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Private tour in Cotonou Sèna H
Benin Slave trade history tour
5.0
(3) reviews
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8 hours
1
Tour date
Start time
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8 hours
1
Sèna H.
5.0
Guide rating
14
Reviews
Tours delivered
18 hrs
Avg. response time
Hello! My name is Sèna. I was born in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin, where I spent all my childhood and adolescence. I will be honored to introduce you to the nature, landscapes, culture and hidden riches of my country. I am a computer scientist by training, I am self-taught and therefore very curious. I love music, biking and I love making new friends from around the world. I started guiding on the sites of Southern Benin in 2013. I started with one or two days trips and few months later I started guiding multi-day tours across the country. Over time, I developed some tours including bicycle tours to discover Benin in a unique way. Discover Cotonou, Benin's biggest city and the country's economic heart; Explore the history of slavery; Take a boat to the floating market in Ganvié, the on-lake village; Get off the main roads for a bicycle tour in the nature; Discover the life of lake populations; taste our local meals cooked by the villagers. All the tours are customizable with the possibility of doing them by private vehicle, public transport or bicycle and I can do the tours in English as well as in French. Registered National Pendjari Park guide Licensed driver for small cars 7 years working with local communities I have no restrictions
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Sèna H.
Discover Ouidah: the place where kings sold thousands of slaves and Ganvié the on lake village
Overview of your Cotonou tour
I will pick you up in Cotonou and then we drive 1 hour to Ouidah. In that small city, there were 5 forts owned by France, England, Danish, Portuguese and Dutch to keep slaves waiting for the ships. We will visit one of them to understand how they practiced this trade. Then, we take the slave route, that is the four last kilometers slaves walked to reach the ships at the beach. This road starts at the Auction Place and the last step is the gate of Non-Return a monument listed on UNESCO world heritage. We will then visit Zinsou foundation museum that promotes contemporary art from here and elsewhere. If you are interested, we will visit the python temple, a vodoun temple where people worship pythons. In the temple we will see some specimens and could touch them. After lunch, we will drive 1 hour to the pier in Abomey-Calavi, a city next to Cotonou. There we will take a boat for a boat tour on Nokoué lake. We will visit Ganvié the on lake village where everything is done on water(market, school, hospital)
Your Cotonou tour itinerary
- We start the tour in Cotonou and drive 1 hour to Ouidah. - There we visit the museum, and take the slave route till the gate of Non-Return. - We will visit the Zinsou foundation museum and the python temple. - We drive one hour to go to Abomey-Calavi and then we visit Ganvié the village on the lake. - Then road back to Cotonou *Bring comfortable shoes, a hat, sunglasses sunscreen and water. *If you have a specific itinerary in mind send me a message and I'll customize the tour for you.
Want to customize this tour?
Tell your guide which places matter to you, skip what doesn't, and tailor the experience for your group's needs. Not finding what you want? Message your guide to build something unique.
Transport details
Type: Private Transportation / Category: Minivan
Private air-conditioned car with comfortable seats. As with every ToursByLocals tour, this tour is customisable. Please contact me to discuss this.
What's included
What's not included
Meeting location
Cotonou, Littoral Department, Benin
Airport: ,Cruise: ,ByGuide:
- You can request a different meeting location (for example, your hotel) during the checkout process.
Other details
Tour categories
Tour reference number
Languages
French
EnglishActivity level
Accessibility
Traveller reviews for this private tour in Cotonou
3 reviews
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AI-generated. Please confirm details with your guide
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8 hours
1
Tour date
Start time
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8 hours
1
Tour date
Start time
Book with a deposit
If your tour is valued over $200 USD and booked at least 45 days before the tour date, you can book with a deposit!
How it works
- Your credit card will be authorized only for the deposit amount.
- Funds will not be withdrawn until your tour booking is fully processed.
- 30 days before your tour date, the remaining balance is automatically charged.