Voodoo festival in Benin, January 2013

ALBA TRAVEL SERVICE

EXPERIENCE Togo AND BENIN: 10 DAYS-09 NIGHTS

Day 1: January 03: Arrive in Lome with AT, meet, assist and transfer to Hotel Sancta Maria. Overnight.

Day 2: January 04: Lome-Kpalime
After breakfast, embark on a Lome city tour visiting Independence square, national museum, the artisans’ village, Lome central market; kingdom to the famous Nana Benz and fetish market; the traditional drug store for the locals. After lunch at a local restaurant, head north-west to Kpalime, in the Plateau region of Togo. En route, visit typical Ewe villages and rural markets. Arrive in Kpalime, check-in at Hotel Cristal or similar. in the vevening, enjoy Akpkesse folkdance in a village in the typical Ewe traditions. Dinner and overnight in Kpalime.

Day 3: January 05: Kpalime-Atakpame-Sokode
After breakfast, drive through Missahoe forest to Kouma Konda, on the top of Mount Kloto. Arrive at Konda, hike in the surrounding woods learning about virtues of some of the plants in the area. Back to Kpalime, visit the Kloto craft center and proceed to Atakpame, center to the Ana tribe; after lunch, visit Demadeli indigenous soap producing village and proceed to Sokode, home to the Kotokoli people. Check-in at Hotel Central. Dinner and overnight.
Day 4: January 06: Sokode-Kara-Kabyeland-Losso-Koutammakou-Somba-Natitingou
After breakfast, drive through Aleheride Mountains and Aledjo fault to Kara, home to the Kabye people. En route, visit Bafilo weaving center. Arrive in Kara; lunch at a local restaurant and proceed to Kabye villages in the mountain famous for blacksmithing and pottery. Visit the land of the Losso and with their typical habitat, the soukala and continue to Koutammakou, the land of the Tamberma, a world Heritage site. Visit the clay fort-like house, the takienta and drive through the land of the Somba in Benin for Natitingouat the foot of Atakora mounts. Check-in at Hotel Tata Somba. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5: January 07: Natitingou-Taneka Koko-Djougou-Savalou-Abomey
After breakfast, drive to the picturesque Taneka Koko cliffside village. On arrival, visit village and courtesy to the spiritual leader. Proceed from village to Dankoli Voodoo shrine in Savalou; after lunch, drive to Bohicon and visit Agogointo underground village. Sun City Hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Day 6: January 08: Bohicon-Abomey-Ganvie-Cotonou
After breakfast, visit the historic museum of Abomey; a World Heritage site, former palaces of the kings of Dahomey featuring the stool room, common grave of the forty-two wives of king Glele and the palace artisans……Drive from Abomey to Abomey-Calavi harbor. Cruise the Nokoue Lake for Ganvie, the biggest stilt village in Africa seeing people going about their daily chores onboard canoes. Arrive in Ganvie; visit the “Maison de la Francophonie”; Go the Lovers’ Lane to the floating market and stop at a typical Ganvie souvenir shop. Lunch at a local restaurant. Back to Abomey Calavi and drive to Cotonou. Check-in at Hotel du Lac. Dinner and overnight.

Day 7: January 09: Cotonou-Porto Novo-Ouidah
After breakfast, drive to Porto-Novo, the administrative capital city of Benin. On arrival, visit Honme, former palace of King Toffa, the nineteenth monarch of the kingdom of Hogbonu. The tour continues with the visit of a former Brazilian church converted into a mosque and the museum of ethnography with a fabulous collection of Gelede masks. Back to Cotonou; after lunch at a local restaurant, proceed to Ouidah, the spiritual capital city of Benin. Check-in at Hotel Le Jardin Brésilien. Dinner and overnight.
Day 8: January 10: Voodoo festival in Ouidah-Grand Popo
Join in the events of the Voodoo festival on the beach of Ouidah Lunch in Ouidah. Go the slave route; visit the museum of History, a former Portuguese slave fort and proceed to Grand Popo . Arrive at Grand Popo. Check-in at Ganna Hotel. Dinner and Overnight.
Day 9: January 11: Grand Popo-Bouche du Roy-Glidji-Lome
After breakfast, go the waterways of the Mono River on a boat for the Bouche du Roy, estuary of the river in the Atlantic Ocean visiting fishermen’s villages, salt mining villages and Voodoo shrines. Back to the hotel; check-out and proceed to Aneho in Togo. After lunch at a local restaurant, visit Glidji, a very important center for the Voodoo religion in Togo and drive to Lome. Check-in at Hotel Sancta Maria. Dinner and overnight.

Day 10: January 12: Lome-Departure
After breakfast, go for a last minute shopping or relax at your hotel. Lunch; in the evening, transfer to airport for your onward flight.

End of tour

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