Africa’s diversity is its biggest attraction and this huge continent has so much to offer to the tourists that one can not say for certain that he has seen it all no matter how much time one spend in exploring this gorgeous continent. While the bulk of the tourist traffic goes to the countries like South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Botswana, the smaller countries like Benin also have quite a few tourist attractions as well. The village of Ganvie is one of these attractions. With a population of more than 20,000 Ganvie is built in the middle of the Lake Nokoue. It was given the name The Venice of Africa but that may be a little exaggeration as the architecture of the bamboo made houses of Ganvie is not as gorgeous as Venice but visiting this 400 years old village that has kept its ancient lifestyle will surely provide you with a memorable experience.
It is believed that the residents of the Ganvie built this village some time in the 16th century to protect themselves from the slave raiders of the neighboring tribes who according to tradition were not allowed to fight in the water. If you are arriving from abroad then you will have to take a cheap flight to Cotonou the capital of Benin from which a taxi can take you to the western side of the lake from where many ferry services are available for taking you to the village. Although the tourist interest is fast increasing in Ganvie but the tourism infrastructure has remained quite basic with only a few modest hotels available for accommodation but will be an enjoyable experience as they are also made up of bamboo and are on stilts.
What makes Ganvie so special is the lifestyle of the people which has not changed a bit in the last few hundred years. Fishing is the main source of income here and you will find majority of Ganvie male population working as fishermen. Watching the locals going for shopping in the shops built on stilts and the children going on canoes to the schools made up of bamboos will be a unique experience. The village is located in the middle of the lagoon so one can not find any dry land anywhere close to the village.
If you are not planning to stay there for a couple of nights and want to take a one day tour of the village and then head back to Cotonou then try to get to the village in the early hours of the morning as the climate here get quite humid in the early afternoon. The water of the lake is rich in exotic marine life and will provide you with an awesome snorkeling and scuba diving experience but there is no major resort in the area that can provide you with the equipment for these activities so you will have to bring this equipment with you from Cotonou.
