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Akwaaba (Welcome in Twi) to this part of our site. Here we will tell you a little about our journey in July and August 2006. We travelled through Ghana for 4 weeks and saw and learned a lot, as our pictures will show you.
Sit back, relax, grab a beer and enjoy our pictures of Ghana.

With Air Afriqiyah, the Libyan airline, we flew from Amsterdam in about 3,5 hours to Tripoli. Unfortunately enough Kadaffi was not at home, or we might have paid him a visit and talk about world politics enjoying a cup of tea. In Tripoli we had to wait about 1,5 hours before boarding again. The second part of the flight took about 4,5 hours, then we landed in Accra, the capital city of Ghana.

Don't expect too much from this airline.
But it was the cheapest way to fly. And they brought us safely to Ghana and back to Holland. But, no kind of entertainment on board. Also the service on the flight was minimal. But like i said, it was the cheapest we found. On the other hand: a smile costs nothing ?!

Accra

And don't leave home with out "the Bradt guide" We believe it to be better than the Lonely Planet .

We spent a few days in Accra, but to be honest, it is like most of the big cities in Africa: noisy, dusty, smelly and dirty. Ghana's capital city is, in our opinion, a nice place to stay for... a maximum of 1 day, then you will have had enough of it and it is time to go and find the jewels they are hiding in their beautiful country.

Let's get out of this place...Next stop Akosombo north of Accra.

Of course there is more to see, just look around and you will find lots of nice places to visit

The next place to visit on our list was the big Akosombo Dam. This big dam (370 x 124 m) provides most of the electricity in Ghana and also "exports" to to Burkina Faso, Togo and Ivory Coast. Because of this dam, the lake behind it is now one of world's biggest man-made lakes: Lake Volta with a surface area of roughly 850,000 ha.

Like a well hidden bead-factory

The second half of this day we planned to visit the Boti Falls and the Shai Hills Resort Reserve. The falls were incredible. The location is somewhere north west of Koforidua, about 1,5 hours drive by car from Accra. The waterfall is about 30 m high and is part of the Pawnpawn river.
But if you visit it in the dry season, please don't expect to see the same amount of water we did.
By the way, the water was excellent for swimming, but stay away from the waterfall itself.

This nice reserve is just north of Accra, next to the main Akosombo road. It protects an area of coastal savanna, which is nothing compared to the savannas you see in East Africa, but still, a nice place to spend a few hours. Long time ago this part of Ghana belonged to the Shai people. A tribe that lived in these hills, until they, like so many other tribes, were chased away by the British in 1892.
In this park, we visited a small dam (lake) hoping to find some wild life, which we didn't, and we visited the Bat-Cave, that, like the name suggests, was filled with bats.

At first we wanted to visit the east coast of Ghana, but while we were driving around in this part of Ghana, it started to rain very heavily and we decided to drive to our next destination, east of Lake Volta.

Just 10 km south of Ho is a beautiful park, the Kalapka Resource Reserve. They told us that several animals are living in this park, but due to the rainy season, tall grass and lots of water, it would be hard to spot them. But still, it is worth while visiting and make a walk of 2 hours with a ranger through this park, were sometimes we just had to make our own path.

Under construction (but working)

In a little place called Tafi Abuife, south west of Tafi Atome, between Ho and Hohoe, we visited one of Ghana's main Kente-weaving centres. Kente is a typical way of weaving only found in this region and in the region around Kumasi of the Ashanti people. Here they teach people from other villages and even from other countries the skill of weaving.
The strokes they weave are put together in other towns for clothing and blankets.

Our next stop was Waterfall Lodge, a nice small lodge run by a German couple. It was one of the best places we visited. The lodge is located on a spot from where, when the weather is good, you can see 2 big waterfalls in the distance. The food is excellent and the accommodation good. Very good value for your money.

Unfortunately, when we arrived all rooms (5) were occupied. But we had our tent with us, and we were preparing for our first night in our tent...... Now we know why it is called "waterfall lodge": it rained and rained all night long. We did 't sleep at all. Still, it is a beautiful place to stay. The walk to the Wli waterfall takes only 45 minutes through a beautiful forest.

Up in the north, in the Upper East region lies Bolga, as it is called by the locals. It is a city full of life surrounded by interesting things, like old mud mosques, nice landscapes and interesting small villages with kind people.
Places like Sirigu with its painted houses, Bongo with the Bongo rock, Tongo & Tenzug shrines and close to the Burkina Faso border, Paga, with its holy crocodiles.

Leaving Tamale, driving to Bolgatanga we passed a little village called Walewale. Nothing special about this place but they have a very old mud made mosque, which is not in use anymore but still worth while looking out for and visiting.

Bongo is a small town. On its own there is not much to do there, but just a 20 - 30 minute walk away from it you will find your self in a beautiful landscape when you are looking for the Bongo Rock. Here you will see two big rocks, both possible to climb, and when you are on top of the "male Bongo Rock" drum on it, you will be surprised. Here it was were we met a nice lady, she is a teacher in this little town and she showed us the beautiful scenery around her village.

In this little village we had a guide who told us about his town and its history. He showed us around several beautiful places and give us really excellent information. He was by far the best guide we met in Ghana. The visit to his little town was worth the while and he showed us the king's palace, a little town on its own where the Chief and his 15 wives (yes 15!!!!!!!!) lives. We also visited the Chief Linguist's place. He is almost as important as the chief himself, and has 12 wives. Imagine, having so much wives is one thing, but it also means 15 mothers in law .....

A funny thing about the Chiefs in Ghana: they never talk to their people directly. That's why they have a man who does this for him: the "Chief Linguist".

We ended our day with a nice walk along the border with Burkina Faso.
Not only the walk was spectacular, but also the way there...
Sometimes "boldly go where no bold man has gone before" takes you to nice places, even when the road just ends at a certain moment, and you have to make your own road, even if it means following a footpath through cornfields.

One of the most craziest sites we have visited in Ghana must be Paga. Why? Well, look at the pictures and you will see for yourself. But remember, the chickens are quite overpriced in this little town, so bring your own.....

As you can see, in the area around Bolgatanga there is a lot to visit. So if ever you go to Ghana, it is worth while to go all the way up north. Have fun!

After staying a few days in Bolgatanga we decided to choose Wa for our next destination. It would be a stopover (and a good place to sleep) on our way to Mole National park.

The next day, on our way to Mole National park, we visited 2 sites around Wa. The first was the Mud-and-stick mosque in Nakori. We were very much welcome. I even had to play for "Bartez" ( I wonder why they thought of this French goalie when they saw me) before we were invited to visit this beautiful mosque.

This 40 km stretch of the Black Volta, also the border between Burkina Faso and Ghana, is the home of about 50 hippos (the second largest population after Bui NP). But, if you think you will find just one during the rainy season .... think again. But if you like a nice relaxed boat ride in a beautiful nature, then you are there in the right place, so enjoy and hopefully you are lucky enough to spot a big Hippo.