The hike to Cascade de Womé takes about an hour through dense forest. The path crosses small streams on stepping stones and passes cacao trees — the same trees whose pods give us chocolate. As you get closer, you start to hear the rushing water before you can see it, and the air becomes noticeably cooler and damper.
The waterfall itself drops in two stages, first over a wide flat rock and then into a deeper pool at the bottom. The pool is popular with local children, who come to swim there on hot afternoons. The water is crystal clear because the forest around it keeps the soil in place and stops mud from washing into the stream.
Around the waterfall you can spot bright butterflies, small lizards sunbathing on the warm rocks, and — if you are patient and quiet — a tree frog clinging to a wet leaf with its sticky toes. The whole place feels like a tiny hidden world, tucked away inside the green hills of Togo.