Benin only has a short stretch of Atlantic coastline, but some of my favorite experiences in the country were along the rivers, wetlands, and villages just inland from the ocean. Rather than spending all my time on the beach, I took a small wooden boat into the mangroves and explored communities along the Mono River.
The trip gave me a completely different look at coastal Benin. I passed fishermen working in the water, traveled through mangrove tunnels covered with crabs, watched children commute to school by canoe, and visited a village where fishing and crabbing were still a major part of everyday life.
Life Along the Wetlands
Before reaching the Atlantic, much of southern Benin is broken up by rivers, lagoons, and wetlands. Some communities are built directly around this environment, with homes standing beside or even within the marshes.
One house had something unusual sitting on its roof that looked almost like a scarecrow. I never figured out exactly what it was. Considering how common Vodun traditions are throughout this part of Benin, I wondered at the time if it might have had some spiritual purpose or been intended to protect the house.
Nearby, I watched a man wading through the water while pulling his fishing or crabbing nets behind him.
Into the Mangroves
As someone who loves the outdoors, the mangroves were easily one of my favorite parts of coastal Benin.
I had visited mangrove swamps before, but this one looked different. Instead of large individual trees rising from muddy water, much of the route felt like we were entering a giant tangled mass of vines and branches growing directly over us.
Once we entered the thickest section, it became surprisingly dark. The canopy was only around ten feet above the water in places, and I needed my camera flash to properly photograph what was around me.
Then I started noticing the crabs.
Crabs Everywhere
There seemed to be crabs everywhere. They weren’t just along the shoreline or hiding in the mud—they were climbing all over the tangled vegetation above the water.
Between the darkness, low canopy, and hundreds of little crabs clinging to the branches, this mangrove forest had a completely different atmosphere from others I’d visited.
As we approached the exit, sunlight gradually started breaking through again. Bright green floating plants covered parts of the riverbanks, and naturally the crabs had found their way onto those too.
School by Pirogue
By the time we came out of the mangroves, the sun was higher and people along the river were beginning their day.
One of my favorite moments came when a pirogue packed with children passed us on their way to school. They were traveling in the same type of boat I was using—a traditional dugout canoe carved from a large tree.
The kids waved as they passed us and then slowly disappeared into the morning fog.
It was one of those simple travel moments that ended up being more memorable than a lot of actual tourist attractions.
Fishing Along the Mono River
Along the Mono River I passed plenty of people fishing and catching crabs and crawfish. One young fisherman stopped and showed me his catch, which at that point amounted to only about a handful of crawfish.
Later in the village, I came across something I had already seen farther north in Benin but hadn’t understood at the time: grasscutters.
These are enormous rodents that are raised and hunted for food in parts of West Africa. During my drive south from Niger, I had seen dead ones being sold along the roadside, flattened out with their legs and fur stretched over sticks.
The first time I saw them like that, I actually thought they were flying foxes.
Seeing live ones in the village finally cleared that up.
A Village Built Around the Water
I had seen plenty of women carrying enormous baskets on their heads throughout Benin, but here I finally got to see what was inside one.
Crabs. Lots of crabs.
After seeing how many were crawling throughout the mangrove forest, that wasn’t particularly surprising. Fishing and crabbing were clearly important sources of food and income for the communities living around these waterways.
Traditional Leadership and Vodun
Like many communities I encountered in Benin, this area also had its own traditional king. I wasn’t sure exactly how much territory or how many people fell under his authority, but his portrait was prominently displayed in the village.
I was told he wasn’t there because he had traveled to Cotonou on business.
And this being the part of Benin often associated with the Vodun coast, the village also had a spiritual protector. Throughout the country, traditional religion wasn’t something confined to museums or performances for visitors. Shrines and spiritual traditions were still woven into everyday life.
The Wildlife Trip I Didn’t Take
One major part of Benin I didn’t get to experience was Pendjari National Park.
I had already driven all the way from the northern end of Benin down to Cotonou, and by that point I simply wasn’t feeling another eight-hour drive back north. Pendjari would have given me the chance to see elephants, baboons, monkeys, and potentially lions along with plenty of other wildlife.
It’s probably the biggest thing I missed in Benin and somewhere I’d still like to visit.
Until then, my Beninese wildlife collection consists mostly of enormous flying foxes, a giant millipede, a kingfisher, and approximately ten million crabs.
My Time Along Benin’s Coast
I originally thought of coastal Benin mostly in terms of beaches, but the most memorable part ended up being everything between the road and the Atlantic.
Traveling by pirogue through the mangroves gave me a look at a side of Benin I never would have seen from a car. The dark tunnels of vegetation, crabs climbing through the branches, fishermen working in the water, children heading to school through the fog, and villages built around the rivers made this one of my favorite outdoor experiences in the country.
Sometimes the coastline itself isn’t the most interesting part of the coast.
Explore More of Benin
Benin’s Coast • Cotonou • Ouidah • Porto Novo
