Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
shape. Opt for the dearer rooms, which are spacious and well organised, and come with
bathrooms in good working order (hot water). Downside: the hotel is not shielded from
the noise of the highway. The restaurant cooks up decent meals for CFA2500 and you can
camp in the annexe across the street.
Centre Grill
AFRICAN, EUROPEAN
$$
(Marox; 90 70 22 33; cnr Rte de Prison & Ave Eyadéma; mains CFA1300-3600; breakfast, lunch & dinner
daily)
An attractive place with its straw roof, wicker light shades and blackboard menus,
Centre Grill serves divine Togolese food and good Western dishes. Try its
fufu sauce
arachide
with grilled fish, or
pâte sorgho
(mashed sorghum), wash the lot down with a
cold beer and polish it off with banana fritters. Great value.
Information
Banks with ATMs and internet cafes are easy to find in the centre.
Getting There & Away
From the main
gare routière,
about 2km south of the town centre, minibuses regularly
head south to Atakpamé (CFA4300, four hours), Kandé (CFA1200) and Lomé (CFA4800,
seven hours). Taxis heading north to Dapaong (CFA3600, four hours) are scarce and it's
not unusual to have to wait half a day for one to fill up.
For buses heading to Lomé,
Rakiéta
(Rue du 23 Septembre)
has a daily departure at 7.30am
(CFA5600, six hours) from its depot.
To get to the border with Benin via Kétao (CFA600, 30 minutes), get a minibus or bush
taxi from
Station du Grand Marché
(Ave Eyadéma)
, next to the market.
WORTH A TRIP
PARC DE SARAKAWA
Unpretentious and relaxing,
Parc de Sarakawa
( 90 55 49 21; hel228@hotmail.fr; adult/child CFA5000/
2500; 8am-5pm daily) is easily accessed from Kara as a day trip. While its terrestrial wildlife-watching can't
compare with that in the better-known parks in West Africa, it spreads out over 1500 acres and is home to various
species of antelope, buffalo, ostrich and zebra. Game drives (CFA5000) can be arranged at the gate. There are
plans to build a lodge within the park.
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