Getting in and out
Air
The main airport in Togo is Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport, located in Lomé the largest city in Togo. This airport is a hub for the airline Asky which is very well connected in the region. If you find yourself flying through West Africa, chances are you will have a stopover in Lomé at some point.
Train
There is currently no train line linking Togo to its neighbours.
Land Borders
Togo shares land border with Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana all of which have open borders. It is suggested due to safety that if you plan on travelling overland you only use the land borders with Ghana and Benin as border regions with Burkina Faso are considered too dangerous for foreigners at this time (April 2026).
b. See and Do
Lomé
Lomé is the capital and largest city in Togo with over 2 million people living in the surrounding area. Lomé is famous for its voodoo fetish markets, the Grand Marché and beaches.
Koutommakou UNESCO site
This UNESCO world heritage site is located in the north of Togo, stretching into Benin and is known as the “land of the Batammariba”. This site is famous for its mud-tower houses known as ‘takienta’. These houses are considered a national symbol of Togo. The site is located far north from Lomé and the journey to get there is not considered the easiest.
Voodoo Markets
One of the major things people come to see in Togo are the voodd or fetish markets. There is a large fetish market located in Lomé where locals by items to be used in rituals. You will find many dried out animals, herbs and plants all of which look extremely interesting.
Fazao Malfakassa National Park
Togo doesn’t have many parks, but if you are looking to see animals Fazao Malfakassa will give you the best opportunity. This is home to Togo’s last remaining population of forest elephants as well as many other mammals. It is located in the central western part of the country, north of the capital Lomé.
c. Dress code
There are no enforced dress codes in Togo. Local people tend to wear long pants and a T shirt for men and women tend to where a dress usually with local patterns. You will want to dress for hot humid weather so shorts and a T shirt will be fine. You may want to wear long pants at night as an extra precaution against mosquitos.
d. Topics of discussion
There isn’t really anything off limits in Togo to talk about, however it is always a good idea to be wary of controversial topics such as religion, homosexuality and security.
e. Religion
Benin is roughly 50% Christian, 33-38% African animism and roughly 20% Muslim. Many people while Christian or Islamic will also have a very strong influence from West African Voudon practices.
To read more about West African Voudon (Voodoo) check out our blog here.
f. Ethnicity
There are more than 40 distinct groups in Togo. Of these the main dominant groups are the Ewe in the south (roughly 46%), Kotokoli and Tchamba in the centre and the Kabyé in the north (roughly 22%). Togo has a very young population with more than 60% of the population under 25.
g. Photography
It is no problem taking photos in Togo, however just as with many other places in West Africa you should avoid taking photos of government buildings. It is always best practise as well to ask locals for pictures if they are going to be in them.
Asking for permission to take photos is very important in general in West Africa as locals can get very upset if they think you are taking a photo of them without their permission.
