Togo

Togo seems to be squashed in between neighbouring Ghana, Burkina Faso and Benin. Yet this tiny sliver of a country manages to squeeze in dense forests, savannah, coastal lagoons, long sandy beaches and swampy plains.Despite its uncertain political situation, the country boasts captivating wonders and offers a nice succession of landscapes. The capital city Lomé lies on the Gulf of Benin and is the only capital in the world situated right next to a border. Modern hotels line the beach, while the city's past can be uncovered among the pockets of colonial architecture and its traditions discovered in the famous fetish market, which sells traditional remedies and carved figures to ward off evil.Togo's national parks are home to buffaloes, elephants and antelope, as well as numerous tropical bird species. Coffee and cocoa farms, waterfalls and palm plantations characterise the country's plateau, which rises behind the coast. In northeastern Togo, the traditional mud-tower settlements of the Batammariba in the Koutammakou landscape gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004.