50 Pioneers expected
The people who will walk this path with you
What if your roots were here?
Seven days in Benin, from 3 to 9 January 2027, to discover who your ancestors were, the lands they lived in, how they resisted and what survived.
- Vodun Days 2027
- 740,000 festival-goers
- Organised by Bénin Roots
Where do I come from?
- You know the place of the rupture.
- You may know the name of a port, of a coast.
- But before the rupture, there were peoples, kingdoms, families.
Kalọ̀ sí ilé® begins where other journeys end.
The ancestor must not be reduced to the status of an enslaved person.
It is not just a trip.
It is an experience of discovery, transmission and reconnection.
A tourist trip
- A tourist
- Visiting sites
- A series of visits
- Seeing Ouidah
Kalọ̀ sí ilé®
A journey of memory- A traveller of memory
- Discovering who your ancestors were
- A story that unfolds
- Understanding why Ouidah
Six questions to find those who came before us
The traveller does not only come to find the place from which their ancestors were deported. They first come to discover who they were.
Who were they?
Peoples · families · territories · cultures · kingdoms
What happened to them?
Slave trade · deportation · violence · rupture · trading posts
What do we find today?
Memory · dialogue · africa · diaspora · transmission
Seven stages. One story.
From Porto-Novo to Ouidah, the itinerary is built as a progressive narrative. Each stage brings a different dimension of memory.
01/07Porto-NovoStage shown on the map
Stage 01 · 4 January 2027
Porto-Novo
I begin to search
Legacies
Before searching for what happened to our ancestors, let us discover who they were.
- Vodoun Museum
- Bayol square
- Kpakliyao temple
Stage 02 · 4 January 2027
Kétou
I trace the footsteps back
Roots and resistance
From which cultural world did our ancestors come?
- Akaba Idenan
- Redemption square
- Kouhoudou square
Stage 03 · 5 January 2027
Savè
I discover the territories
Resistance
The story of our ancestors does not begin on the coast. It reaches deep into the inland territories.
- Oké Shabè
- Fiditi
- Entrenchments and hiding places
Stage 04 · 5 January 2027
Savalou
I meet memory and resistance
A land of memory, royalty and tradition
Territory, memory and spirituality all contribute to the survival of communities.
- Slave Route
- Pan-African Pantheon of Resistance
- Royal Palace
Stage 05 · 5 January 2027
Abomey
I understand the kingdoms
The heart of Danxomè
Understanding the societies before and during the slave trade gives our ancestors back their historical depth.
- Singbodji square
- Kingdom of Danxomè
- Cultural evening of Vodoun dance
Stage 06 · 6 January 2027
Grand-Popo / Agoué
I find the roads to the sea
Memory and resilience
We reach the coast, where the world of our ancestors met Atlantic history.
- Coastal societies
- Trading posts
- Lagoon routes
Highlight · Vodun Days 2027
Stage 07 · 7 and 8 January 2027
Ouidah
I face the great memory of the diaspora
The heart of the experience
In Ouidah, we do not discover who our ancestors were. We discover what happened to them.
- Route of the Ancestors
- Places of memory of the slave trade
- Museum city
They left. Their story went on. We have come back.
Vodun Days 2027: what survived
For two days, Kalọ̀ sí ilé® joins Ouidah at the heart of the international festival of arts, culture and spirituality.
740,000 festival-goers in Ouidah at the 3rd edition
From 2 to 9 January 2027
4th edition of the festival in Ouidah: the museum city, the festival village, the concerts by the sea.
On 7 and 8 January
Kalọ̀ sí ilé® takes part in the official activities of the festival, closing show included.
Heritage, not religion
Vodoun is discovered as a living cultural heritage. You need not be a practitioner, and you remain free to take part or not.
Vodun Days in pictures
Vodun Days, Ouidah, previous editions
The journey does not end when you return.
Every Pioneer comes home with objects, with ties and with a story. What begins in Benin carries on where you live.
Handed over on arrival
Roots Passport
Handed to you on arrival in Cotonou, it follows you through the stages, the encounters and the places visited. Every territory leaves its mark in it.
Journey certificate
The official record of your journey, from Porto-Novo to Ouidah.
Bénin Roots community
Access to the community of travellers, before, during and after the journey.
A story to pass on
Stories, places, names. Enough to tell your family where it comes from.
Become one of the 50 PioneersI came to find my roots. I leave with a story to pass on.
Fifty places, not one more.
A first edition, opened by those who will live it first.
The Pioneers become ambassadors of the concept, for a true return to the source.
They come from
- Guadeloupe
- French Guiana
- France
- Brazil
- Haiti
- United States
- Canada
Kalọ̀ sí ilé® Bénin Roots Vodun Days 2027
- 7 days / 6 nights
- From 3 to 9 January 2027
- A group of 50 Pioneers
What is included
Logistics
- Welcome in Cotonou
- Airport transfers
- Transport across the tour
- Accommodation, 6 nights
- Breakfasts and planned meals
Support
- Bénin Roots local guides
- WhatsApp support throughout
- Assistance for the whole stay
Experiences
- Full 7-stage tour
- Memorial journey
- Vodun Days activities
- Encounters with cultural figures
- Time shared in community
- Cultural evenings
Keepsakes
- Roots Passport
- Bénin Roots travel journal
- Photo and video session
- Welcome kit
To arrange on your side
- International flightEveryone leaves from their own country
- VisaOnline e-Visa, €50
- Travel insuranceStrongly recommended
- Personal expensesDrinks, meals not included, purchases
Your investment
1,190,000 FCFAper person
about €1,814, flight not included
400,000 FCFA to book your seat
When you book
400,000 FCFA
about €610
On arrival
790,000 FCFA
once you have been driven to the hotel
Registration closes in 55 days
Secure payment · Instant receipt · Transparent cancellation
A journey carried by identified people.
[FOUNDER NAME]
Founder of Bénin Roots · Economics journalist
A journalist specialising in economic and development issues, long attentive to the ties between Africa and its diaspora.
Kalọ̀ sí ilé® was born from a conviction: the return begins with the story of those who came before us.
Bénin Roots
Roots tourism, memory and reconnection in Benin.
On the ground
Experienced guides and partners, local coordination, a contact person reachable throughout the stay.
PROGENITEL SARL
The legal entity behind Bénin Roots. Maison Monnou, Akassato, Abomey-Calavi.
Your questions, our answers
Another question? An adviser answers on WhatsApp, usually the same day.
No. The journey is cultural and heritage-based. Vodun is approached as living heritage, with respect for the communities: no initiation, no membership, and you do not need to be a practitioner.
No. Every activity is presented to you in advance, and you remain free to join it or not, at every stage.
Yes. Private and family formats are available on request. Say so when you request the programme and an adviser will prepare a proposal for you.
In French. Language support for English- and Portuguese-speaking travellers is being studied for the 2027 edition.
Because seven days are organised from end to end. €1,814 per person covers transport between the seven territories, accommodation, local organisation, guidance and cultural discoveries. Payment is spread over 3 instalments.
Yes, you could. The difference is the local organisation, an itinerary built as a narrative and coordinated providers. You spend your time meeting people, not on logistics.
It is not included, deliberately: everyone leaves from home, from Guadeloupe, French Guiana, France, Brazil, Haiti, the United States or Canada. The welcome at Cotonou airport and transfers on site are included.
This amount confirms your seat. It also starts the booking of the services: accommodation, transport, access to activities. The balance, 790,000 FCFA, is paid on arrival, once you have been driven to the hotel.
The terms depend on the date. They are set out in the cancellation policy and presented before any payment. No cancellation is possible after 30 November 2026: travel insurance is strongly recommended.
Bénin Roots, whose legal entity is PROGENITEL SARL, based in Abomey-Calavi. The programme, terms, partners and contacts are presented to you before any confirmation: see who is behind the project.
A local coordination team is with you at every stage. One contact stays reachable throughout the stay, including on WhatsApp.
The visa is applied for entirely online, on Benin e-Visa: €50 for a 30-day single-entry tourist visa. Your passport must be valid 6 months after your return, and a yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory.
- Leave
- Discover
- Understand
- Reconnect
- Pass it on
What if the return began here?
From 3 to 9 January 2027, fifty Pioneers will set out in search of those who came before them. Your seat can be booked today, with a 400,000 FCFA deposit.
- 400,000 FCFA deposit
- Payment in 2 instalments
- Closing in 55 days