7-Day Highlights of Togo

Day 1: Arrive in Lome. You will be picked up at the airport and transferred to your beach hotel. Day 2: Walking tour of the city starts at the Independence Square and Congressional Palace. Visit the National Museum for an excellent historical and cultural overview of Togo. Continue your walk to the Grand Marche and Cathedral and get a glimpse of everyday life in the city. The Grand Marche is archetypal West African market, lively and colorful. We will help you navigate through this frantic, labryinth of a market. Drive to Akodessewa Fetish Market, the world's largest Voodoo market, to learn about the rituals of this ancient religion. Voodoo priests, traditional healers and charlatans from all over West Africa procure their ingredients here for their rituals. Return to hotel. Day 3: Drive to Lake Togo. Sail across the lake on a pirogue (traditional dugout canoe) to Togoville. Set out on a guided tour of the village, get a taste of Togolese rural life and gain some historical perspective. Sail back and enjoy a picnic lunch on the coast at Agbodrafo village. Visit the La Maison des Esclaves or Wood Home. This house was built for the purpose of illegally operating a slave trade. The slaves were kept in the cellar beneath the floorboards unable to stand during their confinement and were shipped on boats waiting on the coast a short walk from the house. Return to hotel. Day 4: Drive to Kloto for 2 hrs and set on a 2-hr walking tour of the village of Kouma Konda at the base of Mt Kloto and embark on a botanical excursion and butterfly safari. The waterfalls, natural streams and small pools of water in the woodland provided an ideal habitat for butterflies. The Mt Kloto area now has over 1,000 species of butterflies of different size, color and form that flutter around night & day. Hike Mt Kloto to its summit to enjoy a panoramic 360° view of the Kloto region. This hike takes about 1-1.5 hr. Overnight in Kpalime. Day 5: Drive for the entire day to Kara making a stop at the market town of Sokode. Visit the blacksmith village of Wyamde. Overnight in Kara. Day 6: Visit the Koutammakou UNESCO World Heritage Site in the morning. The Koutammakou in northern Togo is a cultural landscape that is inhabited by Taberma people. The Tabermas are famous for their two-story clay huts or ‘Tatas’ which are built out of earth as a fortress for defense against invaders. Dancing with the Taberma women in their gazelle horn headdress is an experience not to be missed. Drive for the entire day back to Lome making shopping or food stops along the way. Overnight in Lome. Day 7: Departure. You will be dropped off at the airport. This tour includes: airport transfers, English/French-speaking guides, 6 nights in a standard double room, private car/van & driver, activity fees and complementary bottled water throughout the tour.