Togo<\/strong> , the name of the smallest in West Africa, means ‘on the hill’ in the language of the Ewe, the most powerful ethnic group. The largest part of the country consists of hills and low mountains. The highest peak, Mt Agou (986m), is located in the southwest on the border with Ghana. Whoever climbs the peak, has a magnificent view over Lake Volta. The second highest mountain, Mt Kaby\u00e9, is located in the northeast near the valley of the tamberma<\/strong> . This population group settled in this inhospitable area in the seventeenth century for fear of the slave-seekers Abomey<\/strong> king in present-day Benin. That explains the fortress-like architectural style of the houses. They are connected by thick walls with turrets. Due to the isolation, the ancient customs and customs of this tribe have remained virtually unchanged. The same goes for the rich flora and fauna, protected in national parks. On the coast \u2013 only sixty kilometers long \u2013 are paradisiacal beaches and Togoville<\/strong> and Vogan<\/strong> , home of the voodoo.<\/p>\n Benin<\/strong> possesses a number of highlights, which cannot be seen anywhere else in Africa. The coastal town of Ouidah<\/strong> is the spiritual capital of voodoo, an animistic religion that summons spirits to help solve problems. The highlight is the annual voodoo festival<\/strong> in January. Also on the coast is Grand Popo,<\/strong> known for its paradisiacal beaches. Ganvi\u00e9, a town built on stilts in a large lake, is nicknamed the ‘Venice of Africa’. The ‘land of the 41 hills’ begins at Dassa-Zoum\u00e9. Beyond that is the area of the Somba<\/strong> , known for their fortified villages of round mud huts with conical roofs topped with terracotta vases. In the far north are two game reserves: Park W<\/strong> \u2013 named after the double V-shaped bend that makes the River Niger \u2013 and Pjendjari<\/strong> Park. In addition to many species of antelope live in both elephants, buffalo, lions and leopards. You will also find Tan\u00e9ka Koko, a mountain village known for its special architectural style, natural springs and royal cave. In short: a literally and figuratively enchanting country!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rich cultural tradition in two special countries in West Africa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":192134,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"country":[],"continent_category":[186],"class_list":["post-30637","countries","type-countries","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","continent_category-africa"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/countries\/30637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/countries"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/countries"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=30637"},{"taxonomy":"continent_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.untamedtravelling.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/continent_category?post=30637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Grand Popo, Ganvi\u00e9 and Somba in Benin<\/h2>\n