Boukoumbé is the main commune town on the Beninese side of the Somba country, sitting almost on the Togo border in a basin ringed by rocky hills. The town itself is modest — a handful of cement-block streets, a Sunday market, a few small hotels, and the main administrative buildings for the commune. It is not really a destination in itself but the natural launching point for visiting the surrounding tata compounds.
The market draws Somba families from the surrounding villages and from across the border in Togo, and it is the easiest place to see a cross-section of the region in one morning. From Boukoumbé it is short drives or walks of half an hour to several hours out to the dispersed settlements where the tata houses stand. A small handful of guesthouses cater to travellers and can usually find you a guide who speaks the local Ditammari language as well as French.