Ganvie

Occasionally tagged as the Venice of Africa, Ganvie, which is in Benin, is a large lagoon wherein different stilt houses and structures are being inhabited by the locals. Once in Ganvie, you will be amazed by how the locals do their daily routines on top of Lake Nokoue.

Ganvie is a four hundred year old town on top of a lagoon built by Africans to protect their tribe from getting enslaved by other tribes which were then present. Until now, the stilts are still being inhabited by locals and everything seen in normal towns are then made available in Ganvie.

Most of the locals live through fishing and tourism. However, some of the locals, especially the elders, are not that hospitable to tourists and they might find it quite rude once you start taking pictures of them or even their town without asking for their permission.

The main attraction in Ganvie is the town itself and how the locals conduct their everyday lives on top of a lagoon. The beauty of the town is also quite remarkable once you get on one of the boats and roam around the town. Restaurants and other buildings catering to tourists are also available in Ganvie, all of them accessible by boat.

Roaming around the town in a pirogue should be on top of your list of things to do so that you get to see everything about a town on top of a lagoon. Using a pirogue instead of a motorboat will take you quite longer when traveling, but it will be less noisy and more serene.
If you want to spend a few nights in Ganvie, hotels on top of stilts are available and are offered to tourists for a fair price. A good place to stay when planning to visit Ganvie is in Cotonou since most hotels available offer their tourists different packages for a tour in Ganvie via a motorboat.