Togo

Highlands, Waterfalls and Forest Trails

Head north from the coast and Togo's landscape transforms entirely. The Atakora Mountains rise through mist and green hills around Kpalimé, a laid-back town that serves as the gateway to waterfalls, butterfly sanctuaries and trails through coffee and cocoa plantations. Further north, the Fazao-Malfakassa National Park shelters elephants, buffalo and monkeys across a vast plateau of savannah and woodland. The hiking here is genuinely rewarding and the visitor numbers refreshingly low.

Tamberma Valley and the Tata Somba Towers

In the far north near Koutammakou, the Batammariba people have built extraordinary fortified clay tower houses, known as tata somba, that are unlike anything else on the continent. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this living cultural landscape is still home to farming communities who maintain centuries-old building and spiritual traditions. A visit here, whether staying in a local guesthouse or arriving on a day trip from Kara, is one of the most memorable experiences in West Africa.

Coast, Palm Wine and a Slower Rhythm

Togo's Atlantic coast stretches south of Lomé through a series of fishing villages, lagoons and palm-fringed beaches where pirogues head out at dawn and return heavy by mid-morning. Aneho, the former colonial capital, sits on a narrow strip of land between a lagoon and the sea, its crumbling German-era buildings lending a quiet, faded elegance to lazy afternoon walks. Whether you arrive seeking spiritual depth, wild nature or simply the pleasure of a West African fishing village where few other travellers stop, Togo delivers with warmth and without fuss.