Atakora Mountains

The Atacora runs northeast across Benin's northwest as a chain of quartzite ridges and hills rising to around six hundred and fifty metres, the highest ground in the country, and the escarpment on its western side carries waterfalls where streams come off it. The range shelters distinct communities including the Batammariba, whose fortified houses were inscribed by UNESCO, and the Taneka, whose villages sit on the slopes. The range continues northeast across the border into Togo, where it carries the same escarpment and the same pattern of settlement on the slopes.

What you actually see

• The quartzite ridges - the chain of hills rising to around six hundred and fifty metres.
• The escarpment falls - the streams coming off the western edge.
• The hill communities - the peoples settled through the range.
• The high ground - the country's highest terrain.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season, though the harmattan brings haze. The rains from May green the range. March and April are extremely hot.

Honest expectations

Roads through the range are rough and slow. Facilities outside Natitingou are minimal. Harmattan haze from December can reduce visibility considerably.

Nearby

Natitingou is at the centre, and Pendjari is north.