In Ouidah, on the coast of Benin, the Slave Route traces over four kilometers the journey imposed on captives between the selection square and the boarding beach. This memorial path, marked by six stages, recalls the central role the city played in the Atlantic slave trade between the 17^th and 19^th centuries.

Why walk the Slave Route

The site is among the principal places of memory for the slave trade in West Africa. Ouidah is presented as the second departure point for enslaved people behind Pointe-Noire (Congo), ahead of Gorée (Senegal), Cape Coast (Ghana) and Zanzibar — a ranking advanced by local guides that historians nuance according to different periods.

• A linear path marked by six symbolic stages.
• Monuments, statues and ritual trees that materialize each pivotal moment of the journey.
• A deep anchoring in Vodun culture, still vibrant in Ouidah.
• A historical complement to the History Museum housed in the former Portuguese fort.

Ouidah, port of the Atlantic slave trade

From the 17^th to the 19^th century, Ouidah became one of the principal slave trading posts in the Gulf of Guinea. Portuguese, French, English and Danish traders established forts and trading posts there. The kingdom of Danxomè (Dahomey), whose kings ruled from Abomey, controlled the supply of captives, captured during raids inland.

Chacha, central figure of the slave trade

The square that opens the route bears the name of Félix Francisco de Souza, known as "Chacha," a merchant of Portuguese-Brazilian origin who settled in Ouidah in the 19^th century. According to oral tradition, he helped King Guézo escape prison and reclaim the throne from his brother Adandozan, who had imprisoned him and sold his mother. In gratitude, Guézo appointed him First Vice-King of the region and gave him a plot of land where his family house still stands. Tradition credits him with 41 wives—41 being considered a lucky number—and 135 children.

The six stages of the journey

1. Chacha Square: the selection

This is where captives were examined and purchased by slave traders. Strong, robust men and women were sought; the Yoruba from neighboring Nigeria were among the most deported, deemed hardy and fertile. Once purchased, enslaved people were marked with a hot iron so their owners could recognize them upon arrival. Depending on the period, it took anywhere from a week to two months to assemble a full cargo. To spare their relatives from this manhunt, kings had scarification marks made on their descendants, distinctive signs that made them "untouchable" and identifiable.

2. The Tree of Forgetting

Once chained, captives were led to a tree planted, according to local tradition, in the 17^th century by the king with the complicity of Portuguese merchants. Men had to circle it nine times, women seven. The ritual aimed to make them forget their names, families, and culture, reducing them to the status of objects. The numbers 9 and 7 referred to a belief of the time: people thought men possessed nine pairs of ribs and women seven (anatomy actually shows twelve for everyone). A tree has since been replanted on the site, accompanied by a statue of a mermaid facing the sea.

3. Zoungbodji, the last village

Before boarding, captives were gathered at Zoungbodji, then a forested and swampy area. They were starved there to break any will to rebel; they were sometimes served undrinkable water. The most resilient survived. Rebels had an akoko, a piece of wood usually used to guide cattle, forced into their mouths. The stay at Zoungbodji lasted, according to oral tradition, about 66 and a half days—the time needed to gather enough captives to fill a ship.

4. The cemetery

Next to the storage hut at Zoungbodji lay a mass grave, about ten meters deep and six meters wide. The dead, sick, and exhausted were thrown in indiscriminately, men and women alike. A memorial marks the site today.

5. The Tree of Return

This tree embodied the hope of spiritual return. Captives circled it three times to allow their souls, should they die during the crossing, to return and rest on ancestral lands. The ritual took place under the invocation of the Egungun, the returning spirits, essential figures in the Vodun tradition.

6. The Gate of No Return

The path leads to the beach, where the Gate of No Return stands, a monument inaugurated in 1995. On its carved facades, six bas-reliefs retrace the stages of the journey. It was from this beach that captives, ferried in small pirogues, reached the caravels anchored offshore for the transatlantic crossing.

Visiting the site

• Duration: allow 2 to 3 hours to walk the entire path from Chacha Square to the Gate of No Return.
• Distance: approximately 4 km, walkable on foot, by taxi-moto (zémidjan) or by car with stops.
• Guide: the visit greatly benefits from being done with an English-speaking guide trained in the site's history, who contextualizes each stage and shares the oral tradition.
• Rates: modest entrance fees at some sites (Gate of No Return, memorials), guide services available for a fee to be negotiated on site.
• Season: the dry season (November to February) is most comfortable; avoid heavy rains from June-July.
• Respect for the site: this is a memorial site. Dress appropriately, maintain silence in areas of reflection, take photographs discreetly.

Access from Cotonou

Ouidah is located about 40 km west of Cotonou, on the coastal road leading to Grand-Popo and Togo. Several options:

• Private car or taxi: 1 to 1.5 hours depending on traffic leaving Cotonou.
• Shared taxi-brousse: regular departures from Dantokpa market, an economical but less comfortable option.
• Organized excursion: most agencies offer Ouidah as a day trip, often combined with Ganvié or Abomey.

Once there, zémidjans (motorcycle taxis) make it easy to connect the different stages of the route.

What to see around Ouidah

Take advantage of your visit to deepen your immersion in Beninese history and spirituality:

• The Python Temple: a major center of Vodun worship, across from the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
• The Ouidah History Museum: housed in the former Portuguese fort São João Baptista, it perfectly complements the path's visit.
• The sacred forest Kpassè Zoun: sacred woodland linked to the founder king of Ouidah.
• The Egungun dance: to understand the returning spirits mentioned in the Tree of Return ritual.
• The Great Mosque of Porto-Novo: to the east, in the administrative capital.
• The Mono River: natural border with Togo, west of Ouidah.

Frequently asked questions

Include Ouidah in your Benin journey

The Slave Route features in most of our cultural itineraries in Benin, often paired with Abomey, Ganvié and Porto-Novo. To create a bespoke trip blending memory, Vodun and nature, consult our guide to Benin travel.