Togo is a narrow strip of a country, which makes it one of the easiest places in West Africa to reach overland — you're never all that far from a border. Whether you're coming down the coast from Ghana, over from Benin, or south out of Burkina Faso, here's what each crossing actually involves.
If you need the visa sorted first, see our guide to the Togo e-Visa .
Crossing from Ghana: Aflao–Kodjoviakopé
This is by far the busiest of Togo's land borders and the one most travellers use, since it sits right on the coastal route between Accra and Lomé. Aflao, on the Ghanaian side, sits right at the border in Ghana's Volta Region, and Kodjoviakopé is the Togolese town directly opposite — the actual crossing is a short walk of well under a kilometre. You'll clear Ghanaian immigration and customs at Aflao, walk across, then handle Togolese formalities at Kodjoviakopé.
The border operates roughly 6am to 6pm, so aim to arrive earlier in the day rather than cutting it close. Shared taxis and buses run this route regularly from Accra (around 3-4 hours to Aflao), and on the Togolese side, shared taxis and motos are waiting right at Kodjoviakopé to take you into central Lomé in 10-20 minutes.
One thing worth knowing before you go: this crossing has a long-running reputation for money-changer scams, particularly people offering to wrap your foreign currency in local notes to 'avoid the scanner' — this is always a setup to swap out your cash. Change money at a proper forex bureau, not at the border itself.
This border gets very busy and will have a lot of people yelling and pushing. Further, the official on the Ghanaian side in our experience are not particularly friendly so we advise you to take a deep breath and just roll with the punches. Getting upset at this border will make things take longer and the best you can do is just come prepared with hard printed copies of all your information such as a passport copy and flight departure details.
Crossing from Benin: Hillacondji–Sanvee-Condji
The coastal crossing between Benin and Togo, about 97km southwest of Cotonou and roughly 21km from Lomé, and the crossing almost everyone uses if they're doing the classic Cotonou-to-Lomé run or looping onward into Ghana. It's set up as a joint control facility, meaning Beninese and Togolese officials process you at the same point rather than two separate checkpoints, which keeps things relatively quick.
Shared taxis and buses run the Cotonou-Lomé route regularly and are the easiest way to do this crossing if you're not driving yourself. Morning crossings tend to be quieter than midday, when local trade and commuter traffic between the two countries peaks, so it's worth timing it if you can.
Crossing from Burkina Faso: Cinkassé
Cinkassé sits on the main Ouagadougou–Lomé corridor and has been upgraded into an Integrated Border Post, meaning both countries handle their customs and immigration checks at a single shared facility. On paper, that should mean a fast crossing — in practice, travellers and freight operators alike report it regularly takes longer than the intended one-to-two-hour target, and small informal payments at the checkpoint are still commonly reported despite the digital upgrades.
Due to the current security situation in Burkina Faso, it is currently not advised for foreigners to attempt this border crossing.
Do I need a visa for Togo?
If you're a citizen of an ECOWAS country — which covers most of West Africa, including Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Burkina Faso — you don't. Everyone else will need to arrange a Togo e-Visa in advance; see our full e-Visa guide for the full process, cost and timeline.
What do I need to have ready at the border?
- Your passport, valid for at least 6 months beyond your entry date.
- Your approved e-Visa, printed or saved offline — don’t rely on having signal at the border.
- Proof of yellow fever vaccination — this is mandatory for every traveller entering Togo, regardless of where you’re arriving from, and it gets checked.
- A little local currency in cash. Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso all use the West African CFA Franc, so if you’re coming from any of them the currency doesn’t change — only Ghana uses a different currency (the Ghanaian cedi), so budget for a changeover if you’re crossing from Aflao.
Do we offer Togo tours?
Not as a standalone tour at the moment, but Togo sits right alongside several of our other West African trips. Take a look at our Africa tours for what’s currently running across the region. In the meantime, our guide to the Akodessewa Voodoo Market in Lomé is worth a read for a taste of what’s worth seeing once you’re there.
How can I book a tour?
Send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll help you plan your trip to Togo and the rest of West Africa.
