West of Ouidah, the Mono river reaches the sea through a delta shared by Benin and Togo. The Beninese part is known as the Bouche du Roy. It is not a famous site, and the public information about it is thin. This page says what the sources establish and what you must check yourself.
What the sources say
The reserve has an official visitor website, coordinated by the NGO Eco-Bénin. It presents the Bouche du Roy as part of the Mono transboundary biosphere reserve (MAB UNESCO), shared by Benin and Togo. Its partners include Eco-Bénin, IUCN, GIZ, the municipality of Grand-Popo and CENAGREF, the national wildlife authority.
The project behind it began in 2013, according to the World Bank, building on local conservation initiatives. The community conservation area of the Bouche du Roy was created in 2016, according to an academic study. Part of the Ramsar site no. 1017 has also covered part of the transboundary reserve since 2016, according to the Ramsar record.
The exact date of the UNESCO recognition and the total area of the reserve are À VÉRIFIER: we did not find an official source for them.
What lives there
The reserve's visitor site lists, among others, the African manatee, the olive ridley turtle, the slaty egret, the striated heron and the African openbill, as well as the kapok tree. The list on the page is not complete, and we give no numbers of species.
Before you plan a visit
The reserve's own site has pages on circuits, practical information, tourist rules and a tourist charter. Read them first. What we cannot confirm, and therefore do not state:
- how far it is from Ouidah and how to get there;
- which tours are offered, when, and at what price;
- who the local guides are and how to book them.
Contact the reserve through its official site. Ask your accommodation in Ouidah too. If you want to combine it with Vodun sites, see our pages on the Sacred Forest and on memory tourism.
Sources
- Bouche du Roy, reserve website: "Biodiversité": presentation as part of the Mono transboundary biosphere reserve, species listed, partners.
- World Bank, West Africa Coastal Areas Programme: Mono Delta Transboundary Biosphere Reserve: start of the project in 2013.
- Ramsar Information Sheet, site no. 1017: overlap with the transboundary reserve since 2016. The link may be unavailable.
- GIZ, Transboundary Biosphere Reserve in the Mono Delta: background on the project.
Last verified on 10 November 2026. If you spot a mistake, tell us.
Restitution 2.0
Ouidah Origins is more than a travel resource; it is an infrastructure for memory. Read our manifesto on why we believe the Slave Route is not a tourist attraction.
Read the Manifesto
