Togo

Understand

History

In an 1884 treaty signed at Togoville, Germany declared a protectorate over a stretch of territory along the coast and gradually extended its control inland. This became the German colony of Togoland in 1905. After the German defeat during World War I in August 1914 at the hands of British troops (coming from the Gold Coast) and the French troops (coming from Dahomey), Togoland became two League of Nations mandates, administered by the United Kingdom and France. After World War II, these mandates became UN Trust Territories. The residents of British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast as part of the new independent nation of Ghana, and French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French Union. Togo's size is just less than 57,000 km² (22,000 sq mi). It has a population of more than 6,600,000 people, which is dependent mainly on agriculture. The mild weather makes for good growing seasons. Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation. Togo gained its independence from France in 1960. In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, the former leader of the country, led a successful military coup, after which he became President. Eyadéma was the longest-serving leader in African history (after being president for 38 years) at the time of his death in 2005. In 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was elected president. About a third of the population live below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.

People In Togo, there are about 40 different ethnic groups, the most numerous of which are the Ewe in the south (46%, although along the south coastline they account for 21% of the population), Kotokoli and Tchamba in the center, and Kabyé in the north (22%). Another classification lists the Uaci or Ouatchis (14%) as a separate ethnic group from the Ewe, which brings the

See

Lomé's markets, both general and voodoo, are the most popular stop in the country along the road between Ghana and Benin. The smaller towns of Togoville on Lake Togo and Aneho on the ocean are also popular stops for the former's voodoo shrines and historic sights and the latter's beaches. Lately, the coffee growing region around Kpalimé has become popular with the errant tourist in Togo, with a good number of nice hikes, cooler weather, and pleasant views. Perhaps the most alluring part of the country is the hardest to get to—the hilly and sparsely populated north. The best known destination is Tamberma Valley — the Koutammakou UNESCO World Heritage site, to the north of Kara. The local Batammariba people (known by colonists as the Tamberma) constructed and live in unique Takienta (a.k.a. Tata) "tower-houses" of mud and straw, which arguably have become the Togolese national symbol. It's a surreal dreamland of a place, and easily a highlight of a trip to Togo, although it is a journey to get there. Togo's few parks and reserves are relatively rarely visited, but if you manage to make it out there on a safari, Fazao Mafakassa National Park in the center-west of the country is quite beautiful. In the far north of the country is Kéran National Park, with one of the larger elephant populations in West Africa. Aside from Kéran, the north also offers a ton of potential outdoor excursions, with nice hikes up mountains, out to waterfalls, etc. Akloa falls

Do

Sports, especially football, are the main entertaining activity in Togo. You can watch the football league games played in the weekends (check listings). Apart from football, there are several night clubs that can keep you awake at night, and the capital is full of them; the Chess BSBG is among the most popular. TV programs are not the best in the world, with films and sitcoms that have been played for years. The beach offers another type of fun. Many activities and parties are organized there, with people coming from all over Lomé to enjoy the beautiful weather in the weekends. Despite those great things at the beach, you really have to choose a good spot to avoid stepping or sitting on the unwanted.

Buy

Money

The currency of the country is the West African CFA franc, denoted CFA (ISO currency code: XOF). It's also used by seven other West African countries. It is interchangeab

Getting there

Entry requirements A 7-day visa will cost you CFA 10,000-15,000 depending on your nationality at the border or Airport. A one month visa extension costs CFA 500, plus two photo ID (~CFA 1000 for 4 photos). A 30-day visa bought from the Togo Embassy in London costs £55.

By plane

Several airlines offer regular flights to Lomé (LFW IATA). Ethiopian Airlines and Royal Air Maroc have some good return fares from Europe to Lome. You can also fly to Accra airport in Ghana then get a comfortable, air-conditioned, and reasonably priced bus from Accra to the border at Aflao. At Aflao, people must walk across the border into Lomé and find their own transport inside Togo.

By car There are bush taxis everywhere. These are basically four door cars, with four people in the back, and two sharing the front. From either Accra or Benin, you can take bush taxis for US$5 to Lomé. From there, you can take them out to more rural areas. You can also offer to pay for the entire car, so that you're not cramped. For this, calculate the price of six people, and then bargain down from there. The Trans-West African Coastal Highway crosses Togo, connecting it to Benin and Nigeria to the east, and Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire to the west. When construction in Liberia and Sierra Leone is finished, the highway will continue west to 7 other ECOWAS nations. A paved highway also connects Togo northwards to Burkina Faso and from there north-west to Mali and north-east to Niger.

By bus There are overland buses from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Benin.

Getting around

A taxi-moto (motorcycle taxi) will cost CFA 150-500 to get you around. You can tell who the taxi-moto drivers are: they will honk or hiss at you as they drive by and usually wear baseball caps and sunglasses. A taxi will usually cost about CFA 500 for a one-way short trip inside the city, for trips to the northern parts of the city expect to pay up to CFA 2,500. Taxis will have yellow licence plates and their registration number painted on the car. Always negotiate before you get on/in, the quoted price will include tip. Sometimes, when you are on a side street, it might be helpful if you ask a security guard to wave down a taxi for you. Tipping CFA 300-600 is expected.

By train There is no train service in Togo.