Ganvie in Benin is a beautiful destination to be in, during tours to Western Africa. This unique destination is located on Lake Nokoue and just around an hour from the city of Cotonou the largest one in Benin. Around 20,000 people used to live here in beautiful surroundings. Generally, it is believed that the Tofinu people used to live here some four centuries back. They built this village on a lake and used it to escape from the slavers who used to come here in search of them. These slavers were not allowed to fight in water so the lake village prevented them from fighting. Tofinu was thus safe to get their own homes on the water. It is thus called the Venice of Africa. It may sound a little clichéd as it is not really so yet it can be so-called.
Ganvie does not have a very friendly population yet tourists find them quite interesting and intriguing. It is really worth a visit and it is a visually appealing sight to see an entire place on stilts. Most of the houses here in Africa and the shops and restaurants are all constructed on stilts that are several feet above the water. Tourists love to spend the day watching the simple pleasures here and enjoy shopping here. As children go to school, it is a pleasant sight to watch them go past. People find the sight of people selling wares on boats very interesting.
Ganvie thus is a village in the middle of a lagoon and anyone planning a trip here should be ready for the hot and humid conditions, which dominate the climate here. People here depend on tourism and fishing and fishermen trap and breed fish here using underwater fences specially made from bamboo and nets. Pirogues help you to get to Ganvie and take you around.
Come here to Ganvie in Benin and enjoy your tours to Western Africa.
