Dates: May 31 – June 9, 2026

Duration: 11 days / 10 nights

Number of participants: 7 – 12

Cost per person:
• 2 290 EUR subject to 11 – 12 participants,
• 2 490 EUR subject to 9 – 10 participants,
• 2 790 EUR subject to 6 – 8 participants.

10% early booking discount (in case you book before December 31, 2025)

Everything is included, except for:
– international flight to Cotonou and back from Lome,
– international medical insurance,
– visa of Benin (1-entry e-visa to be obtained online at 75 EUR. Cost may change),
– visa of Togo (1-entry e-visa to be obtained online at some 40 EUR. Cost may change),
– dinners.

Estimated cost of flight Moscow – Cotonou – Moscow: 1000 – 1500 EUR (Usually bought on your own, we consult).

Single supplement in hotels: 680 EUR


TRAVEL PROGRAM: tour Benin and Togo

Day 1. May 31, 2026 (Sunday). Arrival in Cotonou (BENIN)

Arrival in Cotonou by international flight. Meeting the guide, transfer and accommodation at the Hotel du Lac or similar. Meet the guide again to discuss about the trip and short briefing.

Recommended flights to Cotonou:
– with Ethioipian Airlines via Addis Ababa, departure from Moscow at 21:30 on May 30, stopover in Addis Ababa 2 hours 25 minutes, arrival in Cotonou at 12:15 pm on May 31,
– with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, departure from Moscow at 6:25 am on May 31, stopover in Istanbul 5 hours 40 minutes, arrival in Cotonou at 21:20 on May 31,
– any other flight with arrival in Cotonou any time on May 31.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Hotel du Lac or similar


Day 2. June 1, 2026 (Monday). Cotonou – Ganvie village – Ouidah (70 km)

In the morning after the breakfast, we will drive to Ganvie, the biggest lake village in Africa, where more than 37 000 Tofinu people live and do their activities aboard small pirogues. Ganvie is also known as the "African Venice", appears a great concentration of Tofín fishermen families who used to hide in Lake Nokoué escaping from slavery in the 18th century. The only way to go to the village is motorboat.
Tour along the water channels, meet the people, learn about Tofín culture.
In the afternoon we will drive to mythical city of Ouidah, the capital of Voodoo in Benin. Ouidah is the city of Houeda people and the main slavery market in West Africa. The Houeda people are those who worship python. They even built a temple for the python. In that temple we will see many alive pythons but they don't bite and we can take them on the neck or in hand. The Houeda people have ten scarifications in the face; two on every part in the face. In Ouidah it is forbiden to kill python but if they dye, they have a special place to be buried in the temple.
After temple, we will visit former Portuguese fortress, and experience the Slave Route to the Gate of No Return by the Sea.
Today we will also visitthe sacred forest Kpassè with its innumerable convents and shrines. It was a place the king of Kpasse kingdom used to rest, and when he got old, he turned into a tree. Nowaydays the people of Ouidah are used to do a sacrifice for that tree every year. Everyone can also make a wish there but you have to follow the instruction from the guide of the forest. In the night we will take part of the ceremony of purification in the sacred forest.
In Ouidah we will visit the Houeda people and learn about their culture and tradition. Late in the aftternoon we will have Zangbeto dance («haystack dance») and will get known of its meaning.
Overnight stay in Ouidah in Casa Del Papa hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Casa del papa Hotel


Day 3. June 2, 2026 (Tuesday). Ouidah – Adjarra – Ketou (185 km)

Morning swim in the warm Atlantic Ocean playing with huge waves. After breakfast in our amazing hotel, we will experience the African oracle called Fa. It is a divination used for consultation and help to know about the future, the past and everything hidden. After the consultation we will go to Adjarra to visit the black lake, the drums workshop and have Egungun dance performance which is a part of Voodoo culture deriving from veneration of the dead ancestors.
We will also have Idawe dance in Adjarra. This dance is originally from Nago people and they dance on bamboo stilts of more than 7 meters long. That is the own of a great family called "adjagbodjou", a Nago ethnical group. The ceremony is used for 3 different occasions, including for the funeral ceremony. People dance not only on the surface, but also on the super long poles. These are the real miracles of aerial gymnastics, without any safety ropes! Nago people believe that it shows how the death's spirit could float in the air.
Continie to Ketou. Overnight in City Hotel Ketou.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: City Hotel Ketou


Day 4. June 3, 2026 (Wednesday). Ketou – Holli village – Ketou – Cove – Bohicon (90 km)

In the morning we will drive to villages of Holli, the ethnic group close to Yoruba and Nago people but having some different scarifications and tattoos. We will have the chance to meet in the vicinity a famous people, the Holli in Issaba near Onigbolo, eminent farmers and animists, they are also unstoppable by tattooing their bodies and faces. They have many villages in the bush.
From Holli we will visit the Nago kingdom in Ketou, an important center of the civilization Yoruba. Yoruba are the main group in this part of Africa and possess a millenary culture that transmit through dance and music. In the afternoon we will head to Cove for Guelede danceof Yoruba people in Cove. Guelede in Benin is a mask recognized by UNESCO as an intangibal heritage of humanity. The legend tells that Guelede mask was born when the society retired from the matriarchy to patriarchy. Throught Guelede, the angry mothers tempt to recover a part of powers exercised by men. "Guelede is for women, us men we are only their slaves" – say Yoruba. Mask Guelede is sacred and is carried exclusively on the top of the skull by the men disguised for the circumstance in women.
Overnight in the town of Bohicon, in the suburbans of Abomey.
Overnight stay in Bohicon Hotel Chez Sabine.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Bohicon Hotel Chez Sabine


Day 5. June 4, 2026 (Thursday). Bohicon – Abomey – Dassa Zoume – Fula village – Taneka village of Wom tribe – Natitingou (425 km)

After breakfast we will take the road to pottery village near Abomey. From here we will drive directly to Abomey. Abomey is a remarkable city, with its winding streets with mud houses (mud brick and dried), as well as temples and palisades erected by the kings of Dahomey. The kingdom of Dahomey used top be the most famous kingdom in the south of Benin. The role of the kings of Abomey in the slavery trade was very important. It is that kingdom who gave his name to the country before changed it to Benin.
Visit the fetish market and the restored Royal Palace which now houses the museum, UNESCO heritage site. In former times it used to be the kingdom of the 12 kings of Abomey.

From here we will drive to Dassa Zoume to visit Fulani people and drive to Taneka. On the way we will visit the Dankoli voodoo temple.
In Taneka we will visit the village and go to the king who will tell us the history of the village and the Wom or Pila Pila tribe. It is a small group of people, but very powerful. Taneka is an authentic village that keeps the vestiges and the lifestyle of the old time. Wom people circumcise the boys from 20 to 30 years old. We will further attend the Circumcision dance.
In the evening we will drive to Natitingou. Nestled at 440m altitude in the Atakora massif, Natitingou is also the most dynamic city in northern Benin thanks to the funding granted by President Kérékou who originates from this region. Natitingou is the back base for visiting the countries of Tata Somba people. This tradition is a reflection of their strong individuality that seems to have resisted both Dahomean slave hunters and the advance of Christianity and Islam.
Overnight stay in hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Totora Hotel or Tata Somba hotel


Day 6. June 5, 2026 (Friday). Natitingou – Fulani village – Boukoumbe – Tata Somba villages – Natitingou (100 km)

Departure in the morning to Boukoumbe to visit the Tata Somba of Betamaribe people. Betamaribe people called in Benin Somba, animists who live mainly south-west of Natitingou in the plains of Boukoumbé near the Togolese border. The Somba live isolated in the middle of their crop fields rather than clustered in villages. Their dwellings, the Tata Somba are typical constructions which resemble miniature fortresses. There are more than 10 kinds among which Otchaou which resemble the constructions of Tamberma, their Togolese neighbors. The uniqueness and sophistication of this architecture has been recognized since 2004 by UNESCO as a world heritage site, with the statement, "it is an outstanding example of territorial occupation by a people in constant search of harmony between man and the surrounding nature".
In this community young girls have to pass through some ceremonies before becoming adult. Here we will witness the dance Dikountri dedicated to women’s initiation.
We will also visit some Fulani villages in this area. Fulani (or Peul) here are semi-nomadic people who keep their traditional tattoos and make complex hairstyles. Talking and photo session with Peul people.
Late in the afternoon we will visit the regional museum of Natitingou and the arts market.
Overnight stay in hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Totora Hotel or Tata Somba hotel


Day 7. June 6, 2026 (Saturday). Natitingou – Tamberma villages in Koutammakou land (TOGO) – Thare blacksmith village – Kara (130 km)

In the morning we will head to Togo, pass the border formalities and also customs to cross the border and arrive in Togo.
Visit the Tamberma (Betamaribe) people in Koutammakou land (Tamberma valley). The Tamberma valley is home to fortified villages, unique in their kind which were founded in the 17th century by a people fleeing the raids of the kings of Dahomey in Benin who captured the slaves.
There are several villages, among the most important is Nadoba village that we visit.
Here we meet the tribes of Tamberma. The Tamberma people, as well as Somba people in Benin, are known for their traditional body scarring rituals, starting between the age of two and three. These special marks are a form of lifelong identification marks (tattoo ID), which identify a person as belonging to one's tribe as well as more coded personal information. Additional marks are added at puberty, readiness for marriage, post-child birth as a form of visible communication. These scars range from some on the face, to belly and back.
In the afternoon we will visit the Thare, the blacksmith village. In this village the main activity is working on iron.
Upon arrival in Kara, check-in and overnight in Meka Hotel. Overnight stay in Meka hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Meka Hotel


Day 8. June 7, 2026 (Sunday). Kara – Bats valley – Kpalime (370 km)
In the morning, after breakfast, we will attend the dance of Evala performed by Kabye tribe. It is a ceremony that serves as a rite of passage for the boys to the menhood.
We will further visit the elephants near Kara and head to Kpalime. In the evening we will visit the bats valley.
Overnight stay in Parc Residence Hotel.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Parc Residence Hotel


Day 9. June 8, 2026 (Monday). Kpalime – Agou Mountain – Lome (130 km)

In the morning we will head to Agou for hiking. The Mont Agou, 986 masl, is the highest Mountain in Togo.
We will also visit the villages around the mountain populatrd by Ewe people.
In afternoon we will drive to Lome for a city tour. We will visit the famous fetish market, the international arts museum and the arts center. Late in the afternoon we will relax on the beach in Lome.
Overnight stay in Marcelo Beach Club Hotel.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: Marcelo Beach Club Hotel


Day 10. June 9, 2026 (Tuesday). Lome – Agbodranfo – Togoville – Return flight (85 km)

In the morning we will drive to Agbodranfo to visit the slave’s house and take the boat on the lake Togo to go to Togoville. In the historical city of Togoville we will visit the main voodoo temple and Twins temple.
Late in the afternoon, transfer you to the airport of Lome for international flight back home.

Meals included: breakfast, lunch
Accommodation included: no

Recommended flights from Lome:
– with Ethioipian Airlines via Addis Ababa, departure from Moscow at 21:30 on May 30, stopover in Addis Ababa 2 hours 25 minutes, arrival in Cotonou at 12:15 pm on May 31,
– with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, departure from Moscow at 6:25 am on May 31, stopover in Istanbul 5 hours 40 minutes, arrival in Cotonou at 21:20 on May 31,
– any flight with departure from Lome not earlier than at 18:00 on June 9.


* The order of visits and excursions can be modified according to local conditions, i.e. state of roads, rituals/ceremonies’ days, location of tribes, security situation etc. If some visits and/or tours could not be done due to external conditions, they will be replaced when possible.

** The participant of expedition to Benin and Togo must be motivated to be respectful to the culture of local tribes and respective rituals, be aware of the objectives of the trip and possible program changes, as well as be able to adapt to the new environment and culture.