Highlights
Lomé
The coastal capital sits right on the border with Ghana. The Grand Marché is a multi-storey market famous for the 'Nana Benz', women traders who built fortunes selling wax-print cloth, and palm-lined beaches run along the city's seafront boulevard.
Akodésséwa fetish market
On the edge of Lomé, this market sells ingredients for traditional vodun medicine and rituals, including dried animal parts, herbs and charms. It can be confronting, but it gives an insight into beliefs that remain important in the region.
Koutammakou
In the north-east, the Batammariba people build takienta, two-storey earth tower-houses with granaries on the roof. The landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and local guides lead visits to the villages.
Kpalimé and the plateau
A market town in green hills near the Ghana border, with cocoa and coffee plantations, waterfalls, butterflies and walks up Mount Kloto. Mount Agou, the highest point in Togo, rises nearby.
Lake Togo and Togoville
A lagoon east of Lomé where pirogues cross to Togoville, a town with vodun shrines, a Catholic cathedral and a monument to the 1884 treaty that made the territory a German protectorate.
Aného
A former colonial capital on the coast near the Benin border, with faded colonial buildings, a lagoon and a strong vodun tradition, including a major annual festival among the Guin people.
Fazao-Malfakassa National Park
Togo's largest protected area, with forested hills, waterfalls and savannah in the centre-west of the country. Wildlife is shy, and facilities are basic.
Interesting facts about Togo
- Togo's Atlantic coastline is only around 56 kilometres long, while the country stretches more than 500 kilometres inland.
- Togo was a German protectorate from 1884; after the First World War it was divided between France and Britain, and the British part later became part of Ghana.
- The Nana Benz traders of Lomé earned their nickname from the Mercedes-Benz cars they bought with the profits of the wax-cloth trade.
- The takienta houses of Koutammakou have shaped the architecture of the Batammariba people for generations and are a symbol of the country.
- Togo is one of the countries where vodun, the West African religion from which Haitian vodou descends, is widely practised.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit is during the dry season, from roughly November to March, when roads are easier and the weather less humid, although the dusty harmattan wind from the Sahara can bring hazy skies from about December to February. The south has two rainy seasons, roughly April to July and September to October, while the north has a single rainy season from about May to October. Rains can make rural roads difficult.
Practical information
| Capital | Lomé |
|---|---|
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Languages | French (official), Ewe and Kabiyè (national languages) |
| Plugs | Type C, E |
| Voltage | 220 V, 50 Hz |
| Emergency | 117 police (161 from a mobile), 118 fire |
| Driving | On the right |
| Tipping | Not obligatory, but small tips for guides, drivers and restaurant staff are appreciated. |
Getting around
A main north–south highway links Lomé with Atakpamé, Sokodé, Kara and Dapaong, and shared taxis and minibuses run along it, leaving when full. In towns, motorbike taxis known as zémidjans or 'zems' are the quickest way around; agree the fare first and ask for a helmet. Hiring a car with a driver is a comfortable option for touring the north. Roads off the main routes can be rough, particularly in the rainy season.
Staying connected in Togo
Mobile coverage is generally good in Lomé, Kpalimé, Kara and other towns, with 4G available in the capital and some larger towns. Coverage weakens in rural areas, in the hills and in parts of the north, and some villages have little or no signal. Wi-Fi is available in many hotels in Lomé but less often elsewhere, and power cuts can occur. Download offline maps for longer journeys. Install an eSIM before you fly and switch it on when you land.
See Togo eSIM plans · How to install an eSIM
Useful apps for Togo
- Gozem: A West African ride-hailing app operating in Lomé, for cars and motorbike taxis with fares shown upfront.
- Google Maps: Navigating Lomé and planning road journeys; download offline maps for the north.
- Google Translate: French translation, with an offline pack, for markets and rural areas where English is uncommon.
- WhatsApp: Widely used to contact guides, drivers and guesthouses.