Togo: Various travel information
How do you get to Togo?
Plane
There are numerous regular flight connections from various European airports to Lomé. However, direct flights to Togo are usually much more expensive than flights to Accra (Ghana), from where you can travel to the border town of Aflao with comfortable, air-conditioned and reasonably priced buses. In Aflao, the travelers then have to cross the border and find another means of transport on the Togolese side.
Ship
From Lomé and other coastal ports, ferries go to Benin and Ghana.
Bus
Intercity buses run from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Benin to Togo.
Busch-Taxis
The so-called Busch-Taxis, mostly four-door cars with four people in the back and two in front, drive either from Accra (Ghana) or from Benin. A trip to Lomé won’t cost more than $ 5. From there, other bush taxis continue to drive to more rural areas. It is also possible to rent the whole Busch-Taxi for yourself. To get the best fare, you should take the total for six passengers and then negotiate the price down.
Auto
Togo is connected to Benin, Ghana and Burkina Faso by roads. The Trans-West African Coastal Highway runs through Togo and connects the small country with its neighbors Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Nigeria. When the construction work in Liberia and Sierra Leone is completed, the highway will lead to another 7 ECOWAS countries. A paved highway also connects Togo with Burkina Faso, from where it continues to Mali and Niger.
Travel in the country
Air connections
There is a domestic flight connection between Niamtougou and Lomé.
Ferry connections
There is ferry traffic between the coastal ports, the main port is Lomé. Togo also has around 50 km of navigable waterways.
Bus
The country has a regional bus network.
Railway
The railway network in Togo consists of over 550 km. Trains run daily from Lomé to Atakpamé and Blitta, to Kpalimé and to Aného.
Taxi and Taxi-Moto
You can also travel with Taxi-Motos in Togolese cities. These are motorcycle taxis that take you almost anywhere for a reasonable price. These “taxi drivers” can be recognized by the fact that they usually wear baseball caps and sunglasses. You will attract attention by honking or waving. A shorter trip shouldn’t cost more than 500 CFA.
Ordinary taxis can be recognized by their yellow labels. Your registration number is also on the side of the car. You should always negotiate the fare (including tip) before starting your journey to avoid nasty surprises.
In larger cities it is sometimes safer to ask a police officer to flag down a taxi for you. But they will expect a small tip.
Car traffic and rental cars
A road network of around 8,000 km (around a third of which is paved) connects most of the towns with one another, but it is largely impassable during the rainy season. An international driver’s license is required to rent a car.
International license plate
According to Abbreviationfinder, Togo’s international license plate is:
| RT |
Togo: entry and exit regulations
Formalities and visas
Tourists from EU countries need a valid passport and a visa to enter Togo.
Visa department of the Embassy of Togo
Grabbeallee 43
13156 Berlin
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 48 47 64 71
Local currency, foreign exchange regulations
The national currency of Togo is the CFA Franc:
1 CFA Franc = 100 Centimes.
Togo is part of the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The ISO 4217 code of the Franc CFA here is XOF.
The CFA franc (Communanté Financiére Africaine) is the currency in 14 African countries that were usually French colonies in the past: Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Chad, Central African Republic, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoite, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. It is firmly tied to the euro.
Importing and exporting the national currency There is no limit to the importation of the national currency, but a declaration of 1 million CFA-Fr is required. When exporting, there is a declaration of 500,000 CFA-Fr
Import and export of foreign currencies
The import of foreign currencies is limited to the equivalent of 1 million CFA-Fr, there is an obligation to declare. The export may only take place in the amount of the amount declared upon import.
Goods and Customs Regulations
Inexpensive goods, souvenirs
In Togo, tourists like to buy local wax prints, indigo fabrics, gold and silver jewelry, masks and wooden sculptures. You can also buy kente and color printing fabrics from Ghana as well as embroidery, batik and lace from Holland. Traditional local medicine is sold at the Marché des Féticheurs in Lomé, the largest fetish market in West Africa.
Customs regulations
The following articles may be imported into Togo duty-free:
– 100 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 200 g tobacco (women only 100 cigarettes)
– 1 bottle of spirits and 1 bottle of wine for people over 15 years
– 500 ml eau de toilette and 250 ml of perfume.
Travel medicine, vaccinations and warnings
Infectious Diseases
In Togo, the following infectious diseases are to be expected, which are not or less common in Germany or Central and Northern Europe:
- Malaria: There is a high risk of malaria infection nationwide and all year round, which is increased during the rainy season. Between 80% and 90% of infections occur with the very dangerous malaria tropica, the rest with malaria tertiana.
- Amoebic dysentery
- Bacterial agitation
- Schistosomiasis
- Cholera– but there is only a risk of infection for travelers who come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
- Intestinal infectionsfrom contaminated food or water, including amoebas, lamblia, salmonella, shigella, worm infestation and all kinds of viruses and bacteria
- Filariasis
- Typhus– especially in the northeast of the country
- Yellow fever
- Guinea worm
- Hepatitis A and B
- Kala-Azar
- Lambliasis
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Polio, polio
- Leishmaniasis
- Sleeping sickness
- rabies
- typhus
- Tick bite fever
Vaccination recommendations
- Diphtheria– a vaccination against diphtheria should always exist, also in the home country.
- Yellow fever
- Guinea worm infection
- Hepatitis A and B
- Polio, polio– vaccination against polio should always exist, also in the home country.
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Tetanus– a vaccination against tetanus should always exist, also in the home country.
- Rabies– but only for high-risk travelers who can come into contact with the vector animals.
- Typhoid– but only for travelers who can come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food.
Malaria prophylaxis
When traveling in the country, it is strongly advised to undergo malaria prophylaxis. However, if the side effects seem questionable to you, you should at least have a “stand-by preparation” with you.
Compulsory vaccination
For all persons older than one year and arriving from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO, there is a compulsory vaccination against a yellow fever disease. Since Togo is one of the yellow fever infection areas designated by the WHO, a yellow fever vaccination is also urgently recommended if you are traveling from a country that is not one of the yellow fever infection areas (e.g. from Europe) – even if in this country If there is no compulsory vaccination.
Yellow fever vaccination for children
In most of the countries where a yellow fever vaccination is required, this also applies to children over one year of age, in some countries even from six months. It should be noted that vaccination against yellow fever had a number of side effects, such as encephalitis. Around two-thirds of those affected were children under six months. Therefore, under no circumstances should children under this age be vaccinated. But children under one year of age should also not be vaccinated if possible. If in doubt, yellow fever infection areas must then be avoided.
Any vaccination against yellow fever may only be carried out in specially authorized yellow fever vaccination centers!
Current warnings
Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany
Citizens Service
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 2000
www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de
Tour operator
The following tour operator specializing in Africa offers professionally organized trips to Togo – and a number of other African countries. The pictures of Togo used by us were kindly made available to us by the sales manager Mister Roberto Cerea of the organizer.
Trans Africa Horizon LTD
00228 – 914 40 71 (Togo)
Email: azimut@transafrica.biz
www.transafrica.biz
Togo: Diplomatic missions
Visit Countryaah for a full list of Togo embassies and consulates in each country around the world.
Representations of Togo in Germany
Embassy in Berlin
Grabbeallee 43
13156 Berlin
Tel: 0049 – (0) 30 – 499 08 968
Email: Bbotschafttogo@web.de
www.botschaft-togo.de
Honorary Consulate General in Hanover
Berliner Allee 14
30175 Hanover
Tel: 0049 – (0) 511 – 22 06 09 62
Email: konsulat@gmnelke.de
Honorary Consulate in Bonn
Martin-Luther-King-Strasse 40
53175 Bonn
Tel: 0049 – (0) 228 – 9 34 86 21
Email: info@konsulat.togo.de
Honorary Consulate in Bremen
Martinistraße 29
28195 Bremen
Tel: 0049 – (0) 421 – 36 48 870
Email: togo-honorarkonsulat-bremen@t-online.de
Honorary Consulate General in Deidesheim
Niederkircherstraße 6
67146 Deidesheim
Tel: 0049 – (0) 6326 – 65 75
Email: info@fohs.de
Web: www.togo.de
Honorary Consulate in Munich
Reitmorstraße 14
80538 Munich
Tel: 0049 – (0) 89 – 22 41 88
Email: j.kastenbauer@t-online.de
German representations in Togo
Embassy in Lomé
Boulevard de la République
PO Box 1175
Lomé, Togo
Tel: 00228 – 22 332 32
Fax: 00228 – 22 332 46
Email: info@lome.diplo.de
www.lome.diplo.de
Austrian representations in Togo
The Federal Republic of Austria does not have an embassy in Togo, but an honorary consulate.
The embassy in Nigeria is responsible for:
Embassy in Nigeria
Plot 9, Usuma Street
Maitama – Abuja
Tel: 00234 – 706 – 418 3226
Email: abuja-ob@bmeia.gv.at
The Austrian Embassy in Nigeria is still responsible for:
- Equatorial Guinea
- Benin
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Cameroon
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Chad
- Togo
- Central African Republic
Honorary Consulate Lomé (without passport authorization)
9, Rue du Lac, Immeuble DTG
Lomé
Tel: 00228 – 221 31 57, 221 51 76
Email: gfatogo.dg@bibway.com
Representations of Togo in Austria
The embassy in Berlin is responsible.
Swiss representations in Togo
The embassy in Accra/ Ghana is responsible.
Honorary Consulate in Lomé
1, Boulevard de la République
Lomé
Togo
Tel: 00228 – 220 50 60
Email: lome@honorarvertretung.ch
Representations of Togo in Switzerland
Embassy in Geneva
Rue de Lausanne 67
1202 Geneva
Tel: 0041 – (0) 22 – 566 83 00
Email: info@mission-togo.ch
Consulat de la République Togolaise
Breitbachstrasse 8, CP 80
4802 Srengelbach
Tel: 0041 – (0) 62 – 751 50 00
Email: pbuchmueller@gmx.ch
Consulat de la République Togolaise
Rue Toepffer 11bis
1206 Geneva
Tel: 0041 – (0) 22 – 346 52 60
Email: hgvs@bluewin.ch
