I lived about 20 years in Africa, and Benin is my favorite country in that continent. I stayed there for about 1 month in 2013. It is completely off the beaten path, with barely any ""yovo"" (a.k.a. farang, a.k.a. white people). No tourists whatsoever despite great beaches, a rich cultural heritage (Benin was the center of the Dahomey kingdom), a poignant history (the slave trade), crumbling colonial outposts, atmospheric voodoo temples, beautiful women, all bundled up in a relatively safe and inexpensive package. The main religion is still voodoo, which despite the Hollywood “living dead” BS is quite relaxed and pacific.

Now, before you buy your ticket to Benin, remember that this is deep Africa: malaria & assorted illnesses, poor hygienic conditions, corruption, no electricity yesterday, no water today, no internet this afternoon, give me money, maybe tomorrow etc. but due to the lack of tourism the rip-off industry has not fully developed yet.

Some tips:

- Speaking French is essential!

- Concerning transportation, there is no organized transport per se: you need to hail one of the “taxi-brousse” (bush taxis, i.e. shared vehicles) and tell them the general direction where you want to go. Obviously there is no time table. In urban areas, use the moto-taxis. If you don’t speak French or dress fancily, you will be charged about twice the regular fare.

- In the north of the country, you won’t be able to rely on internet, so plan accordingly.

- The Benin Emergency Numbers of the police force is 117, the fire department 118, the ambulance services is 21 30 17 69 and 21 30 06 56.

- You need a visa to enter. Visit the Benin embassy in your country: all you need to get a 1-month visa are pictures, passport, copy of passport and cashy-cashy.

- If you get sick (and you will if you are not used to live in such tropical countries) here are the best medical centers, all located in Cotonou:

CMS - Centre Medical de Cotonou, Tel. 30 10 27
Hôpital de Cotonou, Tel. 30 01 55
Polyclinique Atinkanmey de Cotonou, Tel. 31 22 76 / 31 22 85

- Beware of street food (see health paragraph above), this is not Thailand… Here are some relatively safe restaurants in Cotonou, serving West

African cuisine (personally I almost always ate in my hotel, which was called ""Hotel du Lac"") :
Maquis le Mandingue, tel. 21 31 37 61
Chez Maman Bénin, tel. 21 32 33 38
La Gerbe d'Or: French bakery, lots of croissants and assorted pastries, ice cream.