West-African Benin, formerly the kingdom of Dahomey, is a narrow country literally sqeezed in between Togo in the west and Nigeria in the east. From the Atlantic coastal plain in the south the land slowly rises towards the north. The highest mountains are in the northwest region: the Atakora mountain range with peaks over 900 m.

There are hiking possibilities in the Atakora mountains. Also worth a visit are the two national parks of Benin, Pendjari National Park and ‘W' National Park, both of which are teeming with wildlife.