Benin & The Door of No Return

Day 1 ­ Friday:  Depart on Air France in the evening.

Day 2 ­ Saturday:  Arrive Cotonou via Paris where you will be met and transferred to the Benin Marina Hotel.

Day 3 ­ Sunday:   Morning tour of the city with a visit to the residential quarter with its pretty and multi colored villas, the business and shopping center and the lagoon market. From Cotonou we visit the famous villages of Lake Nokoue, unique on the African coast. Ganvie is the best known of these villages that features bamboo huts perched on piles well above the highest water level. Take a canoe around the original dwellings, whose inhabitants extend a noisy and friendly greeting. It is worth climbing a rudimentary ladder and taking a look at the inside of one of these huts; the interior is remarkable comfortable, and the housewives can be seen smoking and drying fish on enormous earthenware ovens built on the bamboo floors.

Day 4 ­ Monday:  Full day tour to Ouidah. This is the birthplace of Voodooo worship, located 25 miles from Cotonou. Its wide avenues lined with lawns and gardens create a delightfully relaxed and calm atmosphere. Visit the Portuguese Fort, which now houses the Museum of History. The exhibits focus on the slave trade and Benin's consequent links with Brazil and the Caribbean. Next stop is the Kindji market square, the museum and the Place du Fort-Francais, which features a small open air theater. Not far away are the Cathedral and the famous Temple of Sacred Pythons. Lunch then visit a famous Voodooo chief.

Day 5 ­ Tuesday:  Day of Leisure. Shopping tour with lunch offered as a optional.

Day 6 - Wednesday:  Full day tour to Abonmey. This walled-in township was built in 1658. royal Abomey still retains many reminders of its glorious past, including the Palace, the Historical Museum and the Royal Sepulchres, standing witness to the greatness of a brave and powerful people. Worth admiring are the works of artists and craftsmen who have carried on the traditions of their ancestors. Watch the craftsmen create works in iron, bronze, copper, hangings and world famous long-shaped statues.

Day 7 ­ Thursday:  Full day tour to the beaches of Grand Popo. Located 45 miles from Cotonou this area is renowned for its beaches. have lunch and use the facilities at the L'Auberge de Grand Popo Hotel. Return to Cotonou late afternoon.

Day 8 ­ Friday:  Full day tour to Porto Novo. Dating back to the 16th century the town still has numerous buildings dating from early colonial times. Visit the local sights by motorcycle taxi. Stop at the Musee Ethnographic, which retraces the history of the kings of Porto Novo, it has a wonderful collection of old Yoruba masks dating back to the 17th century. Other items on display are caved drums, arms, implements and costumes. Next stop at the Palais Royal du Roe Toffa, the old Brazillian church which has been converted into a mosque and painted in 20 different hues, making it the most colorful building in West Africa. finally take a leisure motorized pirogue ride on the lagoon. Return to Cotonou late afternoon.

Day 9 ­ Saturday:  Transfer to the airport for your evening flight on Air France.

Day 10 ­ Sunday:  Arrive New York/Kennedy Airport midmorning.