Benin, the country of the Dahomey empire  known for its striking bronze sculptures, was at one time the center of the slave trade in West Africa. Today it is known as the country of voodoo or vodu, as it's known in Benin, which has become one of the country's top cultural attractions.

Little left of the great Dahomey empire and the royal palace in Abomey is only a remnant of what was once the grandest structure in all of West Africa, but you can visit a market and buy a fetish from a current practitioner or enjoy the fishing villages on stilts along Lake Nokoue and  the beaches of Grand Popo.