Ganvié is probably the main sight in or around Cotonou, Benin. A dreamy village entirely over the water, not far from the city. A perfect day trip.
I caught a taxi from the Étoile Rouge (where car taxis congregate) and drove not too far to a nearby town on the edge of Lake Nokoué. From there, you check in at a small office (really more of a small wooden shack) and buy your ticket. You can choose between a wooden rowboat or a larger wooden engine powered boat. I went for the rowboat.
The area around the pier is abustle with activity – local people coming and going.
From there, we (my guide and my boat captain and I) set off for the village. We paddled for a while past fishing boats and collections of green foliage.
Finally we reached Ganvié. A village entirely on stilts or floating, it is only accessible by boat. It was built in about the 1600s after the king of the Tofinu tribe (I think), the legend goes, sought to protect his tribe from another tribe who sought to kidnap people to sell to European slave traders. Knowing that the slave capturers were afraid of water (or water spirits) the king turned into an eagle and looked for a lake. Finding this lake, he turned into a giant crocodile and carried his people to safety. The part about moving there to evade capture is true; the part about the King transforming, Manimal-style, probably not. But who knows? Regardless of the origin story, the village has been there for about 400 years and is…amazing.
It is so colorful and picturesque. Fishermen, women transporting pineapples, children playing, people boating around. Wonderful.
There is a small guesthouse there and, upon reflection, I think it would have been nice to have stayed the night. Regardless, it was one of the most beautiful and unique places I have been. Back at the shore, I caught sight of a voodoo shrine, there to provide protection to the non-water dwellers.
I took a few market pictures on the way back to Cotonou.
Ganvié, along with the voodoo culture, was the thing that sparked my desire to visit Benin. It was worth the journey, though the journey itself was a delight.
The next day I would visit the former capital, Porto Novo.