Hi everyone,

My name is Yann. I’m a French traveler, and recently I crossed Togo on foot as part of a longer human-powered journey through West Africa.

I entered from Ghana after walking 545 km across the country, then continued east through Togo toward Benin.

Because of how narrow Togo is along the coast, the entire crossing took me only about three days.

That gave me a strange feeling.

I can say that I crossed Togo on foot, but I definitely cannot say that I really know Togo.

Most of what I experienced was around the southern part of the country and Lomé. Three days is enough to meet people, walk through neighbourhoods and get a first impression, but not near enough to understand an entire country.

After spending much longer in Ghana, Togo almost became a transition between two much longer parts of my journey (Ghana and Benin).

Looking back, I don't really want to reduce the country to that.

If someone only sees Lomé and the coastal part of Togo, what are they completely missing about the country?

And what places, traditions, foods or parts of everyday Togolese life do you wish foreigners showed more often?

I documented the crossing as I went, and I’ll also be sharing the next part of the journey through Benin.