Scan a map of West Africa, and it’s easy to miss Togo, a narrow sliver nestled on the Gulf of Guinea between Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Benin. But this pint-sized nation encompasses some 40 ethnic groups and an ecosystem spectrum from dry savanna to coastal forest and palm-cloaked lagoons. Laidback and sun-kissed, the Togolese Republic (as it’s formally known) is a great place for kicking back on the beach, living it up in a Lomé nightclub, or seeing the wild side of West Africa.
Lomé’s certainly the best base camp for any Togo visitor. For one thing, devotees of sand and surf have some first-rate beaches near at hand. To survey native Togo art, clothing, and foodstuffs and browse countless other wares, there’s the flashy Grand Market. Its more exotic counterpart is the Voodoo Fetish Market, where heaps of animal parts, statuettes, and amulets provide a head-spinning introduction to the voodoo spirituality indigenous to this stretch of West Africa.
To the north, set amid lush highlands swathed in coffee and cocoa plantations, lies another tourism hub: the large town of Kpalimé. Besides its craft and food markets and scattered colonial-era buildings, Kpalimé offers a base for guided treks into the hills of the hinterland: Splendid waterfalls, the summits of Mounts Agou and Kloto, and the bird-rich depths of the Misahöhe Forest Reserve make for popular excursions.
Traveling farther north, you’ll find the iconic mud houses of the Batammariba in Koutammakou; the Muslim-dominated city of Sokodé, which feels a bit like a piece of North Africa laid down in the Togolese tropics; and several of Togo’s main national parks, including the rugged and biodiverse Fazao Mafakassa (which harbors everything from forest-dwelling chimps and bongos to a herd of several dozen elephants).
With its multiethnic makeup and its topographic and ecological diversity, Togo feels like several different countries stacked together from the Bight of Benin seashore to the savannas of the Burkina Faso line. Amid the rich depths of this fascinating slice of West Africa, you’ll quickly forget the narrowness of the borders.
12 things not to miss.
- Tamberma valleyVisit the Tamberma valley
- a voodoo ceremony at Lake TogoWitness a voodoo ceremony at Lake Togo
- Surf the breaks near AnéhoSurf the breaks near Aného
- Fazao Malfakassa National ParkTogo’s biggest park includes gorgeous cliffs, canyons, and waterfalls as well as woodlands inhabited by bongos, chimps, and perhaps lions.
- Keran National ParkThis far northern park has been hammered in the past by poaching, but antelope, buffalo, elephants, and other wildlife are recovering.
- SokodeThe second-biggest of Togo’s cities has a strong Islamic bent—more Sahelian than West African in look and feel—and thrums along with regular festivals.
- Grand MarketShop for all manner of indigenous wares while sampling local cuisine and music at Lomé’s central marketplace.
- Akodessewa Fetish MarketSaid to be the biggest fetish market on Earth, this Voudon/Voodoo bazaar in Lomé offers immense stockpiles of animal heads and other magical items.
- BaguidaNot far from Lome, this town positions you perfectly to enjoy some of Togo’s best Gulf of Guinea beaches.
- KpalimeBesides being a popular launchpad for ecotourism in the verdant Plateaux Region, this town has some well-preserved colonial relics and busy craft markets.
- Mount AgouThis majestic spur of Benin’s Atakora Mountains, not far from Kpalime, is Togo’s loftiest peak at 3,234 feet.
- KoutammakouThis UNESCO World Heritage Site in the north showcases the lovely traditional mud-and-thatch architecture of the Batammariba people.
