Benin - Pendjari Nat'l Park
 

I know this is a long shot, but I can't even find people on the lonely planet/thorntree boards that have been to pendjari...has anyone been to pendjari national park in benin???

I've been to Benin, but only along the southern coast (Cotonou, Ganvie, Abomey, etc.). While I was in Benin, I looked into traveling up north to the area around Pendjari (its a cross border park that extends into Burkina Faso and Niger), but instead I headed overland through Togo to Ghana.

After I returned, I looked into visiting Burkina Faso, and there are excellent Bradt Guides to Burkina and Benin, both of which, if I recall correctly, cover the cross border area.

Are you planning to travel elsewhere in West Africa?

Michael

Hi Michael,
I'm not sure what I'm doing - I'll have about 10 days I think. My early May trip to Iran fell through yesterday, so i called Delta and asked where they could get me in West Africa on FF miles...that's the extent of this planning - have ticket on hold till Monday night.
If I go north, I'll probably just stay in Benin, but if not then I'll probably go to Togo - did you have a good experience in Togo and Benin? I ordered the Bradt Benin guide but it won't be here till next week.

I've been along the coast in both countries. Now this was about 15 years ago so I have no idea what things are like now. For me this was an amazing trip. Lome was a laid back capital with very friendly people and good food. West Africa gets such short shrift as far as tourism and I think the area would be well worth exploring.

You easily fill 10 days in Benin -- its a very easy country in which to travel, with lots to see (my trip was in November 2000). I only spent around six days around the south, and then headed west through Togo to Ghana. I only spent one day in Togo, and then only to visit the fetish market in Lome (its one of the largest in West Africa, and I took some excellent photos, but you can see all of it in an hour or so). I also spent time in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire on that trip, but I wouldn't visit that country now (it wasn't even that safe then, and I was stopped by machinegun wielding policemen searching for bribes).

Did your trip to Iran fall through because of visa issues? I am currently gathering visas for my May trip to Central Asia (I have picked up visas to Kazakh-, Kyrgyz- and Uzbekistan, and am still working, with an agent, to get visas for Tajiki- and Turkmenistan). But that trip is not until the end of May.

Does Delta fly to Accra from JFK or ATL?

Michael

Michael and Ekscruncy: how long did each of you take to travel along the coast? I'm thinking I might do that instead if I can get a flight in or out of ghana. (ghana-brief stop in togo - benin). can't decide. Don't like being too rushed but i don't know when I will be back in West Africa.

Michael: as for the iranian visa, i did not start the process early enough. The iranian embassy is currently shut down for two weeks (new years holiday i believe) - I was told the earliest I'd have the visa would be early May (which is when I can be gone, as I'm leaving again in June for Slovenia and somewhere else in that neighborhood). It was just bad last-minute planning on my part.

I will be interested to hear how you like your trip to the 'stans - I've been poking around on the internet looking at those places too.

I had a very strange itinerary. I flew into Abidjan, where I stayed with a friend who was working for the Africa Development Bank, then flew to Cotonou, Benin, and spent a week or so working my way overland and finished in Accra, Ghana.

What are you pairing with Slovenia? I did a trip through the Western Balkans last August (not Slovenia, which I had already visited), and I posted pictures from my trip to Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia on the Europe forum. There are excellent public transport routes (buses and trains) in that region, and while I was in Ljublana, I took the train and visited Zagreb for a few days.

Maxwell..I had about 8 days in Togo; we did the drive to Cotounou as a day trip so did not see all that much in Benin. A few of us hired a car and driver to do this.

On the way back we had an ovenight in Abidjan. If you are a somewhat adventurous traveler, which you obviously are, I would recommend this area. I liked Lome a lot..it was more of a very large town than an actual city when I was there. It just had a good feeling to it and the people were really friendly. Sorry to be so vague, it was a long time ago..

michael and ekscrunchy - thx for your comments, I am going to go ahead and take the ticket I have on hold. very excited (from the little I have read, and will hopefully be even more excited once my guide book arrives). Delta no longer has a FF coach ticket in or out of Ghana, so I'll probably just do Benin.

Michael - I'm really not sure where else we are going other than Slovenia - I'm meeting up with my family in Ljubljana, but I am leaving earlier than them so I need to figure out (very, very soon), what city to fly out of coming home. They saw much of Croatia last summer but did not see the Istria (?) area, so I'm thinking I might fly out of Zagreb. I really know very little about that area of the world...going to look up your picts today though!

If you are only visiting Benin, the Bradt guide is better than the Lonely Planet West Africa, which devotes much less space to Benin. I visited Cotonou (great market, which excellent fetish section -- I hired a guide at the entrance, for a few dollars, to help me navigate the labyrinth and also ward off other potential guides -- he also negotiated photo license fees); Ganvie (stilt village); Abomey (a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but not one of the more impressive sites on that list); and the voudou sites along the coast. With more time, you may be able to get up to the northern parks -- Benin is not a large country and the roads, at least where I visited, were excellent, but I'm not sure if that extends to the roads in the top half of the country.

I will also top my photos from the Western Balkans for you -- they are not that easy to find.

Also, I have an Atlanta-related question for you -- can you send me an email at [email protected]

Thanks

Thanks for topping your photos Michael - it all looks very beautiful! I think I am definitely going to head up to Pendjari in Benin - it is sounding like a good way for me to get my animal fix on a meager budget. according to their website I can take a bus there from cotonou for less than 20 dollars. Just sent you email.

Yes, yes..I forgot about Ganvie. That village was quite amazing! I have a long wooden canoe with the little painted passengers on my shelf!