Benin
& Togo
- March 2008
Route
We entered Benin from Niger at Malanville and drove down via Kandi and
Abomey to Cotonou. After stopping in Grand Popo and visiting Ouidah we
drove the coast road to Lomé before heading up to Kpalimé
and the coffee highlands. We exited just west of Kpalime at Klouto. We
were six days in Benin and five days in Togo.
Visas
We used our Visa Touristique Entente for Benin and Togo (see our Niger
section for details). It is also possible to get transit visas at some
of the borderposts - 7 days for Togo and 48 hours for Benin.
Border
formalities and checkpoints
The Malanville Benin/Niger border was straightforward, although the traffic
was very busy on the Benin side and we couldn't find the customs office
to complete our carnet. We managed to avoid customs on the way out, but
only just!
The
coastal border between Benin and Togo was busy but most people were not
using immigration so we were dealt with quickly. Despite the number of
people hanging around none hassled us.
When
crossing from Togo to Ghana we chose one of the quieter borders near Kpalime
as the Lome border was very hectic. We drove close to it one day by mistake
and had four men run alongside the car offering to 'help'!
We
weren't stopped at any check-points in either Benin or Togo.
General
driving conditions
The main highways are well maintained and the other roads no problem,
even for saloon cars. The north-south highway in Benin was very busy with
trucks.
Specific driving conditions
All times are 'time moving' from our GPS and so are driving time
only.
- Malanville
to Kandi – 1˝ hrs on good tar (Niamey to Kandi took 6˝ hours in total).
-
Kandi to Abomey – 8 hrs on good tar with lots of trucks and some potholes
just south of Petit Paris. Peage just north of Parakou - 500FCFA (light
vehicle).
- Abomey
to Grand Popo – 5 hrs on good tar with a dirt track into Grand Popo
itself. Peage just east of Grand Popo – 400FCFA.
- Grand
Popo to Lomé – 1˝ hrs on good tar. Lome itself is not great to
drive around as the traffic is heavy and the roads in poor condition.
It also has quite a few one-way systems.
- Lomé
to Klouto – 2˝ hrs on good tar, including a steep track up from Kpalimé.
Many of the roads through the hills are very scenic although pretty
steep and with tight curves. Peage at Aneho – 300FCFA.
Accommodation
It's worth looking at rooms as well as camping as the rooms are very good
for the money. Note that 500FCFA tax per person is added to the room bill
(not for camping).
- Kandi:
a room at Auberge du Kandi was a treat and reasonably priced for what
we got. We were exhausted and so never asked if camping was possible.
Watch out for the beer/food prices which are not such good value. The
Auberge is on the main road just north of the town.
- Abomey:
we camped at Chez Monique. She has a beautiful compound although you
still camp in the parking area and use the staff shower. Note that they
cater for big parties some weekends. N07.11.875; E01.58.807
-
Grand Popo: we camped at both the Auberge du Grand Popo and Aswale Plage.
The Auberge is a beautiful, peaceful place but when
camping you have to use the staff showers and camp on the outskirts
of the grounds which is not good for security. We preferred Aswale Plage,
closer to the Togo border, which has a pool, nice beach area and plenty
of camping space. Only drawback is the noise of the road. Aswale Plage:
N06°16.179; E01°47.249
- We
visited Ouidah as a day-trip from Grand Popo.
- Lome:
we stayed in the car-park of a small auberge/restaurant, Cocobeach (10km
east along the coast road - turn off at the sign to Robinson Plage and
then take a left) which has expensive food, a swimming beach and a friendly
owner. A haven in the midst of a port. We also looked at Chez Alice
(14km east along the coast road) which was very cheap but the camping
was in a different compound to the restaurant/bar and the ablutions
weren't great. It would be OK for an overnight stop but a bit claustrophobic
otherwise. Cocobeach: N06°09.047; E01°18.100. Chez Alice: N06°09.965;
E01°20.466.
- Up
in the Togo highlands we stayed at the Campement de Klouto, which very
nicely run with large rooms and great staff (we took a room but you
could probably camp if you asked). There are plenty of guides to take
you on nature walks in the region. Celestine marched us around his village
and surrounding plantations to a great waterfall, educating us about
each plant and its various dye/stimulant/paint/medical properties along
the way.
Visiting
the fetish market in Lomé
This is quite interesting but the guide is compulsory and at 7000FCFA
is not good value (and seemingly non-negotiable). Questions about Fetish
practice produced answers like ‘this will make you well’ or ‘this is for
fertility’ and the rest consisted of him pointing and saying, ‘this a
cow’s head, this is a snake’ and other things you can work out for yourself.
Food,
water and beer
Fan Ice is everywhere and is a lifesaver. Fruit and veg are abundant and
fresh fish also. In the south there are many restaurants providing for
the thriving tourist trade. You can buy great local coffee up on the Togo
plateau bordering Ghana. One lunchtime in Lomé we tried one of
the local restaurants along Blvd Circulaire - we forgot to take its name
but try any large roadside place. They may look like a drinking bar but
inside there are huge bowls of excellent food to choose from. In Kpalime
we ate a great meal at the well-known Macumba restaurant. It's signed
off the main Kpalime-Klouto road but then tricky to find so ask anyone
local for directions.
We
continued to buy the bags of filtered water we drank in Niger but also
found water supplies at most camping sites/hotels plentiful and clean.
As for beer, we liked the Beninoise in Benin and the BB brewery's lager
and dark beer in Togo.
Money
and fuel
Our visa debit card worked in ATMs in Parakou and Lomé and we saw
plenty of ATMs elsewhere. Diesel cost between 430 and 500FCFA per litre.
Fuel stations everywhere.
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