Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism in Togo

Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Togo.

Practical Information

Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.

Travel Alert Status: Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Time Difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate: The country is divided climatically into southern and northern zones. The southern tropical average temperatures fluctuate between 70°F and 80°F , with February and March the hottest months, and June, July, and August the coolest. Humidity is high (80%-90%) most of the year. The major dry season extends from the end of November to the end of March; August and early September are also sometimes quite dry. Equatorial conditions in the mountains of Togo support the country’s only rain forest. Northern temperatures fluctuate between 65°F and over 100°F, and humidity is less than in the south. The northern zone has one rainy and one dry season. In December-January, a cool, dry, dust-laden *quot;harmattan" wind from the Sahara sweeps across the land.
Ethnic Groups: native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
National Holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1960)
Geographic Coordinates: 8 00 N, 1 10 E
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Airports: 9

Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.

Medical Facilities and Health Information: Medical facilities in Togo are limited and of very poor quality; emergency medical care is inadequate. Availability of medications through local pharmacies is unreliable, and travelers should carry all necessary medications, properly labeled, with them. Malaria, a serious and sometimes fatal disease, is prevalent in Togo.
Accessibility: While in Togo, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what you find in the United States. While the law prohibits discrimination against persons with physical, mental, intellectual, and sensory disabilities in employment, education, access to health care, transportation, or in the provision of other state services, the government does not effectively enforce these provisions. The government does not mandate accessibility to public or private facilities for persons with disabilities, although some public buildings had ramps. There are very few sidewalks in the country, and handicapped access is not prioritized in construction or planning. U.S. citizens with disabilities that hinder mobility should consider this information when planning travel to Togo.

Degree of Risk: very high
Diseases Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds
Animal-Contact Diseases: rabies
Food and Waterborne Diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Respiratory Diseases: meningococcal meningitis
Vectorborne Diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
Water-Contact Diseases: schistosomiasis