BENIN

For travellers wishing to explore lesser-known West Africa, Benin is a riveting place to start. Here, locally made drums match the rhythm of daily life, colourful markets sell everything under the African sun, and historic ports reveal a complex, compelling past.

For centuries before its annexation by France, Benin was the centre of the powerful Dahomey kingdom. The kings of Dahomey amassed wealth and influence by selling captives to European slavers, and this poignant history is memorialised in Ouidah by the Door of No Return memorial and at the Museum of History.

Benin is also considered the cradle of Voodoo (or Vodún) – still practised by many Beninese alongside Christianity and Islam. You can explore this spiritual tradition by attending masked dances, visiting temples, browsing fetish markets and timing your trip for Ouidah’s three-day Voodoo Festival in January. For a glimpse into rural life, journey to one of Benin’s “floating” villages, where every building – from homes to hotels – stands on stilts over water.

Those seeking an in-depth experience of West Africa may wish to combine Benin with one or more of its regional neighbours, such as Togo and Ghana.