Aneho

Aneho was the first capital of German Togoland, from 1885 to 1887, and the town wears the memory lightly: streets of German-colonial and Afro-Brazilian buildings - churches, trading houses, the old administrative rows - age gracefully between the lagoon and the ocean, while the fishing economy carries on as it did before and after the flags changed. The lagoon mouth stages the daily spectacle of pirogues negotiating the surf bar, Glidji next door holds the Guin people's spiritual capital - its September Epe Ekpe festival, with the sacred stone's colour read for the year ahead, is the region's great gathering - and the beaches run palm-lined toward Benin.

What to look for

• The old capital streets - German and Afro-Brazilian facades aging in the salt air.
• The lagoon mouth - pirogues running the bar where lagoon meets ocean.
• Glidji's shrine quarter - the Guin spiritual capital next door.
• Peter and Paul church - the landmark seafront church of the old town.

When to go

November to February for dry-season ease; September brings Epe Ekpe at Glidji - attend its public portions respectfully if the dates align. Late afternoon light flatters the facades.

Before you go

Aneho is atmosphere, not restoration - buildings crumble photogenically and interpretation is absent; a local guide adds the stories the walls withhold. The ocean beach drops steeply with strong currents - lagoon side for any swimming. Half a day suffices unless festival season extends it.

Nearby

Lake Togo's shore and Togoville, Lome an hour west and Grand-Popo over the border.

Key facts