This reserve is rebounding after a period of poor management that led to a severe decrease in the number of animals. Still, you'll probably see only birds and monkeys.
Farther north are Mount Koronga and the town of Kara, the birthplace of Togo's late President Eyadema (215 mi/345 km north of Lome). Kara hosts a wrestling contest during the first two weeks of May (usually attended by the president), celebrating the transition of its boys to adulthood. (If you plan to go, make reservations at the Hotel Kara well in advance.) In nearby Pya, a monument marks the spot where Eyadema survived a plane crash in 1974. This area is culturally different from southern Togo—it's inhabited by Muslims as well as Kabye and other tribes. Visit villages in the surrounding Kabye Mountains. The area, called "Kabye country," affords visitors the chance to meet the "peasants of stone"—the people got their name from their skill in farming the rocky terrain. Note the way they build their homes and villages: Round huts with round roofs are grouped together according to families. 170 mi/275 km north of Lome.
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