Ganvié, the lake village

Africa's largest stilt village — twenty thousand people living entirely on the water, reached by pirogue.

The Tofinu built Ganvié on Lake Nokoué in the 17th century because Dahomey's warriors were forbidden to fight on water. It worked, and the village is still there: houses, a school, a mosque and a floating market, all on stilts. We go by motorised pirogue, early, while the fishermen are still out.

What's included

• Pirogue across Lake Nokoué
• The floating market
• Stilt houses and fish pens
• Best light in the early morning