Driving from the Slave Coast and Voodoo centres at Ouidah to Ganvié via the scenic Route des des Pêches, famous for its fishing villages, coconut groves, and expanding eco-tourism spots. Cotonou, the de facto capital (the government buildings are here but parliament meets in Porto Novo), is situated on Lake Nokwe. A boat from a jetty, with a large fish market, an hour outside Cotonou, takes us through reed beds and fish farms, to the stilt villages of Ganvié (Gan-vee-ay). Situated entirely on stilts, in the middle of the lake, this is an astonishing spectacle, home to over 20,000 people, and the largest stilt settlement on the African continent.

Ganvié - The Venice of Africa

The village was established in the seventeenth century, by the Tofinu people. They fled into the shallow waters of the lake to escape slave raiders from the powerful Fon and Dahomey kingdoms. Because the Fon people had strict religious beliefs that forbade their warriors from entering or attacking over water, Lake Nokwe became a safe haven. The name Ganvié translates literally to 'We survived', in the local language.

Everything in Ganvié: homes, schools, churches, mosques, and even a local bank is built on stilts made of bamboo and teak wood. There are no roads or cars. The only way to move around is via the traditional wooden canoes called pirogues. Most villagers work as 'water men, relying heavily on intricate, underwater fish-farming corrals, alongside a growing local tourism industry.

This Venice of Africa is a fascinating hotch potch of ethnicities, the locals wearing enormous elaborate sun hats, ferry their boats back and forth, carrying fish to the stalls at the main dock, or barter goods at the vibrant floating market, in the centre of town. There’s even a gushing fountain; boats are manoeuvred underneath the cascade, so that pots can be filled with water from a huge flexible pipe. It’s all done quietly and efficiently. A cultural youth troupes sing welcome songs on a stilt terraces and boats gather to listen. Yet another astonishing spectacle. Guide Noah drinks beer.

Cotonou, Benin

Cotonou is the largest city and the de facto economic capital of Benin. While Porto-Novo is the official political capital, Cotonou houses Benin's seat of government, diplomatic missions, and major industries and is home to up to two million people in the greater metropolitan area (no-one is quite sure). The Ouémé River lagoon cuts through the city, dividing it into eastern and western sectors, connected by three major bridges. The Port of of Cotonou is one of the busiest maritime trade hubs in West Africa, acting as the primary gateway for goods travelling to landlocked neighbouring countries like Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.

The city's transport is mainly the thousands of zemidjans (yellow-vested motorcycle taxis). They fill the curved and raised section of road to the Dantokpa Market, a 20-hectare marketplace which drives a massive regional retail and wholesale economy. The market is a vast and colourful affair that sprawls over numerous streets and branching alleys. There are no separate sections, as in many markets and the stalls are a jumble of different types of produce: vegetables, fish, baskets, red cheeses, dried prawns and livestock. Carts jostle to pass in the cramped spaces and the stall holders grimace if they see the camera.

 As it’s New Year’s Eve, my charismatic guide Noah has taken me out to dinner at a bar. He tells me that his father had two wives; his mother was the first and had four children. The second had six. Polygamy is still very common in rural areas for West Africa, less so in the cities. Having many children is a means of securing free labour for agriculture. Noah’s siblings however, are all well-educated and in relatively well-paid jobs; several are teachers. His story is more interesting than the bar, which is not exactly lively, though there is (eventually) live music. The whole city seems very quiet. A few fireworks light up the sky at midnight.

Next stop, Niger, I hope