Most people see Ganvié in two hours, between two appointments: a crossing, a photo, and back before nightfall. They have seen the scenery. They have not seen the town.
Ganvié is understood in the evening, when the boats come back from fishing, and in the morning, when the floating market sets up in the quiet. Between the two, you have to sleep there, and talk with those who live there.
What we really offer is not photos: it is exchanges, meetings, an immersion. One price, one programme, a boat that is yours.
From Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning, hour by hour
- 3 pm: boarding at Abomey-Calavi, crossing Lake Nokoué in a private motorised boat.
- 3.30 pm to 6 pm: Ganvié with a guide. The rue des Amoureux, the stilt quarters, the acadjas, the return from fishing, sunset on the water.
- 6.30 pm to 9 pm: settling in, dinner on stilts, night on the lake.
- 6 am to 8 am: the lake wakes, the floating market while it is quiet, breakfast on the water. Return crossing at 8 am.
- In the morning: Cotonou by air-conditioned vehicle. The Boulevard de la Marina and its monuments, the Place de l'Amazone, the Bio Guéra monument, the arts market.
- When:
- Tuesday 5 January 2027 at 3 pm, back Wednesday morning.
- Where:
- Boarding at Abomey-Calavi, Lake Nokoué.
- With:
- A guide, in a private motorised boat.
Cotonou is not one more activity. It is the way back: you leave the lake in the morning, and the city receives you before you return to Ouidah. That same evening, Ouidah lit up awaits you for the “Warm-up Vodun Days”.
What we really offer: to be received, not to visit
Any agency can put you in a boat. None can bring you into a fishing household. The NGO Wa Afriki built this access family after family, so that you are received as one of their own and not as a passing tourist.
You exchange, you ask your questions, you listen. You leave with faces and names, not only with photos.
The price, and what you keep separate
All in one
€150
about 98,000 FCFA
One price: the crossing, the guide, dinner, the night, breakfast and Cotonou on the way back.
Book my placeThe journey between Ouidah and Abomey-Calavi is not in these €150, nor your other meals, nor your night at the Palace before or after. If you are staying several days, look at The Programme: this outing is included, with the rest.
Why there are not many places
The boat is private and the team is of ten people, never more, five in VIP. À la carte tickets are the places left in a team already formed: when it is full, it is full.
The questions we are asked
What exactly does the price include?
The crossing of Lake Nokoué in a private motorised boat, the visit of Ganvié with a guide, dinner on stilts, the night on the lake, the lake at dawn with the floating market and breakfast on the water, the return crossing, then Cotonou by air-conditioned vehicle.
Is it a tourist excursion?
No. It is an immersion: exchanges and meetings with the people of the lake, a night received on the water rather than a boat tour. The NGO Wa Afriki built this access family after family, so that you are received as one of their own.
Can you do Ganvié without spending the night?
We only sell this option. The night on the water and the lake at dawn are the heart of the outing.
How do you reach the boarding point?
Boarding is at Abomey-Calavi. Transport from Ouidah is not part of the price of the outing: it is included in a package, or taken separately. Tell us where you are leaving from and we organise the journey.
Is the outing included in the After Vodundays packages?
Yes. It is included in The Programme, from 4 to 10 January 2027. The à la carte ticket is for those already in Ouidah who only want this outing.
A question before you book? Write to us, we answer fast.
Tell us how many you are and where you are leaving from: we organise the rest.
The other à la carte activities: the two workshops, the four circuits, guided days at the Vodun Days, the Vodun Vibes evening, nights at the Palace.