Lake Nokoué: Porto-Novo's Lagoon & Stilt Village Waterscape
The vast shallow Lake Nokoué connects Porto-Novo to Cotonou through a network of waterways — traditional fishing villages, the Ganvié stilt city, and extraordinary bird life on an inland sea
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Porto-Novo Lagoon Pirogue
The lagoon that connects Porto-Novo to the coast can be explored by traditional pirogues — the waterway is the historic highway between the capital and the port
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Water Village of Aguégués
The water village of Aguégué east of Porto-Novo is less visited than Ganvié but just as fascinating — a community built entirely on stilts with a market delivered by canoe
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Lake Nokoué Birdlife
The lake's shallow waters attract huge concentrations of waders — African spoonbills, gray herons and African sacred ibis that feed on the emerging vegetation
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Traditional fish trap culture
The intricate wooden fishing systems at Lake Nokoué – called acadja – create artificial reefs that concentrate the fish for easy harvesting; an ancient sustainable fishery
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Sunset on the Porto-Novo Lagoon
The lagoon at sunset from Porto-Novo beach — fishermen returning with the day's catch, smoke from cooking fires rising from the stilt villages and the sky turning red
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Porto-Novo to Cotonou by Pirogue
The traditional route between Benin's two major cities is by lagoon pirogue - a journey through waterways that bypasses the congested road and reveals the watery world between the cities