Tourist Attractions & Monuments Togo

It is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country. It splits into two vertiginous falls of 80 m, one in Togo and the other in Ghana (Vli Falls). Its refreshing and clear waters invite us to swim. It takes an hour to walk from the village of Yikpa, with a guide. Bring water, the climb is quite long but accessible (too difficult for children). Through the mountain, you can see Ghana. Space for a picnic.

Not far from the Campement Hotel, this museum is particularly rich in objects from the Moba-Gurma culture, such as pottery, musical instruments and jewelry sets. The curator offers a guided tour, which may include a visit to the blacksmiths of Dapaong. For a complete cultural overview of the region, the museum's archaeologist puts on his accompanying clothes to show travellers the sites of Namoundjoga and the Nok caves.

The Aklowa waterfall reaches nearly 80 m and has its source in an underground river. The access to the waterfall is not easy and somewhat sporty on the way. It takes about 45 minutes to walk to the site. Bring water, fruits, cap, sun cream and swimsuit. As Badou offers few decent hotel facilities, it is advisable to visit the waterfall from Kpalimé if you have a vehicle or from Atakpamé if you have to travel by public transport. From Badou, count about 500 FCFA by taxi-brousse.

Just behind the mound, there is a lake where hippos splash around. They can be seen around the lake early in the morning, around 6:00 am, or late in the afternoon, from 4:30 pm. During the day, the myriad of hippos submerge completely to avoid the heat, sometimes leaving a pair of eyes to surface. A promontory has been built to observe them. The trail is as admirable as the activity itself, with the rice fields imported by the Chinese decades ago, and still farmed by local families.

Not far from Pya Pittah or a little further down the road, in Tcharé, are traditional forges. Train rails and truck rims are collected and then melted down. The metal is worked and shaped with a granite stone. The smiths make castanets, hoes or arrows for hunting. Their work can be appreciated on site. However, they are not always convenient when it comes to "leaving something".

It is one of the most important in the region. The big market of Kpalimé is held every day, but is particularly animated on Tuesdays and Saturdays, Saturday being the biggest market day. People come from all over the region, and even from neighboring Ghana, to sell their crops and stock up. It is famous for its fruits, but you can also find many vegetables, meat and fish. You can also find various objects and accessories, whose price you can negotiate. A colorful market where you can take your time to stroll.

The word takienta literally means "she who guards". Nicknamed "Tata Tamberma", the most beautiful takienta are located in the village of Bassamba, about 15 km from the beginning of the trail. The village is made up of a series of towers arranged in a circle and linked together by a thick wall. These walls are built with a mixture of clay and straw. There is only one opening in the building, which looks like a small fortification. The main façade always faces west, the direction taken by the deceased. It is flanked by two towers, of which the north tower is for the woman. The habitat was originally a warrior habitat, designed to ensure protection against tribal invasions and later, in the 19th century, to defend against German colonizers. This is evidenced by the ruts provided to shoot arrows. In front of the house are the fetishes that ensure the protection of the spirits and to which chickens, guinea fowl and game are sacrificed. The horns and skulls of the sacrificed animals are then placed above the entrance to the house. The house has two floors: the first floor where the animals are housed and the terrace where the kitchen (which is sometimes also located on the middle floor), the bedrooms, and the granaries are located. These are the turrets of the fortification that serve as granaries. One stores there the millet or the corn. The granary is accessed by means of a traditional ladder carved in a Y-shaped wood.

From the Tomegbé checkpoint, a short hike of about 20 minutes, with a slightly steep but feasible access for good walkers, leads to this refreshing waterfall. Nicknamed "the talking river" because of its important rustling, it has a height of about 30 m. Its flow is powerful, especially in the rainy season. It is surrounded by lush vegetation and hills offering a panoramic view of some of Ghana's mountains. On site, it is possible to swim and picnic.

You have to go there early in the morning. The fishermen arrive with their pirogues and sell directly the product of fishing to the mothers who then resell on the markets. Typical and colorful. It is advisable to go there by car or cab because the access is not easy and the neighborhoods crossed are not the safest. Dugouts unloading on the quay, nets being made and unmade, baskets filled with fish... the place is alive with exchanges between fishermen, buyers, visitors and food stalls.

The group hosts about 40 weavers who work on beautiful handmade looms. If you are lucky, you will be able to admire the work of some of them on site. In the store, you will find beautiful handicrafts: loincloths, dresses, men's clothes, traditional outfits, bags, scarves... Not far from the weavers, you will be able to appreciate the work of traditional blacksmiths.

Built in 1910 in honour of the Holy Martyrs of Uganda, it houses the reproduction of the canoe on which the Virgin Mary appeared in 1973 on Lake Togo. Beautiful frescoes depicting birth until Jesus'resurrection, share the Building with paintings of black saints. In front of Our Lady of Lake Togo, we discover the gallery where Pope John Paul II celebrated an open mass mass during his visit of 1985.

A pleasant hike in the middle of nature leads to the waterfall which is fed by the rivers of the Highlands. However, a hydroelectric dam upstream of the Kpimé waterfall does not allow it to flow during the dry season. In the rainy season, the spectacle is striking, if the rains are abundant. Nevertheless, we appreciate the site for its natural and green side, which offers a beautiful contrast with its red rocks. The climate is pleasant and one can rest there to picnic. Sometimes, you can also refresh yourself.

Belonging to an English merchant and slave trader by the name of Wood, this house was built in 1835, shortly after a fraction of the Adjigo clan, driven out of Aného and led by Chief Assiakoley, settled in Agbodrafo. The slave trade on Togo's coasts lasted from the last quarter of the ^17th century to the ^19th century. It officially ended on January 27, 1852, when an emissary from the Crown of England visited the king bearing a message and a cane symbolizing the end of slavery: "Sent by the Queen of England as a symbol of the abolition of the slave trade to the chief of Porto Seguro". Rediscovered, the Maison des Esclaves received Unesco support for its renovation, and has been on Togo's list of World Heritage Sites since 2002. The Afro-Brazilian-style building has remained virtually untouched since that time, and is now falling into disuse. Here you can discover the underground labyrinth through which slaves used to enter the house. In the central room of the house, the trapdoor provides access to the basement where the prisoners were crammed. You have to go down under the dilapidated floor to realize the inhuman treatment inflicted on the slaves. In this damp cellar, they were unable to stand up, and had to sit or lie down. Some period furniture still decorates the living room. A place full of history. The visit may disappoint some, but it's all in the symbolism.

Called Sacred Heart, or German cathedral, the cathedral of Lomé was built in 1905. Its architecture is of Gothic style with an ogival shape. It has a basilica plan, consisting of a nave of seven bays covered with a groin vault. It has undergone numerous restorations over the years. It stands in the center of the city with its elaborate spires, its façade pierced by a rose window and its beautifully painted interior. Its carved wooden benches and its frescoes make it an element of the colonial heritage of Togo. It adjoins the Grand Marché.

The Nangbeto hydroelectric dam is about 45 minutes'drive from Atakpamé by car or motorbike. The site can take a detour if there is a walk on the other side of the dam, towards villages on the border of Benin.

It is essentially a tourist market with small stores selling local handicrafts such as jewelry, paintings, ebony, carved wood and batiks. The merchants call out to visitors and negotiation is part of the buying process. Handicrafts and replicas of antiques are of high quality, especially if you cross the "rue des arts", which is located in the street of the Hotel du Golf. This is where you will find your gifts to make and other souvenirs to bring back. To be discovered without hesitation!

The famous Aledjo fault where the cliff seems to be sheared off by a sword. The road was actually opened by the Germans at the time. It was a very delicate passage for many heavy goods vehicles which join the Sahelian countries, often overloaded. Today, thanks to the national road 1, a real highway between Sokodé and Kara, the deviation is easier and faster for all. Since then, the Aledjo fault has been forbidden to trucks. It has become a very beautiful and not overloaded tourist road with beautiful panoramas on the mountains.

Built in 1913 by German missionaries, it was raised to the rank of cathedral after restoration work in 2002-2003. It is accessible to the public during services. The tower, 40 m high, is crowned by a metal cross weighing 100 kg. On the outside, some elements, including the stained glass windows behind the altar and the two rosettes above the main door, are original. The fourteen stained glass windows were made in 2004 by Togolese artisans.

Between the coast and the lake is a series of buildings from the colonial era, including the town hall, the police station, the post office and the old hospital. There are also some beautiful merchants' houses and several churches and presbyteries. In the Zébé district, there are buildings dating from that time, which are now the prefecture of the Lakes, the ethnographic museum, the hospital and the civil prison. There is no guided tour, you have to stroll through the streets. The Aného-Glidji agglomeration is a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Discovered in 1990 by missionaries, these strange paintings seem to come from the depths of time. They were probably painted by nomads on a huge megalith in the shape of a mushroom. These drawings, which were studied by several teams of scientists, still keep their secret. One distinguishes there however rather distinctly horsemen, animals and geometrical forms. Under the rock, one finds some scraps of objects in flint and shards.