Things to see and do Aného

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.

Near the border of Benin, the Mono valley offers a very beautiful biodiversity. You can see many hippos, especially in the big pit near Tokpli. Many villages are nestled on the banks of the river, among palm plantations, fields of cassava, rice and corn. It is possible to take a nice pirogue ride from Avevé (about 30 km north of Aného) down to Adamé. You will have to negotiate with the smugglers at the Togo/Benin border.

In Togo, natural mangroves are located along the Gbaga Channel in the extreme southeast of the country and in places along the Mono River. The Gbaga Channel is a natural communication between the Mono River to the east and the lagoon system consisting of the Aného lagoons and Lake Togo to the west. The traveler arriving from Lomé to Aného in front of the offices of the Lakes prefecture goes to the Togolese mangroves by turning right towards Aklakou. The mangrove forest is a paradise for living beings. Its pools are full of important populations of hippos, Nile crocodiles, ducks, anhingas, different species of herons, kingfishers and a myriad of fish that can be easily observed. We also meet a rare species of turtle. The mangrove presents by its diversity of ecosystem a multitude of landscapes: the ponds with water lilies, water lettuce, water hyacinths which, when they are in flower, expose a multitude of white, beige, pink, yellow, purple corollas... forming an impressive multicolored layer on the surface of the water. The ponds with cattails, the articulated stumps, the meadows and the savannahs are as many landscapes to admire. Also the mangrove forests with thousands of stilt roots offer a picturesque view. Artificial mangrove plantations, some of which are accessible only by dugout canoe, are spectacular in their extent and complete this lush natural vegetation of mangroves.

Installed in an old colonial building, this small museum of ethnography is worth a visit to learn more about the history of Togo. Inside, several objects related to the traditional chieftaincies, the voodoo cult and the German colonial period are exhibited. One can discover old photos, copies of signed treaties, musical instruments and various royal attributes. Barthélemy, curator of the museum since 2015, will be happy to give you the necessary explanations to understand this museum.

Adjacent to the Mono River, the natural border between Togo and Benin, the Akissa forest covers an area of nearly 1,300 hectares. It is known for its sacred character, which dates back to the 13th century when the Xwla, emigrants from Tado, fleeing fratricidal conflicts, took refuge in the Ada forest. This people identified a sanctuary area, called Akissa. Today, the forest is still a sanctuary and retains all its mysticism. It is governed by Voodoo priests who have inherited a traditional system of conservation, consisting of rules and prohibitions that must be respected. Thus, every five days, the forest is forbidden to the public. This day is called Gratumbé. In addition to its sacred role, the forest contains a rich biodiversity, some species of which are not yet listed. It is known for its many plant species used in traditional medicine and is home to, among others, bushpigs, harnessed guibs and sitatungas. Akissa Forest is an integral part of the Mono Transboundary Biosphere Reserve recognized by UNESCO in 2017 for its biodiversity and ecosystem services. This area concentrates a set of unique habitats for the region where rivers, lakes, swamps, savannahs, gallery forests, mangroves and beaches mix. It is quite complicated to visit this forest because of its sacred character. You can go through the chief of the village or through the association Arifad, which manages this place, or 1001 Pistes.