Ouidah and the Route des Esclaves. Ouidah was one of the most important slave ports in West Africa, and walking the Route des Esclaves -- the four-kilometer path from the town center to the beach where captives were loaded onto ships -- is one of the most powerful historical experiences on the continent. The route is marked with statues and memorials, ending at the Door of No Return on the beach. The town is also the spiritual center of Beninese voodoo, with the Temple of Pythons and the annual Voodoo Festival every January 10th.
The Royal Palaces of Abomey. The UNESCO World Heritage site at Abomey preserves the palaces of twelve kings of Dahomey, built between the 17th and 19th centuries. The bas-relief decorations on the palace walls are extraordinary -- vivid depictions of battles, ceremonies, and the famous Amazons of Dahomey, the all-female warrior regiment that terrified European armies. The on-site museum holds thrones, royal regalia, and artifacts that bring the kingdom's fierce history to life.
Ganvie, the lake village. Ganvie is a town of roughly 30,000 people living entirely on stilts in Lake Nokoue, a few kilometers north of Cotonou. The community was founded in the 16th or 17th century by the Tofinu people, who took to the water to escape slave raids by the Dahomey kingdom -- their enemies' religion forbade them from attacking on water. Today you visit by pirogue, gliding between houses, a floating market, schools, and a church, all raised above the lake.
Voodoo culture. Benin is where voodoo (vodoun) originated, and it remains a mainstream religion here, practiced by an estimated 40% of the population. This is not the Hollywood caricature -- it is a sophisticated spiritual system with a supreme god, lesser spirits (vodoun), and elaborate ceremonies involving music, dance, and trance. You can visit voodoo temples and fetish markets in Ouidah and Cotonou, and if you time it right, witness ceremonies that outsiders are welcome to observe.
Pendjari National Park. In the far northwest, Pendjari is one of the last places in West Africa where you can see large wildlife. Elephants, lions, hippos, buffalo, and various antelope species roam the park's savanna and gallery forests. It is less dramatic than East African parks but far less crowded, and the experience of being one of very few visitors in genuine wilderness has its own appeal. The park is best visited between December and May, when animals gather around the shrinking water sources.
The Somba country. The Atakora region in the northwest is home to the Somba (Betammaribe) people, whose extraordinary tata somba -- fortified tower houses built of mud -- dot the hillsides like small castles. The Somba villages around Natitingou are a window into a way of life largely unchanged for centuries, and the surrounding landscape of rocky hills and baobab trees is some of the most beautiful in the country.