Kota Falls, Natural waterfall site near Natitingou, Benin

Kota Falls is a chain of cascades on the Kota stream, a tributary of the Kéran basin, dropping about 100 m east of the Atacora range in the Kotopounga district, some 20 km from Natitingou. The stream keeps flowing in the dry season thanks to groundwater, and a gallery forest lines the water. An arboretum of tropical trees was planted near the falls, reached by one of the two paths to the site.

Kota Falls lie in the Kotopounga district, about 20 km from Natitingou, on the Kota stream in the Kéran watershed. A 2010 study measured a 100 m drop and an average flow of 0.27 m³/s, with water running 7,920 hours a year. Because groundwater keeps the stream flowing in the dry season, the falls were one of six sites chosen for a West African micro-hydropower feasibility project.

The falls are linked to Marcus Boni Teiga, a journalist and writer from the Atakora region, who dedicated his poem "Kota" to them. The river's gallery forest also carries a mycological reputation: species such as Afroboletus luteolus, Lactarius aurantiofolius and Russula liberiensis grow there, some found nowhere else in Benin and now threatened.

Getting there works best with local help from Natitingou, where a local guide is your best choice for navigation and safety. Bring sturdy shoes since the path to the falls can be slippery, especially during the rainy season.

The gallery forest along the Kota river shelters 133 tree taxa in 34 families, recorded by a Kew botanist and his team in the late 2000s. Among the moisture-demanding trees are Syzygium guineense, Khaya senegalensis and Breonadia salicina. The same forest holds higher fungi such as Afroboletus luteolus and Russula liberiensis, some found nowhere else in Benin.