Exploring Togo by Lara

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We reviewed the Infinix Zero 4 Plus in our post here.

Lara (a travel blogger who documents her journey here) travelled to Lome, Togo last year and she is sharing her experience with us.

Togo is one of West Africa’s cheap and accessible destination for tourists looking to escape the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives and for those wanting to travel off the beaten path. Tucked between another French speaking nation, Republic du Benin to the east and English speaking Ghana to the West, the Togolese Republic (French: République togolaise) best-known for the footballer Emmanuel Adebayor and its palm-lined beaches is West Africa’s secret waiting to be explored.

The capital and largest city of Togo is Lomé. Togo gained its independence from France in 1960.

Getting to Togo from Nigeria

The Lomé–Tokoin airport, also known as Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport, is the only international airport in the country if planning to fly in by air. There is no direct flight from Lagos to Lomé and depending on origin of airline, stop overs might be one or two.

A lot of Transport companies such as ABC Transport, Chisco Transport, Efex Express, CrossCountry amongst others ply the Cotonou- Lomé-Accra route daily from Lagos. The bus companies save one from all the border stress and visa stamping and is a lot less cheaper to stamp your visa through a bus company.

Where to stay in Togo

There are a lot of budget and luxury hotels in Togo which can be found on Booking.com and other hotel reservation sites according to your budget, and some you won’t even find on the internet. You can also get to rent private residence on AirBnB. There are also a number of couch surfers in Togo.

 

Tourist Attractions

Waterfalls

The Cascade de Womé is one of the two waterfalls in Kpalimé which is about two hours ride from Lomé. Our guide advised we visit the Womé waterfall instead of Kpimé waterfall also known as the Cascade de Kpimé. The reasons he gave was the Womé fall is easily accessible and closer to the Kpalimé city centre. We bordered a taxi to the fall which took us a little over 30 minutes.

Cascade de Kpime is Togo’s Highest Waterfall which is 611 meters above sea level. It is also said to be the main water source for Kpalime.

Koutammakou

Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba is a cultural landscape designated in 2004 as a UNESCO World Heritage Sitein northern Togo The town is closer to the Togo-Benin Republic border.

The Koutammakou landscape in north-eastern Togo, which extends into neighbouring Benin, is home to the Batammariba whose remarkable mud tower-houses (Takienta) have come to be seen as a symbol of Togo

                                                                         – UNESCO

Koutammakou is the name of a large semi-mountainous region located in north-eastern Togo and which extends into neighbouring Benin. Koutammakou of Togo covers approximately 50 000 ha and joins the border of Benin for 15 km.

Independence Square

Place de l’Independance and the monument is a proclamation for Togo’s independence in 1960. However, it was closed for renovation the day I visited.

Independence Square is also home to the single skyscraper of the city, the imposing Hôtel du 2 Février. The Hôtel du 2 Février is by far the tallest building in Togo with 36 floors and standing at 102m. However, in Lome it is the only high-rise building therefore it is visible just about anywhere in the city.

Beach

The most popular beach is the palm lined beach in Lomé which stretches across the city up till the Aflao Border of Ghana. I went to the beach in Baguida with friends and found it less populated than the beach in Lomé. If looking for peace and tranquillity, the Baguida beach is where you should be.

What I ate

Breakfast: We had breakfast daily at Jeane’s Appart Hotel close to our accommodation.

Lunch/Dinner was at Chez Brovi in Lomé.

 

Baguette Bread

This is one staple I have come to love and I never fail to eat this whenever I see it. One can buy this anywhere from the roadside sellers and bakeries.

Before travelling to Togo

Visa

Citizens from the Nigeria and other ECOWAS nations do not need a visa to travel to Togo, whether for leisure or business purposes. You need a valid passport and the Yellow visa card before you can travel to Togo if you are from ECOWAS nations and the visa-exempt countries, however at the land borders one pays visa stamping which is usually charged outside the bus fee for a sum of two thousand naira (N2,000). If you are travelling alone, you might spend over two thousand naira  crossing the Semé Border alone.

Crossing the land border, you hear statements like “Virgin passport”. This means your passport has never been used across the land borders even if you have flown into the country of destination before.

Currency

CFA franc (XOF)

Official Language

French is the official language of the country, while the recognised national languages are Ewe, Kabiyé amidst a number of other local languages. English is not widely spoken, but you might be lucky to get someone who understands few lines of English. We were able to get around with Tayo’s beginners French.

P.S. You can download to Google Translator

Internet

Wi-Fi hotspots are available almost everywhere in Togo for free. You can visit supermarkets, hotels and restaurants with Wi-Fi access and you can get connected for free.

• All pictures taken by Lara unless otherwise stated.

About the Author

Lara A’ is currently in a 8-5 relationship with Talent Management. Travel is my soulmate while photography is the all understanding side chic. She chronicles her life at www.molarabrown.com.