AROUND GHANA IN 10 DAYS!

In the line of my duties, I experienced a ride across the Volta Lake at Kete Krachi and Dambai all formerly in the Volta Region of Ghana. I loved it and wished I make my family experience the same. Life on the Ferry is worth experiencing and doing a total of one-hour thirty minutes ride on my first ride will live with me for the rest of my life.

We live at the center of Ghana, Kintampo North in the Bono East Region and planning out a trip to experience the ride across the Volta Lake needed to be comprehensive and embodying. A search on the internet and speaking to friends to find other places we could also visit in addition was helpful. Above all, I landed on a useful material by Philip Briggs who has written extensively about Ghana, a book I have seen several tourists read that I never took interest to even steal a glimpse.

Ghana has a lot of places one can visit to see more about nature. Across the formerly ten regions (now sixteen), we have several waterfalls, mountains, camps, and wildlife sanctuaries that can be visited.

After settling on where to visit, we started from Kintampo and moved straight to Bolgatanga, Upper East through Tamale in the Northern Region. Because we stay in Kintampo, we have previously visited the Buabeng Monkey Sanctuary, Kintampo Waterfalls with the Canopy walk, and the Fuller Falls. Also, since the family had an opportunity to see the Wildlife at the Mole National Park in Damango and the Larabanga Mosque, it was expedient not to visit those places again in the current travel as we mapped out the trip.

Bolgatanga did not have much to see from discussions with friends. With our religious background, one of the monuments one cannot miss while in the town is the conspicuously raise Fountain Gate Church (Desert Pastures). Because of the long journey, we had to sleep over and continue the next day. Seeing the crocodiles in Paga, the border town with Burkina Faso was all the family could think of.

In the evening in Bolgatanga, though we lodged at the Golden Horse Hotel, it was at Rock Garden Restaurant that we could get some local meals from the Upper East Region.  The meal that was traditionally served was Tuo zaafi and green leaf soup with guinea fowl. The meal was very tasty than could be imagined and was different from what had been eaten from other regions of Ghana. The porridge made from millet that we had for breakfast the following morning was lovely.

We made our journey the next morning which was the second day to Paga through Navrongo. When we reached Paga, which is where Ghana shares border with Burkina Faso, it was only prudent to visit our neighbours while we were around. We took the opportunity to go through the immigration processes to just cross the border to get the feel of being in the francophone Country. One thing was clear that meat was cheap at the border and we could not resist the urge of buying some roasted meat to chew.

We moved over to the Paga Crocodile Pond which is also along the road leading to the border. We paid the necessary fees and bought a chicken for the care-takers to use to call the crocs out of the pond. Each group of people is made to buy its own chicken even if a single call will be made by the guides and trainers. It all adds to the fundraising. The processes used by the guides to call the crocodiles out of the pond is worthy of beholding (Video recording of calling the Paga crocodile to shore). When the crocodiles are onshore, they are tamed to be able to have pictures with them. At the Paga Crocodile pond is a horse for individuals who may want to have a ride whether as an experienced or a novel. For the first time in my life, I had a guided ride on the horse’s back.

Just at the opposite side of the Paga Crocodile pond is a Traditional Unit where they have a collection of items left behind from the slavery camp and also what the ancestors used as weapons during war. After going through the stories one gets the opportunity to dress in traditional war attire and practice some war dancing moves. A token is paid for the dressing and also to the community.

There were other places ( Pikworo Slave camp, Nania and Sirigu Women Organisation for Pottery and Art (SWOPA)) we could visit but from Paga, we journeyed to spend the night of the second day in Yendi still in former Upper East through Tamale.

In Yendi, it was fun to find Madina Whitehouse Hotel as the sleeping place. Apart from the cost, the name of a popular place in the Greater Accra Region found as a name for a hotel far up Ghana was interesting and informed our choice. We got the opportunity to see the Gbewaa Palace and the military security presence in front of the palace. Because it was not pre-arranged, we could not visit the palace since it was not on our map.

We continued our journey through Bimbila, Kpandai and, Borae to reach Dambai using the ferry. We rather hit the purpose of our travel on the third day. It was fun and another experience on the ferry. A lot was learned from the loading of the vehicles, passengers and even the operations of the ferry in the Captain’s cabin. The almost thirty-minute travel will forever stick with the children who wanted that experience. The ferry carried about fourteen vehicles of which about ten were heavy trucks loaded with goods.

We met some angels while on the ferry who led us on the rest of the journey. We were going through Dambai which is now the Oti Regional Capital city, to the WLI waterfalls and Mountain Afadjato all near Hohoe. We spent the night of the third day in Hohoe upon the advise of the angels we met. We slept in Obama Hotel and had a nice traditional meal at Kiki’s Court. I urge anyone in the Volta Region to always try the workple and green green soup with dry fish.

On the fourth day, we started our journey to the WLI Waterfalls at WLI Agumatsa, Volta Region. This location is about a thirty-five minutes drive from Hohoe through Fodome Helu which has become part of my life as I grew. It was an opportunity to see this great town. More about this town will happen in a story reserved for a later time.

At the tourist reception, I was told of the various packages of the places I could visit. There is an option to do a basic 90 minutes (45 minutes to and from the waterfall) walk to the lower part of the waterfall. The upper fall hikes as described in the book by Philip Briggs could take a total of 6 hours to 10 hours walking time. With my kids and looking at the period of the year, we choose the package to the lower waterfalls.

We started with a walk through the semi-deciduous forest. About 10 minutes into the walk from the tourist reception, one will meet the Rasta Village where they have gardens that are kept natural as displayed. One walks across nine bridges at different stages of the river flowing before reaching the base of the waterfalls. The good thing is that before you start the journey to the falls, you are also advised to go along with a jacket especially for younger ones and those who could not stand cold weather.

The scene at the WLI waterfalls is nice and very difficult to compare to others. The waterfall has its own beauty and serene environment. It has a wider space to swim if you are a lover of swimming. Not sure of the temperature of the water throughout the year but in December when we visited, the water was freezing by my standard. I was still surprised to see some people swimming when we first got to the falls. I later realized that one adapts to the water’s temperature as you stay longer in it. Maybe that was the strategy used by those swimming. Some cautions to note were that there were no lifesavers on site though we went with a tourist guide who at best helped us with our pictures. Bees were also found at the site and it will be prudent to avoid perfumes and other scented materials when going on such visit. One other fascinating thing that caught the attention of Adom, my second child was the resting bats that were spotted on top of the mountain where the water was flowing from.

A visit to Afadjato in Gbledi Gbogame in the Hohoe Municipal Assembly in the Volta Region. From this area, two mountains could be visited. The second is Aduadu which though is higher than the Afadjato, it is a mountain on top of a mountain and cannot be considered as the highest mountain. That title then becomes the preserve of Afadjato. Mount Afadja which is about 885 m in elevation may take about 45 minutes to climb up to the peak. With my family and for the first time, we used roughly 1 hour 40 minutes as I timed. We had a lot of resting points apart from the designated areas. After all, we were not in competition with anyone. It is important to relax and climb at your own pace to avoid any unwarranted severe heartbeats. It was a great joy when we arrived at the peak of the mountain. One feels the closeness of the sun up the mountain. It is advisable to carry enough water when planning to climb the mountain. What is good is that if one successfully climbs the mountain, someone is selling water and drinks but we bought a 500 ml water at Ghc 5.00. More three times the cost one will buy the same volume down the hill. The caution I would like to share with readers is that when descending from the mountain top, one needs to maintain the stability of the body’s weight against gravity. This subs a lot of energy almost comparable to climbing the mountain. I admire the support of the tourist guide who went on the expedition with us.

Mount Gemi in AMEDZOFE, Volta Region is known to be the highest habitable place in Ghana. One can use a vehicle to the Amedzofe township which is already a mountainous area. From the base of the mountain to the peak of Mount Gemi is about a twenty-five to thirty minutes walk after one has paid all the necessary fees to access the tourist areas. There is also a waterfall in the area but we could not visit the area due to the time we had at our disposal. It is known that the television broadcasting distribution unit of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation in the Volta Region was at the peak of the mountain. It is now replaced with a symbolic cross. Interestingly, it is a praying camp for some individuals. We witnessed some people busily praying on top of the mountain. One was also careful not to distract their prayers while touring up there. The sight of the towns surrounding the mountain was a beauty to behold.

Ave-Dakpa in Akatsi North, Volta Region also houses a crocodile pond and resort which has its own beauty and experience apart from what one sees in Paga in the Upper East Region of Ghana. Though the crocodiles have lived with the people from ages, the newly created assembly together with the traditional authorities is harnessing the powerful creatures for tourism purposes which is very positive. We drove in from Amedzofe through Ho, the capital city of the Volta Region and spent the night. The next morning, through the place, is not ready to be opened to the public, the friendly District Chief Executive ready to transform the place was able to arrange for the community members who traditional can call the crocodiles to shore to bring on the display which everyone would love to see. The reptile came to shore and one could see the wild animal in its natural habitat. The good thing is that they never attack unless they sense danger from people trying to walk within some radius of their sight. The power with which the reptile grasped the chicken that was thrown to it demonstrates a lot of caution one needs when around the crocodile, especially offshore. It will be very good if the place could be developed for research and also tourists going to practice feeding the animals in the natural habitat probably on cranes. (Video demonstrating how crocodiles are called on display in Ave-Dakpa, Akatsi North. Hon. Dr Prince Amuzu)

From the Akatsi North enclave and to the National capital, one can use the Sogakope road. This is by far a good road with few challenges if any. We chose to leave the Volta Region through the Eastern Region using the Adomi Bridge which is over the Volta Lake towards Akosombo. This was to spice the journey of Christmas we decided to spend on wheels seeing our country. It was nice to read about the construction of the bridge and the renovations done recently by the government that handed over power in January 2017. There is a lot one can experience on the Volta lake including boat rides and cruises.

Life in the Capital of Greater Accra is filled with heavy vehicular traffic at all levels. One then has virtually indoor places to visit for recreational purposes. We could have observed the baboons in the Shai hills enclave if we have traveled within the daylight. We therefore resorted to playing parks for the kids as a\we found available. On the evening of arrival, the lunch of “lighting the streets of Accra” in the Christmas period was felt. The Kotoka International Airport, the road leading to the Tema Lorry Stations and Terminal were all lit with Christmas decorations. One could even take pictures with Santa Claus. It was fun for all. The beauty was that there were security personnel around to control traffic and maintain order at the various scenes. We also had a good window shopping at the ANC Shopping Mall and West Hill Mall after visiting some family and friends In the Greater Accra Region.

The night of the sixth day was spent in Winneba, Central Region at the Windy Beach and Resort. On the morning of the seventh day, the family had a beach exploration. We created our own niche along the seashore and used the sea waves to create our mini pool for swimming. This was a brief experience before we checked out of the hotel to continue our journey to the Western Region through Mankesim, Saltpond and Cape Coast. The smiles on the face of the children were enough to tell that, the trip had been a success.

In Cape Coast, so many could have been done to see places but it was only the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital we visited for the family to see some of the places I take my clinical monitoring duties anytime I am away from home. One could visit the Kankum National Park for the popular canopy walk, the Crocodile cottage and many others including the Castles.

The long journey ended in Takoradi, Western Region where we had a tremendous experience with the Navy and their duties. The details of the duties they perform in protecting our marines and oil fields are commendable. It is fun to know that the public could visit their units for a ride on the ocean for the celebration of the National Independence. Apart from these periods, one could with permission be shown round the unit and what they do. What was fascinating was the fact that the warships the Navy had at the Western Naval Command were named after great warriors of our country. Seeing one of the names of the ships after Gbewa (from Yendi) was not surprising at all. It was joy when the kids could connect what they had seen earlier at the Chief’s palace in Yendi with the name of the warship.

Our journey could not have been complete without getting back home in Kintampo through Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

Ghana has several tourist places to visit and see the beauty of nature. What is limiting are the resources to enable people to embark on such expeditions around the country. But when the opportunity comes, never miss these exciting places in addition to the many others God has given this country.

Enjoy your trips on the roads I chose not to speak much about especially if you have a baby that is stronger than the one below.

Signed

DAG