Togo

Togo is a slim slice of West Africa that changes landscape and mood at impressive speed. Lomé sits on the Atlantic with markets, bars, art, bright wax-print fabric and plates of fufu or akoumé. The coast is lived-in and working, while nearby Lake Togo opens boat routes between villages and towns such as Togoville.

Heading north, the country turns lush around Kpalimé: waterfalls, cocoa and coffee farms, trails on Mount Agou and workshops run by local artists. Farther on, Koutammakou brings together hills, fields and the Batammariba’s earthen tower-houses. This is a living cultural landscape; the best visits involve a local guide, permission before photographs and genuine interest in people rather than architecture alone.

Togo fits neatly into an overland route between Ghana and Benin, but rushing through would miss the point. Bush taxis and motorbikes keep you moving, basic French goes a long way, and an “empty” day tends to fill itself with a market, a waterfall or music. Plan the far north and border areas with current security information, never an old map.