Birdwatching In Benin

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Once the initial ocean or air trip has been completed to reach Benin, there are many lagoons to explore. Timing is crucial as nobody wants to get stuck in a torrential downpour that occurs in the rainy season or get eaten by mosquitoes in the heat. The network of lagoons from Grand Popo to Porto-Novo on the east provides interesting bird watching where the sky is clear and the birds fly freely.

There are plenty of fish to be caught from the boat while drinking the local beer and peering into the sky. The Grand Popo lagoons on the Togo border are navigable at all seasons after exploring the lagoon it will reach Lake Aheme. Take a leisurely cruise down Benin's longest river, the Oueme, which is navigable for some 125 miles of its total of 285 miles so you may have to retrace your sailing route once the river becomes impossible to sail. Nokoué is a lagoon that is wider (20 km) than it is long (11 km north to south), so you can sail it lengthwise for a longer trip. North of Cotonou, the northern shore is formed by the deltas of the So and Ouémé rivers.

Travelling to the sea can be done via a channel through Cotonou or another channel to the Lagune de Porto-Novo. Enjoy the natural beauty before the threats of hunting, poaching, pollution, mangrove destruction and deforestation worsen. Luckily fishing methods in the lagoon may benefit birds as fishermen plant branches in the muddy lagoon bottom and use bamboo sticks and palm-leaves that start to decompose. Fish congregate to feed at these sites, known as acadja, before boats and birds return for their fishy meal.