Historic and cultural Cotonou

Tour/Activity , Benin

Your Travel Experience with Finest Journeys

A leisurely breakfast before we depart for Porto-Novo the capital city of Benin. Our first point of call during our time in Porto-Novo is the Ethnographic Museum which was established by the Dahomey Institute in 1957. The museum houses costumes, ceremonial masks and drums in addition to other historical artifacts. The Royal Palace now known as the Honme Museum is an interesting excursion, the museum is housed in the walled compound of King Toffa who signed the first treaty with the French in 1863. Most of the displays here are from the period of King Toffas reign and there is an excellent example of Alounloun a traditional Beninese instrument used to play music called Adjogon. A stone throws away from Honme is the Da Silva Museum which is in a beautiful Afro-Brazilian house dating back to the 1870's. An interesting and informative excursion, this eclectic museum is home to some wonderful Afro-Brazilian artefacts and is a must visit during our time here. The Great Mosque in Porto Novo offers excellent photographic opportunities and the history behind how this former Church became a Mosque is fascinating. We head back to Cotonou where we enjoy our lunch at a local restaurant selling international and local dishes before visiting the Dantokpa Marche one of West Africa's largest outdoor markets. Covering and area of over 20 hectares it sells everything you could imagine and is a major contributor to the Benin economy. The wax print section of the market is a must visit if we A stone throws away from Honme is the Da Silva Museum which is in a beautiful Afro-Brazilian house dating back to the 1870's. An interesting and informative excursion, this eclectic museum is home to some wonderful Afro-Brazilian artefacts and is a must visit during our time here. The Great Mosque in Porto Novo offers excellent photographic opportunities and the history behind how this former Church became a Mosque is fascinating.