W National Park (Benin sector): the Mékrou river and Koudou falls
Elephant, hippo, buffalo, roan, kob, lion (rare), Nile crocodile; Egyptian plover, carmine bee-eaters, rock pratincole on the Mékrou. Parc national du W, Alibori, Benin.
Best time: 1 Feb – 30 Apr (February to April). Where: Chutes de Koudou – Mékrou river, Alfakoara gate, Point Triple (Benin). Time of day: Drives from sunrise to 10:00 and from 16:00 to sunset.
- Guide, ranger or boat needed
- Entry fee
- Binoculars essential
- Sound 3/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 1 Feb – 30 Apr. February to April, when the Mékrou is the only water and animals line its pools
Active from 15 Dec to 15 May (December to May) in a typical year.
Time of day
Drives from sunrise to 10:00 and from 16:00 to sunset; hippos at the falls and river pools from dusk into the night
- Morning drive: sunrise → 10:00
- Afternoon drive: 16:00 → sunset
- Hippos: last light → 2 h after last light
What will you hear?
Hippos in the Mékrou gorge below Koudou falls, the water itself, bee-eaters and pratincoles over the river, and elephants at the pools; nights of hyena and nightjars.
Binoculars?
Binoculars essential. Hippos in the Mékrou gorge and elephants at pools from the vehicle at 100 m+; binoculars needed.
Where to go
- Chutes de Koudou – Mékrou river — Falls and hippo pools on the Benin–Niger border river; camp and ranger post. Map
- Alfakoara gate — Southern entrance near Kandi; also the elephant sanctuary of Alfakoara, where elephants visit the village pools in the dry season. Map
- Point Triple — Where Benin, Niger and Burkina Faso meet on the Niger river; northern tip of the park. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Escorted entry only, arranged with African Parks Benin (park rules and border security); check current travel advice first. Cheapest legal way: bus to Kandi, contact the park office for a guide and the Alfakoara gate.
Cost: Entry plus guide/escort fees; check current prices and whether tourism is open.
Free or no-guide alternative: The Alfakoara elephant pools are a community site outside the park core where elephants come to drink in the dry season, for a small village fee; the Mékrou falls need the escort.
Who runs access
- African Parks – W (park authority) — Park-run
Field-recording notes
African Parks took on the Benin sector of W in 2020 and tourism has been limited and escorted since; the Niger and Burkina Faso borders here are the reason. Check current travel advice and contact African Parks Benin before planning — access, escorts and which sectors are open change from season to season. If you get in, the rules match Pendjari: no leaving the vehicle, no night driving without a guide, no drones. The Mékrou falls give a broadband bed; the hippo pools upstream of the gorge are the quieter spot.
Sources
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More: all spectacles in Benin · elephants · mountain wildlife · Benin in February · Benin in March · April