Togo: Africa in miniature in one trip

COVID had unexpected side effects. For example, it introduced us to Sara, who worked at RayonRando for a few months in 2020 before returning to Togo and resuming her usual business with Arimi: Le Pas de Côté Voyage, combining accommodation and discovery tours around the country. Today she presents a little-known but extremely varied and welcoming destination.

Between Ghana and Benin, in the middle of the African horn, this smallest country in French-speaking West Africa stretches almost 600 kms north to south, offering great geographical variety. From the Atlantic coast to savannahs on the Burkina-Faso border, Togo has green plains, hills and mountain peaks, lakes, waterfalls and forests of rare woods: a whole palette of landscapes also explaining its many ethnic groups. With around thirty languages spoken, French remained the official language, facilitating communication between visitors seeking human contact and a warm, welcoming population.

Despite a few recent alerts in the north, Togo offers considerable political stability and religious tolerance. It also remains sheltered from mass tourism, providing an opportunity to discover West Africa in a peaceful, authentic way.

When to go?

Although the subtropical climate allows year-round visits, the best travel period is the dry season, November to February, especially for long nature walks. Flights are also cheaper then.

By November, the rainy season has ended, waterfalls are full and enhance visits to the Plateaux region. From March, heat can be hard for sensitive travellers; May and June are cooler and very pleasant; July and August have been drier in recent years. September and October bring the short rainy season, which can make hiking difficult or impossible amid unspoilt nature with little shelter infrastructure. Whatever the season, it is hot all year!

Getting around

Hire your own 4x4 if you want independence and to spend plenty; hire a taxi with driver; or try a bush taxi, inexpensive and often an experience, packed alongside locals always delighted to chat with distant visitors. In towns and villages, motorcycle taxis reach almost anywhere, their riders, called zemidjan or zem, as helpful as adventurous. Finally, with limited time and a strong appetite for discovery, choose a guided tour such as Le Pas De Côté Voyages, finding the best solutions and prices for your chosen destinations.

Accommodation

Togo offers a wide range of places to stay, hotels and inns of every type and standard. A guided trip can also lead to homestays or even wild camping spots. Choose the comfort and adventure level that appeals to you.

Types of stay

Apart from the northernmost Savanes region very recently, all Togo can be explored independently. However, to make the most of a trip with limited time, choose a guided discovery tour. Le Pas De Côté Voyages is ideal: logistics can be difficult without understanding local cultural codes, negotiations are not always simple, and navigating a country with few paved roads and almost no addresses can challenge visitors. Guided travel removes worries and ultimately helps manage your budget better.

Equipment to bring

Hikers should bring good footwear, of course, but not too warm, plus open footwear such as sandals or slides on non-walking days. Good mosquito repellent is useful, and antimalarial medication is strongly recommended. Lightweight cotton and tough clothing are welcome; a light woollen layer may be comfortable in the evening. A hat or cap and sunglasses are essential. Alongside the hiker's basic first aid kit, bring sunscreen and traveller's diarrhoea medication, and perhaps water purification tablets, although drinking water is available almost everywhere. Keep some small change in CFA francs: nobody ever has any, making it useful for small purchases such as water, souvenirs or an impromptu zem ride.

Formalities, flights and money

A tourist visa is required. Once you choose your departure date, consult the government website https://voyage.gouv.tg/about to comply with national requirements, including visas and pre-registered entry forms.

Yellow fever vaccination, valid for life, is compulsory: proof may be requested on arrival. Air France, Brussels Airlines, Royal Air Maroc and Ethiopian Airlines operate regular France-Togo flights. VISA and MASTERCARD work at ATMs in Togo and some Lomé supermarkets; however, bring euros to exchange locally into FCFA, €1 = 656 FCFA, with no exchange fees at banks. Health and repatriation insurance is usually included with your bank card, so extra cover is unnecessary. To contact loved ones during your stay, buy a Togolese SIM in Lomé for €1 and add call and data credit. Simple and much cheaper than an international plan.

Budget

Despite recent substantial increases, Togo remains affordable. Flights may be expensive, but daily life is extremely inexpensive once there. A guided trip helps make the most of your time and budget; see below. Some figures for planning:

Yellow fever vaccination, valid for life => approximately €60

Antimalarial medication => €5 to €40 per pack, depending on product

Flights => €500 return to €1,000 return, depending on season and airline

Visa => €40 for 15 days to €70 for 30 days => https://voyage.gouv.tg/about

Guided stay => €500 to €1,000/person for 7 to 10 days

Le Pas De Côté Voyages

Founded by a French-Togolese couple, tourism and accommodation professionals, Pas de côté offers fully personalised tours according to your stay's duration and discovery ambitions. Whether you have researched thoroughly and arrive with precise intentions or are completely new to it, Sara and Arimi discuss your project, suggest the best options and organise the enjoyable African adventure you dream of.

Contact details:

Website: https://lepasdecote-voyages.com/

Instagram: le_pas_de_côté_voyages

Facebook: Le Pas de Côté Voyages

contact@lepasdecote-voyages.com

Tel: 00228.70277771

Here is an example of what Le Pas De Côté Voyages can organise for you:

Let us hear what Sara and Arimi have to share:

‘As soon as you contact us, we offer a phone appointment to present a plan tailored to everything you expect from such a trip. Based on your wishes, we create an itinerary respecting your preferences, then provide a personalised offer with a detailed quote within 15 days at most.

Our guides love sharing their knowledge and introducing their country; some are teachers, fishers or farmers. We prioritise local guides, host families and Village Development Committees to promote direct local economic benefits. Your trip price also contributes to guides' children's schooling and supports our local partners. It includes transport, nights in hotels, wild camps or homestays, paid attraction entries, guides' and tour leader's fees, and transport. Meals are excluded except for certain destinations, as are drinks and any tips.’

You now know almost everything about Togo from the outside. All that remains is to take the step, sideways of course, and discover for yourself this beautiful little country, so rich it is nicknamed ‘Little Africa’, encapsulating the variety of an immense continent too often little known.