’ll get to witness fire festivals and mask dances and meet fetish priests, before heading south to the UNESCO setting of the Abomey Royal Palace and the stilt village of Ganvie.

As a fitting climax we will attend the spectacular annual voodoo festival in Ouidah, the spiritual home of this most fascinating religion.

Day 1

DAY 1: Tour Starts In Lome (Togo)

The tour begins this evening in Togo’s lively capital city, Lome. Overlooking the Gulf of Guinea, the city has been at a crossroads of trade and cultures for centuries, a fact reflected in the character of its people and architecture. After checking into our hotel we’ll take the chance to talk about the exciting trip ahead over our first group dinner.

Day 2

DAY 2: Lome - Kpalime

The only African city to be colonised by the French, the British and the Germans, Lome is home to a fascinating fusion of styles and influences and includes amongst its more intriguing attractions a unique fetish market, which we will visit this morning. Departing the city we drive north-west towards the Ghanaian border and the market town of Kpalime. The land here is rich in coffee, cocoa and cotton and provides us with some of the most fertile panoramas in the country.

Day 3

DAY 3: In & Around Kpalime

The forest around Kpalime is home to a staggering array of butterflies, with some 500 different species to be found amongst the delicate eco-systems around the slopes of Mount Klouto. This morning we’ll join a local entomologist to learn more about the native insects and pristine wilderness, before discovering some of the colonial heritage, art centre and the market in Kpalime later in the afternoon.

Day 4

DAY 4: Kpalime - Sokode

Continuing north this morning we head for the city of Sokode, situated between the waters of the Mo and Mono Rivers. Multi-ethnic and multi-religious, the city lies in the heart of agricultural farmland and provides an opportunity to enjoy the rich diversity of rural life. On arrival we’ll check in to our hotel and after dinner head out to witness a traditional fire dance in a small village close by, a truly hypnotic ritual combining the handling and even swallowing of glowing coals, frenetic drum rhythms and, dare we say it, magic!

Day 5

DAY 5: Sokode - Kara

This morning we’ll notice the change in the landscapes and visit some of the region around Sokode which is inhabited by the Bassar people. Living in large clay houses with conical roofs, the Bassar are famous for their skilful iron production and the customs that go with it. Here the elder women are the only ones allowed to climb the mountains that surround the villages to collect rocks that contain the iron ore, whilst the men must refrain from sexual activity during the smelting process if they want it to be successful. In the villages we will meet with traditional chiefs and learn about the role of traditional chiefdom today, before continuing to Kara for the evening.

Day 6

DAY 6: Kara to Natitingou (Benin)

Today we drive off into the mountains of Togo to meet with the Kabye people, whose traditional soukala huts are laid out in large circles and home to patriarchal families. Settled on high plateaus the Kabye women still form clay pots in the time-honoured fashion, whilst the men fashion iron tools with rocks rather than hammers, reminiscent of the early Iron Age.

This afternoon we will cross into Benin and after border formalities will make our way to the Taneka mountain and spend a few hours here exploring the hills and villages that surround the mountain (easy walking, approx. 2 hours, easy terrain). The Taneka villages that have been inhabited for centuries and the different populations that have been based here over the years have formed an interesting melting-pot of cultures. The upper part of the village is inhabited by fetish priests and their initiates, dressed in goatskins and carrying long pipes and as we wander around along alleys bordered by a series of smooth stones, we will meet people going about their everyday life.

Day 7

DAY 7: In & Around Atakora Region

After breakfast we will head out to visit the Betammaribe people, also known as the Somba and close neighbours of the Tamberma. Geographically isolated, the Somba’s traditions have been little affected by the outside world for centuries and their remarkable two and three-storey dwellings bear close resemblance with the fortified structures of the Tamberma. Today we’ll learn more about the initiation rites of these fascinating people, including learning about the delicate and complex geometrical patterns that are scarified on the bellies and backs of the young men and women. We’ll also have the opportunity to speak to some of the young people themselves about their experiences and beliefs. (approx 4 hours walking, easy terrain)

Day 8

DAY 8: Natitingou to Dassa

In the morning we will travel to a Fulani camp and share in part their day to understand their daily activities. The Fulani are mainly shepherds and the men move around with their herds while the women take care of the camp as well as milk the cows and produce the butter to be sold at the market. From here we’ll start heading south as we drive to the town of Dassa for the night (approx. 5.5hrs). We will pass the Dankoli fetish, an important place of Voodoo an important place of voodoo worship and long considered the gateway to the voodoo world. On arrival we’ll learn about fetishes and witness some of the rituals the religion is famed for. Depending on who is around we may get to witness an animal sacrifice, so be prepared!

Day 9

DAY 9: Dassa

Once the capital of an ancient kingdom, Dassa can trace its royal ancestors back to the latter years of the 14th century. Today it’s still possible to find evidence of its regal past and the graves of the old kings are said to still be protected by voodoo magic. We'll take a quick tour of the town to see what sites remain from this dynast then walk though the hills (approx 1 hour) around Dassa to a scared place where kings are buried and still protected today by several voodoos.

Later today we will get to experience a traditional voodoo Egun mask dance, which starts off with a kind of bull fight designed to create fear and respect amongst the crowd. Be warned that though the Egun may look colourful, the locals believe them to be the dead themselves so people tend to keep well back as the performers emerge from the forest and form a procession through the village streets. Remember you don’t want the Egun to touch you because if he does, there is danger of death, so watch out!

Day 10

DAY 10: Dassa - Ketou

Today we will visit the Royal Palace of Abomey, a monument to the ancient Dahomey kings. Inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, it is a rich repository of weaponry, statues and bas-reliefs that tell of a kingdom in a perpetual state of war. We also visit the underground village, discovered in 1998 this subterranean town of over fifty dwellings lying thirty feet beneath the ground consists of a series of bunker-type cellars, rooms and passageway thought to date back to the late 16th or early 17th century.
We will then head to our overnight accommodation in Ketou (approx. 2 hours)

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Day 11

DAY 11: In and around Ketou

This morning we will hopefully get the chance to meet with Benin royalty, Oba (King) Adedu Loye and his dignitaries. Ketou is the capital of the ancient and prestigious Yoruba Kingdom that "rules" on the border region of Benin and Nigeria. After completing the mandatory protocols we will be introduced to the King and will be able to ask his majesty about the history of Ketou. Next we will learn about and witness the Gelede celebrations, a tradition of the Fon and Yoruba people of Southern Benin. Gelede is dedicated to Mother Earth and celebrated by the whole community to promote the fertility of both the people and the soil. Each Gelede mask represents a different character with only the initiates knowing the true nature and secrets of the symbolic characters. The masks are brightly painted and they move like puppets as they relate myths and moral stories using mime in a fascinating mix of theatre.

Day 12

DAY 12: Ketou - Porto Novo

Today we drive to Porto Novo (approx 2 hours), an old town with colonial architecture and colourful markets including a large traditional herbal market. Our city tour includes the ethnographic museum, an interesting museum that takes an intensive look into the past of Porto Novo’s kings with displays of fetishes, old Yoruba toyal masks, costumes, and some musical instruments. We’ll also visit King Toffa’s Royal Palace – a former residence of the King is now officially called Musee Honmé. This well maintained, rather simple, palace provides a window into how African royalty really lived. We also plan to visit to the Songhai Center which helps young people to face future challenges in farming through agricultural training, research, and production to provide them with the knowledge to generate a sustainable livelihood in rural Africa.

Day 13

DAY 13: Porto Novo - Ganvie - Ouidah

We continue our journey west to the stilted village of Ganvie on Lake Nokoue, the largest of its kind in Africa. We’ll visit the thatched houses of the Tofinou people, whose traditions and lives still revolve around the lake, on which we’ll witness an abundance of pirogues that men, women and children guide with ease using brightly coloured poles. It is with these pirogues that men fish, women deliver goods to the market and children go to school and play. From here we continue to the coast and the town of Ouidah, long considered the spiritual home of Voodoo.

Day 14

DAY 14: Ouidah (Voodoo Festival)

Ouidah, once one of the largest trading posts along the infamous Trans-Atlantic slave routes, its crumbling Afro-Portuguese architecture still seems to harbour the ghosts of those who suffered such horrors from the barbaric trade. In Ouidah we’ll visit the small Python Temple and follow part of the old slave trail known as ‘La Route des Esclaves’, before witnessing the town’s unique annual voodoo celebration that culminates at ‘The Door of No Return’ on the beach. It’s a truly remarkable event as people dress up in traditional outfits and take part in lively dances, and is sure to be a real highlight of the tour.

Day 15

DAY 15: Ouidah (Benin) - Lome (Togo)

After breakfast we start our drive back and across the border into Togo along the main coastal highway via Grand Popo on the shores of the Gulf of Benin. Once back in Togo we will have lunch and, depending on traffic and the time taken for border formalities, we may also have some time to relax by the ocean. Those on the group flights will be transferred back to Lome airport in good time for the suggested group flight this evening.