Jardin des Plantes et de la Nature

About this place

The Jardin des Plantes et de la Nature is a green space in the administrative quarter of Porto-Novo, Benin's official capital. It was originally the sacred forest of the Kingdom of Porto-Novo and probably dates from the 17th century. It is still regarded as a sacred forest under the traditional authority of the Kingdom of Hogbonu, and today it is called the capital's green lung. The forest was a place for settling disputes and carrying out sentences under the king's minister of justice, and it held temples of local deities. In the colonial era part of it became a botanical garden, and it later became a place for teaching about plants. It sits between the National Assembly and the regional hospital. You enter through a wooden gate with a welcome sign and walk red dirt paths between huge trees. Its best-known sights are a giant tree with a twisted, knotted trunk, a round hut with a thatched roof and stone benches in the shade. Small plates on the trees give their names. The Great Mosque is about 1 km away in a straight line. Some parts of the garden are sacred, so do not enter them without permission or touch what is there. Ask at the gate about a guided walk, and bring insect repellent.