Towns & Cities of Togo

AGBODRAFO
Half an hour by car from Lomé is Agbodrafo , an ancient Portuguese city (formerly Porto Seguro ) which is now a quiet little town on the shores of Lake Togo; The town of Agbodrafo has been recognized as part of the ” Coast of Slaves “. One can discover there some vestiges of this past such as the ” house of the slaves ” ( Woold Home ) or the well of the chained ones.Surrounded by small villages, Lake Togo , a 64 km2 lake full of fish and aquatic life , is one of the most welcoming places in the country where you can practice water sports.

ANÉHO
Located 15 kilometers east of Agbodrafo , Aného is the spiritual center of the Guin-Mina people. The city is built near a winding lagoon and is surrounded by fishing villages and coconut groves. Formerly the center of the slave trade , Aného was the first center of German administration . Later, it became the first capital of the territory.

Nowadays, Aného retains the soul of a small colonial town from the 19th Century. It is a peaceful city of fishermen and farmers , an agricultural center renowned for its production of cassava , an important food crop. In Aného , we can observe the functioning of fishing cooperatives, these large groups of fishing families who share the catch.

ATAKPAME
The thriving hill town of Atakpamé completes the ” coffee-cocoa triangle ” formed by Kpalimé , Badou and Atakpamé. In the past, Atakpamé was a mountain refuge . Later, during German colonization , the city became an agricultural and administrative center. With a little luck, we can attend a tchebé dance performance on stilts . It is one of the most famous dances of Togo and one of the specialties of the region. Today, Atakpamé remains a major agricultural center. It is also a production center; there is an important textile factory there.

BADOU
A short distance from Kpalimé , the small town of Badou nestles in a green and fertile valley surrounded by wooded hills and coffee plantations on the hillsides. Almost all of Badou’s inhabitants are planters or traders, and agriculture is the main topic of conversation. The harvest takes place in early November and Badou then becomes the center of feverish activity. Farmers come to town with their agricultural produce and large trucks leave the valley loaded with coffee and cocoa for Lomé for export.

BAGUIDA / AVÉPOZO
You will find the most beautiful beaches in Togo between Baguida and Avépozo (about 20 km from Lomé towards Benin ). Fine sandy beaches lined with coconut palms …

BASSAR / BANDJÉLI
Dominated by arid mountains , crisscrossed by rivers , the Bassar region offers splendid panoramas over an area of wooded savannahs. The region is famous for being the center of yam cultivation. Each year the yam festival , ” D’pontr / N’dack ” ( harvest festival ), marks the beginning of a new year in Bassar and Konkomba country. The region also conceals magnificent blast furnaces which attest to the ancestral work of iron in the region.

DAPAONG
The city of Dapaong is nestled in the hollow of the hills. It is an ideal place to go to meet the Moba country or to discover the many historical sites. The caves and granaries of Nano and Maproug flanked in the hollow of the cliff and the cave paintings of Namoudjoga are among the major tourist attractions of the region.

KANDÉ
About fifty kilometers north of Kara , we will discover the Koutammakou landscape , classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO ( 2004 ). An exceptional site both for the authentic character of the local populations and for their traditional habitat : the takienta. In Kandé , you have to take the track for about 15 km before arriving at the entrance to the site.

KARA
Kara is at the heart of the visit to North Togo. The city makes it possible to shine towards the many natural and cultural sites of the region including the Koutammakou landscape , a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kara has a large hotel structure and many restaurants. Kara is a growing city. It quickly became a modern center of administration and production as part of the government’s goals of creating infrastructure in all regions of the country.

It is in the Kara region that we find one of the most numerous ethnic groups in Togo , the Kabyés. They are called ” stone peasants ” because they practice agriculture on rocky terrain. The kabyés have made the region an important agricultural center where yams , cotton , peanuts are grown , and mangoes and other fruits are found.

From a tourist point of view, Kara is central for visiting the region. To the north , you will reach the Sarakawa Wildlife Reserve , Niamtougou , Défalé and Koutammakou landscape , declared a World Heritage by UNESCO.

To the east are the Kabyés Mountains which will take you through the old colonial trails to discover the populations and local crafts ( potters and blacksmiths ).

KPALIME
Kpalimé is located about 1h30 drive from Lomé and is located in a beautiful natural environment. We are in the heart of the coffee and cocoa region.

A lively market is held on Tuesday and Saturday. The inhabitants come from all over the region to sell their harvest and stock up on provisions. The market offers many exotic fruits.

The area surrounding the city is lush and fertile, encircled by thick wooded hills, deep valleys and small peasant villages. The landscape remains always green even during the dry season. Despite the intense agricultural development, the Kpalimé region still retains some of the prettiest forests in Togo where mahogany , wawa and irokos abound.

Kpalimé is also the most important craft center in the country where a very large number of artists and craftsmen have settled: wood sculptors , batikers , potters , weavers , calabashers , … The many “nature” walks and hikes lead through paths to discover the daily life of the local populations who live mainly from agriculture. The paths cross fields of yams and corn but also banana plantations and pineapple fields.

LOME
The economic heart of the country. A bustling capital day and night ( Grand market , Port of Lomé , nightclubs & maquis ), shops and stalls (loincloths, crafts) for shopping fans, a fetish market renowned throughout the sub-region. Built on the coast, facing the blue waters of the Gulf of Benin , the city of Lomé forms a relaxed, harmonious and welcoming whole. It is a city with modern hotels , offering a plethora of restaurants , casinos , thriving markets and lively nightclubs. With more than a million inhabitants, Lomé is the largest city in Togo.

Like most of the capitals of the West African coast , Lomé has a fine sandy beach bordered by coconut palms. It is also a lively capital both during the day where all the economic activity of the country boils and at night or its bars / maquis and its many discotheques ignite the Lomean night. By day, the streets are buzzing with activity and commerce. After the sun sets, the street vendors set up small stalls by the glow of lamps that light up the peaceful night. The African music brought by the sea breeze flutters in the evening air.

NIAMTOUGOU
The region of Niamtougou , about thirty kilometers north of Kara , is full of magnificent landscapes and small villages in traditional huts. We will visit the Artisanal Center CODHANI ( Cooperative of the Handicapped of Niamtougou ) specializing in batik textiles. Its market is held every Sunday and is one of the largest in the region.

NOTED
Notsé is the capital of the Ewe people. There are not many traces of the Kingdom that developed there around the 15th Century but Notsé remains a mythical place for many Ewe as evidenced each year by the biggest traditional festival of the Ewe people : Agbogbo-Za. Founded by peoples who left the Nile Valley and after a transition to Oyo ( Nigeria ), Kétou ( Benin ), Tado ( Togo ), Notsè is the last stage of Ewé migrations around the 15th century. To protect his people, the chief built an imposing 14.5 km wall known as ” Agbogbo “, the remains of which are still visible in places. In the 17th century, following an internal crisis, the Ewe revolted and fled south and west to neighboring Ghana (now Volta Region ). Those who remained founded the six original districts ( Alinou , Agbaladomé , Adimé , Ekli , Tégbé and Kpédomé ) which have district chiefs, notables of the Superior Chief who is today Agokoli IV.

SOKODE
Sokodé is one of the largest cities in Togo. It is an administrative center where the majority of Kotokolis live , Muslims whose clothes are reminiscent of North Africa. The men wear large boubous and the women the veil over magnificent and colorful outfits. Life is organized around the traditional chiefdoms which are still the authority on the TEM today. Local music and dances are not found anywhere else in Togo . During the knife festival, the streets fill with traditional music and dances. The region is also rich in crafts , weaving is one of the main activities. Finally, the region is full of colorful markets such as Tchamba or Sokodé. The Fazao-Malfakassa reserve offers a very beautiful bio-diversity.

TOGOVILLE
Togoville is a small village in the maritime region of Togo, which is located near Lake Togo . Togoville is located in the prefecture of Vo 8 km from Wogba. The village, whose original name was Togo , took the name of Togoville when the German explorer Gustav Nachtigal , was sent there by Chancellor Otto von Bismarck as special commissioner, to negotiate with King Mlapa III , the establishment of ‘a protectorate of the German Empire. This was done July 5, 1884 , by signing a treaty creating Togoland.

The village, which gave its name to the country, originally means city ” beyond the cliff ” in the Ewe language (and not city “beyond the river”, a common mistake). It is indeed located at the edge of a very shallow lagoon, which is called Lake Togo , which has had the effect of misleading many inhabitants as to the origin of the word ” togo “. Visitors can discover the house of the descendant of King Mlapa III who signed with Nachtigal the treaty establishing the German protectorate over Togo .

TSÉVIÉ
Tsévié was born from the stopover of the Ewés who fled the administration of King AGOKOLI of Notsé. The fugitives settled temporarily while awaiting the harvest of the beans they sowed, hence ” ayia ne tsevie ” which means in French: ” let the bean produce a little ! “. It is the capital of the Maritime Region .

VOGAN
Vogan is a city in Togo , capital of the prefecture of Vo in the Maritime Region. Mainly animist culture , authentic red clay huts, pleasant landscape. Vogan is located 45 km from Lomé with a population of just over 1000 inhabitants. Breeding pigs and growing beans . It is a city that has a dispensary and schools. Under the reign of the KALIPE family.