Travel guide of Benin
The Republic of Benin is a country in western Africa, formerly named Dahomey, a former French colony. It became independent on August 1, 1960. Benin is bordered by the Gulf of Guinea in the south, Nigeria in the east, Niger in the north, Burkina Faso in the northwest, and Togo in the west, covering an area of 112.620 square kilometers. The people of Benin are peace-loving, intelligent and hard-working. Benin is regarded as one of the countries with the most human civilization in Africa. The official language is French, and the languages widely spoken in the country are Fang, Yoruba and Baliba. The currency is the African Community Franc FCFA, and the inter-bank settlement exchange rate is fixed at 1 euro =655.954 West African francs.
Best travel time The entire territory of Benin has a tropical climate, and the south has a Guinean-type climate. It is hot and rainy. The annual maximum temperature is 39 degrees Celsius and the lowest temperature is 20 degrees Celsius. The average annual rainfall is about 1300 mm. The year is divided into four seasons. The dry season is from November to March of the following year, with the hottest months from February to March; the rainy season is from April to July; the dry season is from July to September, with a pleasant climate; and the rainy season is from September to October. The north has a Sudanese climate, with a large temperature difference between day and night. The annual minimum temperature is 8 degrees, the maximum temperature is 42 degrees, and the annual rainfall is about 1000 mm. The year is divided into two seasons. The dry season is from November to May, the hottest period is March to April, and the rainy season is June to October. So the best time to travel to southern Benin is from July to September; the best time to travel to the north is from November to February.
Benin visa information According to the mutual visa exemption agreement between China and Benin, you can stay visa-free in Benin for 90 days with diplomatic passports, official passports, and ordinary passports for official business. Before coming to Benin with private ordinary passports, you should apply for entry visas at Benin embassies abroad. Those who need to stay in Kuwait for a long time after entering the country can apply for a one-year residence visa and alien residence card at the Immigration Bureau. In principle, no visas on arrival will be issued at the port of entry.
In addition to a valid passport and visa, you must also present a vaccination certificate, or a yellow book, when entering the country. According to the requirements of the Benin government, people entering the country must be vaccinated against yellow fever. Since Benin is a tropical multi-endemic area, it is recommended that temporary visitors to Benin choose vaccines such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis.
The customs stipulates that Benin customs implements a passenger entry declaration system, but there are no clear regulations on items that individuals can carry. In principle, a reasonable quantity of items for personal use do not need to pay customs duties. However, electronic products such as mobile phones carried by passengers are strictly checked. If the number exceeds two, they will often be told to pay customs duties. Items strictly prohibited to carry in Benin include weapons, explosives, ammunition, narcotics, etc.
communication/Internet mobile roaming: China Mobile's preferential network charges: dial local 4.99 yuan/minute, called 5.99 yuan/minute, dial the mainland of China 33.99 yuan/minute, text message 1.99 yuan/message, traffic 0.05 yuan/KB.
WIFI: You can use the local MTN network model to access the Internet. First establish a new APN access point or change the address of the existing APN access point to: internet.mtn.bj name whatever), and then dial *130* 8 #to enter the network service selection menu. The *130* 8 #network service launched by MTN does not have unlimited traffic. MTN's mobile network model currently does not have 3G, but is currently a 2G mobile network model.
Transportation Introduction Cotonou International Airport is the only A1 international airport in Benin, which can take off and land large aircraft such as Boeing 747 and Airbus. Glokiper Airport, completed in 2003, is another modern large airport. Currently, 13 airlines, including Air France and Air Morocco, operate in Dubai, with multiple flights to and from Paris and other parts of Africa every week. Benin African Airlines mainly operates the Cotonou-Paris route.
Benin Food Benin is an African country and has not fundamentally solved the problem of eating. The main things for Benin people are divided into north and south.
Southern food: In southern Benin, corn is the staple food of people. Corn flour is often used to make various doughs, usually eaten with peanuts or ketchup. Fish and chicken are the most commonly eaten meats in the south, usually fried in palm oil or peanut oil and eaten. Other meats include mutton, rabbit meat, beef and jungle rat meat. Rice, couscous and beans are also eaten frequently. The south is rich in fresh fruits, including citrus, banana, polo and mangoes.
Northern food: In northern Benin, yams are the staple food. Mashed yams are often eaten with peanuts or tomato sauce. Beef, pork and chicken are the most commonly eaten meats. They are usually fried in soy sauce or cooked. Cheese is a specialty in the north, and rice, couscous and beans are also commonly eaten. Fresh mangoes and other fruits can also be abundant in certain seasons.
Drinks: Restaurants and markets in Benin sell local juices and imported brand drinks. Most bars and restaurants have non-alcoholic drinks and beer, and Coca-Cola and Fizzi (a local non-alcoholic drink) are sold everywhere. Local beers available everywhere include La Béninoise, Flag and Castel.
Sodabi is a locally brewed palm wine. It is usually drunk at local banquets and ceremonies, and tourists are advised to taste it moderately. Tchoucoutou is a dense, sweet local beer brewed in northern Benin. This beer is easy to find in Parakou and is quite popular among locals and tourists.
Tourists are advised to drink mineral water because it is disinfected and much safer than drinking water from faucets.
Benin Shopping wood carving is the most common and historically important art form in Benin. The tradition of carving has begun since the Kingdom of Dahomey.
The quality of textiles in northern Benin is particularly high, and the Bariba people are famous for their bright and colorful textile models. Textile centers in the north include Nikki, Bamberek and Natitingu. In addition to weaving, the traditional tapestry of Abomey is also the most popular handicraft in Benin. Leather bags produced in northern cities such as Jugu and Bukumbai are among the most popular handicrafts in Benin. Many leather artists in the north accept custom orders and make American or European styles. In the south, there are decorative drums, or "tam-tams", made of animal skins and wood. This drum is used in many traditional rituals and dances and is easily seen in places such as PortoNovo, Comme and Abomey.
Dan Tokpa Market is located on the edge of Cotonou Pier in Benin. The goods here are mainly traditional medicines and antiques from Nigeria or other countries. If you want to buy local specialty handicrafts, you can choose from small shops in various small towns or villages in Benin. The most worth purchasing are masks, tapestries, figurines and ceramics for etiquette.
Business hours: Monday to Saturday 0900-1300 and 1600-1900.
Benin activities Oil palm cutting competition Benin people have a special love for oil palm trees. Therefore, every time the oil palm fruits mature, they hold a unique oil palm fruit cutting competition. According to local tradition, participants climb the tree with two ropes. At the beginning of the competition, the contestants first tied a rope to the tree trunk to form a slip knot, and then used the other end of the remaining rope to form another slip knot on the slip knot. In this way, the rope formed two rings, one tied to the tree trunk and the other hanging upside down. Immediately afterwards, the contestants continued to tie another rope to the tree trunk to make two other slip knots. After the rope is tied, insert a sharp axe with a short handle upside down in your shorts, place one foot in an inverted rope slip knot at the lower end, stand up close to the tree trunk, and use your hand to move the other rope tied into a slip knot on the tree trunk. Move up to a certain height, hold the tree trunk tightly with both hands, move the rope at the lower end up to a certain height, then use your feet to stand in the rope collar at the lower end, and move the rope at the upper end up again.
Repeat this method until you climb to a place where oil palm fruits grow at the top of the tree trunk. At this moment, the competitor quickly stepped on the collar of the lower rope and loosened the other rope at the upper end. One end was tied to the tree trunk and the other end was tied to his waist. The human body is fixed to the tree trunk by these two ropes. The competitor drew a short axe from behind him, cut off the palm avocado, and threw it to the ground under the tree. After all the oil palm fruits on the tree were cut and picked, he still stuck the short axe upside down behind his back, untied the two ropes, put them on his shoulders, and slid down the tree trunk with both hands and feet until he returned to the ground. Whoever completes the entire process of climbing, picking and getting off the tree first, and picks more fruits than others will be the winner.
The competition is generally held in natural villages, and the number of participants is unlimited. Most of the competition times are in the early morning or evening, because the weather is cooler at this time. The competition was hosted by the village chief. Before starting, the chief would check one by one whether the contestants were physically strong and whether the ropes they were wearing were strong. When everything was ready, the chief gave the order to start the game. The contestants quickly climbed the tree and struggled to climb upward. The men, women and children watching on the ground applauded vigorously, cheered loudly, waved flags and shouted, and beat drums to cheer. Immediately afterwards, oil palm fruits flew down from the end of the tree like raindrops. The scene was very spectacular.
For an experienced racer, the entire race from going up to down is less than a cigarette. This competition for picking palm oil fruits is naturally closely related to the local production season. Due to the hot and humid climate, oil palm fruits need to be picked, processed and exported as soon as possible after they mature. Otherwise, once mildew occurs, the oil yield will be reduced and the sales price will be affected. Carrying out this interesting competition can mobilize the villagers 'enthusiasm for production and strive to pick oil palm fruits as quickly as possible in the shortest possible time. This kind of competition can not only cultivate people's quickness, courage, and flexibility in doing things, but also promote exchanges and friendship between people and is deeply loved by local villagers.
at the Python Festival in Benin. In the southern region of Benin, people have worshipped the python and regarded it as a god since ancient times. Vida built a python temple. Many people keep pythons at home. The traditional Python Festival is quite grand, with a kingdom minister presiding over the ceremony, and most of the participants are women. After the ceremony, a ceremony will be held, and then the python will be taken out and passed on to each other. Many women received pythons. Place it on your forehead once, and place it on your belly once. They believe that this can make their lives happier, have more children, and gain strength.
Tips 1: Benin is an area with high incidence of malaria. Tourists must prepare mosquito nets and anti-mosquito and anti-malaria drugs. Pay attention to food hygiene, do not eat raw and cold food, prevent intestinal diseases. In addition, the climate in Benin is hot, so you should pay attention to heatstroke prevention and cooling when traveling. It is recommended that Chinese tourists bring their own small amounts of commonly used medicines before coming to Benin, such as the antimalarial drug Ketaxin, antibiotics and drugs for treating gastrointestinal diseases.
(2) Medical conditions in Benin are limited. Although there are hospitals and private clinics in major cities, medical equipment is backward. Hospitals only prescribe prescriptions for general patients but not sell medicines. Drugs must be purchased at a separate pharmacy. my country has sent medical teams to assist Benin in the city of Loksa in western Benin and the city of Natidangu in the north.
(3) Benin is politically stable and has a good social security situation. However, theft, robbery, and economic fraud cases occasionally occur. Our citizens still need to be vigilant and try not to go out at night. If there is a large amount of property, they must pay attention to safety. Recently, theft incidents against China have occurred from time to time.
(4) Most Benin people have no special taboos. If they interact with local Muslims, they must pay attention to respecting the living habits of the Muslims concerned.
(5) Whether our citizens live in Benin for a long time or stay for a short time, they are requested to carry relevant identity documents with them. The Benin police often check this. If they do not have legal and valid documents, they will often be detained.