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 – 1½ hrs on good tar (Niamey to Kandi took 6½ 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 – 1½ 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 – 2½ 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.