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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Africa

Africa

Benin

A Ramsar river mouth where leatherback turtles nest and manatees live.

Leatherback turtle
Leatherback turtle, found in the waters of the wider region · Photo: Max Gotts on Unsplash
Story only

Story only, for now. We love learning about this place and its ocean, so we share its story here and do not sell trips yet. Checked by Ocean Calling on 6 Oct 2026. Sources: Local fishers engaged for sea turtles conservation, Bouche du Roy, Van Tienhoven Foundation; Ramsar Sites Information Service, Bouche du Roy (site 1017); Benin travel advice, UK FCDO (gov.uk).

Why: Near Grand-Popo, Benin's Bouche du Roy is a Ramsar wetland and part of the Mono Biosphere Reserve, where leatherback and olive ridley turtles nest on the beaches from August to March, peaking in November to January. The government announced a marine protected area there in 2022, and local fishers and ecoguards are trained to guard nests and run turtle hatcheries. We share this story and the people behind it, and we never touch turtles, move eggs or disturb nests.

Turtles

Why Benin

At Bouche du Roy, near Grand-Popo, the Mono river meets the sea in a Ramsar protected area created in 2016. It shelters African manatees and leatherback turtles, which nest on the Grand-Popo beach from November to March. Local conservation groups run turtle hatcheries.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

TanzaniaW. SaharaDem. Rep. CongoKenyaSudanChadFranceSenegalMaliMauritaniaBeninNigerNigeriaCameroonTogoGhanaCôte d'IvoireGuineaGuinea-BissauLiberiaSierra LeoneBurkina FasoCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiAngolaBurundiGambiaAlgeriaEritreaSaudi ArabiaMoroccoEgyptLibyaEthiopiaUgandaRwandaS. SudanBouche du Roy and Grand-Popo, Benin

When to go

Nov-Mar. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We share this place as a story so you can learn. There is no Ocean Calling trip.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Story only

We tell the story. We do not sell a trip here.

Checked 6 Oct 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
The story

Where in Benin

We share these places as stories and research notes. We do not offer or sell trips here.

Bouche du Roy and Grand-Popo

Story only

A river mouth, lagoon and long beach in the south-west, protected by local communities.

Also seen: Sea turtles (nesting beach, hatchery work)

When: Nov-Mar. Leatherback nesting is reported from November to March.

Animals

Animals recorded in Benin

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Leatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerableOlive ridley turtles nesting on Playa Ostional, Costa RicaOlive ridley turtleLepidochelys olivaceaSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredHumpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernMother and calf manatee diving together in the Casamance River, SenegalWest African manateeTrichechus senegalensisSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTwo Atlantic humpback dolphin dorsal fins at the surface of calm water in Guinea-BissauAtlantic humpback dolphinSousa teusziiSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredScalloped hammerhead shark cruising in deep blue Red Sea waterScalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewiniSeen in 57 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredWhite shark swimming under sunlit surface with small fish nearbyWhite sharkCarcharodon carchariasSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBull shark swimming in clear blue water off Quintana Roo, MexicoBull sharkCarcharhinus leucasSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBlacktip shark swimming in green water in the GalápagosBlacktip sharkCarcharhinus limbatusSeen in 49 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitespotted eagle ray gliding over reef and sand in BelizeWhitespotted eagle rayAetobatus narinariSeen in 58 countries in the AtlasEndangeredShortfin mako shark at Condor Bank in the North Atlantic, AzoresShortfin makoIsurus oxyrinchusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasEndangeredBlue shark swimming in open blue water off the Azores with a diver in the backgroundBlue sharkPrionace glaucaSeen in 50 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedHippopotamuses resting in a lagoon on Orango island with only their backs above the water and trees along the shoreCommon hippopotamusHippopotamus amphibiusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableBlackchin guitarfish lying on pale sand beside rocks, with a shark-like tail and two tall dorsal finsBlackchin guitarfishGlaucostegus cemiculusSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredFreshwater sawfish (largetooth sawfish) in the Townsville region, Queensland, AustraliaSawfish (largetooth and smalltooth)Pristis pristis and Pristis pectinataSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredSpiny dogfish resting on the seabed at the Josephine Marie shipwreck, Stellwagen Bank National Marine SanctuarySpiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDusky grouper underwater at Cabo de Palos, SpainDusky grouperEpinephelus marginatusSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasVulnerableDiver beside an Atlantic goliath grouper at Dry Tortugas National ParkGoliath grouperEpinephelus itajaraSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTarpon swimming in open blue water with a dense school of small fish behind it, off St John in the US Virgin IslandsAtlantic tarponMegalops atlanticusSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasVulnerableMilk sharkRhizoprionodon acutusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasVulnerableAtlantic weasel sharkParagaleus pectoralisSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasEndangeredCommon smooth-hound swimming just above a sandy seabed, with a slim grey-brown body and two dorsal finsCommon smooth-houndMustelus mustelusSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasEndangeredReed cormorant perched on a low stump among tall reedsReed cormorant (long-tailed cormorant)Microcarbo africanusSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAfrican darter with wings spread low over the water, droplets flyingAfrican darterAnhinga rufaSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Curious?

Why this is a story, not a trip

Read our ethics check above. If you would like to talk about it, Rocío is happy to explain.

Ask RocíoBack to the Ocean Atlas

Also in Africa
AngolaCabo VerdeCameroonCôte d'IvoireDemocratic Republic of the CongoEquatorial GuineaGabonGambiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaLiberiaMauritaniaMozambiqueNamibiaNigeriaRepublic of the CongoSaint HelenaSão Tomé and PríncipeSenegalSierra LeoneSouth AfricaTanzaniaTogoWestern Sahara

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