The highly unusual lakeside villages

Cotonou's urban district, which had previously served as the capital of the Atlantic province, was renamed the Littoral department in 1999. They have " Ganvié " as a tourist asset. Ganvié is known as "The African Venice" due to its allure and uniqueness. This lakeside town is located in Nokoué, on the northwest shore of Lake Nokoué, at the western outlet of the Sô river, 8 kilometers from Abomey-Calavi and 25 kilometers from Cotonou.

As a result, tourists can visit this unprecedented wonder in the Atlantic department. Ganvié, the "Vénise d'Afrique," is the metropolis of Lake Nokoué lake villages like So-Ava, So-Tchanhoué, Houédo, Aguékon, So-Zounko. These lakeside villages are unique in Africa, with residents living on stilts in the middle of the lake and all activities taking place entirely on the water.

Further west is Ouidah, a former slave trading post and the seat of Vodoun, a religious city with a major seminary that trains priests for Benin and the sub-region; a syncretic city par excellence, with the cathedral and temple of the sacred pythons facing each other. There are still old houses in the same style as those found in the Antilles, Saint-Louis in Senegal, and elsewhere.