Day 1/2 3rd & 4th March - From the UK to Benin, via Ethiopia

Photo above - Local boys at the fish market in Cotonou, Benin. More photos below.

Back on the road

My first trip of 2026 commenced on a quite mild early March morning at a train station in Bristol. Despite threats of delays due to "people on the track", my train was on time, and after a quick change on to the Heathrow Express at Paddington, I was soon in Terminal 2 ready to negotiate check in and security.

Having got through with just a few questions about onward destinations, and a security bag search, I set about waiting for my 8.15pm flight to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. The flight is 3666 miles and takes about 8 hours.

Arriving back in Africa

My flight left on time, however true to form, I was unable to get any real sleep during the overnight flight. We flew south over central Europe, then down over Eastern Europe flying parallel to Italy. Once over the Mediterranean, we started flying over Africa, first south over Egypt, then across Sudan, and finally across Ethiopia, landing in the capital Addis Ababa at shortly after 6am (Ethiopia is 3 hours ahead of the UK).

Addis Ababa is a busy airport and is a major hub for Africa and the Middle East. There is even a large hotel contained completely within the departure lounge area, for those I assume with long waits between flights whilst transiting, as it is beyond the check in and security checks. Most flights to the east have been cancelled due to the increasing conflict there, but my next flight is almost due west in the other direction across Central Africa.

From Ethiopia to Benin

My Ethiopian Airlines flight left at about 9.00am. The flight to Benin is about 2500 miles and takes about five and a half hours. It crossed South Sudan, Central African Republic, Cameroon and Nigeria on the way, before landing in the largest city in Benin-Cotonou at about 12.30 in the afternoon. Most of the journey it was too hazy, or we were too high to see much from the plane unfortunately, so did not get any good pictures.

The airport arrival gate is tiny, with just two customs booths, one luggage claim band, and an exit door! Once through customs, which was remarkably straightforward, I stopped to change some Euros into West African Francs, the local currency for four of the eight countries I will be visiting. Ten UK pounds are worth approximately 7,500 WA Francs!

Another new place

Once out into the stifling heat (32C) and humidity, there were very few people about, but several armed security and army personnel. I had met one of the people I will be touring with on the flight into Benin, so we shared a car to take us to the hotel which we are using for a couple of days. It was only a short 10 minute drive. I always love that first glimpse of a country on the road away from the airport to your first accommodation. Getting a first impression of a new country from the sight of the people on the street, the traffic, the public transport, the road conditions, the buildings, the weather etc

About Benin

Officially called the Republic of Benin, the country is in West Africa, bordered by Togo in the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso & Niger to the north. It has a short coastline with the Gulf of Benin (Atlantic Ocean) in the south. French is the official language, the country having been part of French West Africa from 1894, until independence (as Dahomey) in 1960. The capital is on the coast at Porto Novo, although Cotonou is the biggest city, and seat of the government. Benin covers an area of 43,500 sq miles, a little under half the size of the UK and has a population of about 13 million, 50% of whom are Christian, 25% follow Islam. The country is heavily dependent on agriculture, and exports palm oil and cotton.

About Cotonou

Cotonou, where I am now, is the largest city with a population of around three quarters of a million in the city and 2 million in the larger urban area. It is situated on the Atlantic coast right at the southern point of the country. The name translates as ‘the river of death’ in the tribal Fon language. It grew from a small fishing village in the 19th century, to a centre of the slave trade. It is now a large port city.

A stroll in Cotonou

After settling into the hotel which is right on the coast by the port, decided to go for a wander around the local streets. Immediately outside the hotel you get accosted (in a friendly way) by people selling socks, fruit from bowls balanced on their heads, and taxi drivers offering rides. Politely declining, I went along a couple of dusty minor roads to the main road we had recently drove in on from the airport. This is an unnaturally wide road with quite light traffic levels as far as I could see. There were a lot of mopeds and motorbikes though, and trucks going in and out the various dock entrances.

I wanted to get a closer look at the so called heritage wall, a temporary concrete wall running along the outside of the docks which has been painted with various murals depicting Benin history. There was some great artwork there.

On the way back, went down a side street and came across a fairly large market, selling mainly fish and fruit. This was right on the waters edge, and collected there was a huge selection of wooden canoe like fishing boats. There seemed to be flags on the boats representing all parts of the globe, and hundreds of people engaged in various activities including mending nets, and playing cards in the nude!

Finally, retired back to the hotel to try and start recovering from 24 hours travelling, and suddenly being dropped into a bustling West African country with all the sights sounds and smells that involves.

Tomorrow, more local exploring.