Coast, towards the Togolese border
Grand-Popo, from Cotonou.
The long beach, the coconut palms, the mouth of the Mono. The weekend trip for when you want nothing but water and quiet.
The distance
86 km from Cotonou, 1 hour to 1 h 30 of driving.
When to go
November to March for calm sea and clear skies. July to September for the whale season.
Where it is
Coast, towards the Togolese border
What you see at Grand-Popo
Grand-Popo is a former trading town that became a beach. You come for the lagoon, for the colonial houses half taken back by the sand, and for the Bouche du Roy, where the Mono river meets the ocean: a sand spit reached by boat, between mangrove and pelicans. Between July and September humpback whales are sometimes seen offshore.
- The beach and the coconut groves
- The Bouche du Roy, by boat through the mangrove
- Old Grand-Popo and its colonial houses
- The lagoon at sunset
In practice
The ocean is beautiful and the current is strong: swim where locals swim, never alone, and give it up when the sea is heavy. The boat trip to the Bouche du Roy is booked the day before. Bring cash, there are few card terminals.
Where to sleep between trips
Keep your home in Cotonou and travel out from it: cheaper than a hotel at every stop, and you come back to your own place each night.
Common questions
- Can you swim at Grand-Popo?
- Yes, with care: the current along the Beninese coast is strong. Swim in front of places that watch the beach, never alone and never in a heavy sea.
We arrange the trip
Driver, timings, a guide on site: tell us the date and we handle the rest.
+229 01 67 60 80 60
Photograph : Kulttuurinavigaattori · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0