Ouidah, BeninAI generated

Ouidah

Benin · Atlantique · 10 m

Short description of Ouidah

Ouidah was one of the busiest slaving ports on the West African coast and is now the centre of Beninese voodoo, which is a state religion here rather than a folk survival. The Route des Esclaves runs four kilometres from the auction square to the beach, past the Tree of Forgetting and the memorial arch called the Door of No Return where the ships were boarded. The Portuguese fort holds the history museum. The Temple of Pythons faces the Catholic basilica across the street, and the sacred forest of Kpassè is full of voodoo statuary.

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Recommended length of stay

Minimum1 day
Optimal2 days
Maximum2 days

Travel seasons at a glance

Best time to visit: July – August or November – February

  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec

All highlights and sightsBeta

  1. Route des Esclaves
  2. Temple of Pythons
  3. Door of No Return memorial
  4. Portuguese Fort & History Museum
  5. Sacred Forest of Kpassè
  6. Voodoo Festival (approx. January)
  7. Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
  8. Tree of Forgetting & Tree of Return
  9. Ouidah beach & Atlantic shore
  10. Zinsou Foundation museum villa
  11. Voodoo fetish stalls & offerings
  12. Python temple python handling

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