Travel and Tourism in Ghana

The Volta Region and Eastern Ghana

East of the main highway from Accra to Kumasi, Ghana opens up into a landscape dominated by one extraordinary feature: Lake Volta. Stretching from the Akosombo Dam in the south to within a few kilometers of the northern border, Lake Volta is, by surface area, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, covering approximately 8,502 square kilometers — larger than the entire island of Cyprus. The lake was created by the construction of the Akosombo Dam, completed in 1965 under the Nkrumah government as a cornerstone of the newly independent Ghana's development strategy. The dam was built with American and British financial assistance despite Nkrumah's increasingly socialist international positioning, a reflection of the complex Cold War calculations of the era.

The construction of the dam flooded some 740 villages and displaced approximately 80,000 people, mostly from the Volta Region. This enormous human cost is rarely foregrounded in the promotional material for the lake, but it is an important part of its history and one that travelers with an interest in development justice will want to be aware of. The displaced communities received inadequate compensation, were often resettled on marginal land, and suffered long-term disruption to their agricultural and fishing livelihoods.

The dam itself generates the vast majority of Ghana's hydroelectric power and has been central to the country's industrial development. It is an impressive piece of engineering, and the town of Akosombo below it has an almost surreal quality, like a planned company town transplanted from 1960s America to the Ghanaian bush.

Lake Volta is beautiful, particularly in the early morning when mist clings to the water and the surrounding hills. Boat trips on the lake range from day excursions to Dodi Island — a small, wooded island in the southern part of the lake that can be reached from the Dodi Princess ferry — to longer multi-day journeys north on the cargo ferries that are the main transport link for lakeshore communities. The Dodi Island trip is a popular excursion from Accra, involving a scenic boat ride, a beach on the island, and usually some drumming and dancing from the islanders. It is enjoyable, though the operation has a somewhat packaged feel that Lake Volta's cargo ferry journey conspicuously lacks.

The Volta Region's primary city, Ho, is a pleasant and relaxed place, smaller and quieter than Accra, and a good base for exploring the region. The Ewe people, who are the dominant ethnic group of the Volta Region, have a rich cultural tradition distinct from the Akan tradition of the center and west. The Ewe are known for their skill in cloth weaving (the kente tradition exists among the Ewe as well as the Ashanti, though the two traditions have distinct styles), for their vibrant drumming and dance traditions, and for their philosophical and spiritual traditions.

The Volta Region's most spectacular natural attraction is the Wli Waterfalls, located near the border with Togo in the Hohoe District. Wli (pronounced Vlee) is often described as the highest waterfall in West Africa, though the precise measurement and the nature of the claim (some waterfalls elsewhere in the region dispute the designation) are matters of some debate. What is not debatable is that the falls are magnificent: a wide, powerful cascade tumbling into a deep, spray-shrouded pool surrounded by dense forest. The hike to the lower falls takes about forty-five minutes through beautiful forest, and the upper falls require a more demanding climb of several hours. The pools beneath the falls are cool and inviting, and swimming is possible. The area is home to large colonies of straw-colored fruit bats, which roost in the trees around the falls and emerge in dramatic evening flights.

The Boti Falls in the Eastern Region are a pair of twin waterfalls, male and female according to local tradition, that fall side by side from a forested cliff. They are smaller than Wli but charming in their own right, and the nature trail through the surrounding forest is pleasant. A short walk from the falls leads to the Umbrella Rock, a remarkable natural rock formation that has become a popular destination for day-trippers from Accra.

Amedzofe is a village in the Volta Region's Avatime Hills, perched at an altitude that gives it a cool, misty character quite unlike the lowland towns. It is one of the best bases for hiking in the hills, offering views of the surrounding landscape and access to a network of trails leading through community forests and past small farms.

The Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, located in the Tafi Atome village near Hohoe, is a community conservation project that protects a troop of Mona monkeys (sometimes called Colobus monkeys in local marketing, though they are distinct species). The monkeys are considered sacred by the local community, and the sanctuary was established to protect them while providing an income-generating attraction for the village. Visitors are guided through the monkey forest by local community members, and the monkeys are accustomed to human presence and can be observed at very close range. The project is a good example of community-based conservation that puts real benefits into local hands.

Nzulezu, on the western edge of Ghana near the Cote d'Ivoire border, is one of West Africa's most unusual communities: a village built entirely on stilts over the Amansuri Lake. Access is by a forty-five-minute canoe journey through beautiful palm-fringed lagoons from the town of Beyin. The village is home to around five hundred people who live, cook, go to school, play, worship, and go about all the activities of daily life on wooden platforms above the water. Nzulezu is on the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List, and visiting it, while requiring some planning, is one of the most memorable experiences available in Ghana.

The Western Region and Coast

Ghana's western coastline is where the country's beach life reaches its most developed expression, and where the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea creates some of West Africa's most dynamic surf. The Western Region stretches from the rivers and lagoons near Takoradi in the east to the forested border with Cote d'Ivoire in the west, and it combines beach culture, colonial forts, exceptional biodiversity, and community life in a way that rewards extended exploration.

Busua Beach, a short distance from the fishing village of the same name, is widely regarded as the best surf beach in Ghana. The waves are consistent, powerful enough to offer genuine surfing but not so overwhelming as to be inaccessible to beginners, and the beach has developed a small but lively surf culture centered on a handful of surf schools and guesthouses. Busua itself is a working fishing village with a palm-fringed beach of golden sand and clear, warm water. The combination of surf, beauty, and relative accessibility from Accra (the journey takes about four hours by road) has made it increasingly popular, though it retains a laid-back character quite different from the more developed resorts of Southeast Asia or the Caribbean.

Near Busua, the town of Dixcove is home to Fort Metal Cross, one of the better-preserved of Ghana's smaller slave forts, built by the English in 1691. The fort sits on a rocky headland above Dixcove's beach and offers excellent views of the coast. It is much less visited than Cape Coast and Elmina and has a more contemplative, less managed atmosphere that some visitors find even more affecting.

Cape Three Points, the southernmost point of Ghana and one of the southernmost points of the African continent, is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea technically meet. The point is reached by road and then a short walk through coastal forest. It is an atmospheric spot, remote enough to feel genuinely wild, with a lighthouse and the sight of two bodies of water meeting at the point. It is not dramatic in the way that Cape Point in South Africa is dramatic, but it has a quiet power.

Takoradi is Ghana's second port city and serves as the commercial capital of the Western Region. It is also the economic hub of Ghana's offshore oil industry, which began commercial production in 2010 following the discovery of the Jubilee Field in 2007. Takoradi itself is not a major tourist destination, but the twin city of Sekondi (together they are often called Sekondi-Takoradi) has interesting colonial architecture and a history as an important railway terminus.

Kakum National Park, located in the Central Region near Cape Coast, is one of Ghana's premier nature destinations and home to one of only a handful of canopy walkways in all of Africa. The walkway consists of a series of rope bridges and platforms suspended in the forest canopy at heights of up to forty meters (130 feet) above the ground, allowing visitors to walk through the treetops and observe the forest from a perspective that would otherwise be impossible. The walkway stretches for approximately 330 meters and offers extraordinary opportunities for birdwatching and for viewing the upper forest ecosystem, including orchids, bromeliads, butterflies, and small mammals that live their entire lives in the canopy.

Below the canopy, Kakum's forest floor is home to forest elephants (smaller and more elusive than the savannah elephants of Mole), bongo antelope, duikers, colobus monkeys, Diana monkeys, and an extraordinary array of bird species. The park covers approximately 375 square kilometers of semi-deciduous rainforest and represents one of the largest remaining blocks of intact forest in Ghana. Hiking trails of varying lengths wind through the forest, and overnight camping is possible for those who want to experience the forest at night, when its sounds and smells are completely transformed.

All UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ghana

Ghana has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, each of profound historical and cultural significance.

Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions (inscribed 1979)

This site covers the extraordinary collection of European colonial fortifications built along Ghana's Atlantic coast between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. There are no fewer than thirty-two historical forts and castles in Ghana, of which twelve are recognized specifically within this World Heritage designation. The fortifications were built by the Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, British, and Prussian colonial powers over a period of four hundred years, and they served multiple purposes: initially as trading posts for gold and other commodities, and increasingly as holding pens for enslaved Africans awaiting transport to the Americas. The two most significant structures within this designation are Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, both of which are described in detail in The Slave Forts and Slave Route section of this guide.

The castles and forts of Ghana are remarkable not only as historical documents of the slave trade and European colonialism but as architectural achievements in their own right. They represent a unique series of military, commercial, and residential structures built by numerous European nations in a relatively compact geographic area, and their evolution over four centuries reflects changing military technology, commercial priorities, and colonial relationships. The World Heritage inscription recognizes their Outstanding Universal Value as bearing "unique and irreplaceable evidence of the most tragic period of African history, namely the transatlantic slave trade."

Other significant forts within this designation include Fort Amsterdam at Abandze, built by the British in 1631 and subsequently held by various powers; Fort Metal Cross at Dixcove, built by the English in 1691; Fort William at Anomabo, built by the British in 1755; Fort Nassau at Mouree (now Moree), built by the Dutch in 1612 and one of the oldest Dutch constructions in West Africa; and Fort Apollonia at Beyin, the westernmost fort in Ghana, built by the British in 1768.

Asante Traditional Buildings (inscribed 1980)

The Asante Traditional Buildings World Heritage Site protects the last surviving examples of Ashanti traditional religious and ceremonial architecture, which was once widespread across the Ashanti Region but has been almost entirely replaced by modern construction. The site consists of a number of shrines and ceremonial buildings located in several towns in the Ashanti Region, including Besease, Esumeja, Daniase, Asokore, Ejisu-Besease, and others.

These buildings represent a distinctive architectural tradition using organic materials: wooden frames, laterite earth, and bamboo, finished with plaster and decorated with bas-relief geometric and figurative designs. Unlike stone construction, these buildings require constant maintenance and periodic rebuilding, and they are living structures rather than historical monuments. They are still in active use as religious and ceremonial spaces by Ashanti communities, which is both their great value and one of the challenges of their conservation.

The Outstanding Universal Value of the Asante Traditional Buildings was recognized by UNESCO for their architectural uniqueness and for the spiritual and cultural practices they continue to sustain. The inscription has helped galvanize conservation efforts, but the challenge of maintaining organic-material architecture in a tropical climate remains significant.

It is important to note that there is ongoing discussion and advocacy for additional sites in Ghana to be inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Nzulezu stilt village in the Western Region and several other sites are on Ghana's Tentative List, which means they have been submitted for consideration and may be inscribed in the future.

Outdoor Activities and Nature

Ghana offers an underappreciated range of outdoor activities, from surfing on the Atlantic coast to walking with elephants in the savannah, from hiking to waterfalls in the Volta Region to birdwatching in the forest canopy of Kakum. The country is compact enough that a well-planned itinerary can combine multiple ecosystems and experiences within a two-week trip.

The beach scene at Busua is the most developed surf destination in Ghana, with several surf schools offering lessons and board rental to beginners and providing equipment to experienced surfers. The waves at Busua are generally reef-break quality, consistent in direction and of manageable size for most of the year. The surf culture here is relaxed and sociable, centered on a small number of lodges and bars that host an international mix of travelers, Ghana-based expatriates, and local surfers.

The Kakum canopy walkway remains one of Ghana's signature attractions, and rightly so. The experience of walking at canopy height through a West African rainforest is genuinely magical, particularly in the early morning when the light filters through the leaves and the forest birds are at their most vocal. A full visit to Kakum should include time both on the walkway and on the forest trails below, where the perspective shifts entirely and the scale of the trees becomes properly apparent.

Mole National Park offers the most extensive wildlife experience in Ghana. Day visits from the Mole Motel include both walking safaris with rangers and optional game drives by vehicle. The walking safaris are strongly recommended: the experience of tracking elephants on foot, reading the signs of their passage through the bush, and finally approaching a family group as they drink at a waterhole is not replicated anywhere else in West Africa at this price point and level of access. For those with more time, overnight stays at Mole allow for dawn walks when the wildlife is most active and temperatures are at their most forgiving.

Birdwatching is exceptional throughout Ghana. The country lies within the Upper Guinea biodiversity hotspot, one of the world's most important centers of avian diversity, and its range of habitats — from the coastal lagoons and mangroves through the forest zone to the northern savannahs — supports over 750 recorded species. Kakum National Park is particularly rewarding for forest birds, including several threatened species. The Atewa Range in the Eastern Region, a highland forest now proposed as a national park, has a remarkable list including the White-necked Picathartes (or Rockfowl), one of Africa's most sought-after bird species.

The Shai Hills Resource Reserve, located about 50 kilometers east of Accra on the road to Ho, offers a relatively accessible wildlife experience close to the capital. The reserve is home to troops of baboons, which are easy to observe, as well as klipspringers (a small antelope adapted to rocky terrain), kob, and a variety of birds. The Shai Hills are also significant archaeologically, with evidence of human habitation dating back several thousand years. The Legon Botanical Gardens on the campus of the University of Ghana in Accra are worth a visit for plant enthusiasts and for anyone who wants a peaceful green escape from the city.

The Volta Lake offers excellent opportunities for fishing, with tilapia, Nile perch, and other species available. The lake also supports kayaking and canoeing, and several operators offer boat tours of varying lengths. The most adventurous option is the cargo ferry journey that runs the length of the lake from Akosombo in the south to Yeji in the north, a journey that takes several days and provides an unfiltered experience of lakeshore community life.

Festivals and Events

Ghana's calendar is punctuated throughout the year by festivals of extraordinary cultural richness, ranging from ancient harvest celebrations to contemporary arts events that draw international audiences. Understanding the festival calendar is essential for any visitor who wants to time their trip to coincide with the most vivid expressions of Ghanaian cultural life.

Homowo, the Ga harvest festival celebrated in the Greater Accra Region, is one of the oldest and most important festivals in Ghana. The word "homowo" translates roughly as "to hoot at hunger" — it is a celebration of the defeat of a historical famine, a communal shout of defiance against scarcity. The festival is celebrated in August and September, coinciding with the harvest of crops planted after the rainy season. The preparation of kpokpoi, the special Ga ceremonial dish made from palm nut soup poured over fermented corn meal, begins days before the main celebration. On the day of the festival, libations are poured to ancestors, and families gather to eat, drink, and celebrate together. The streets of Ga communities in La, Teshie, Nungua, and other areas of Greater Accra come alive with drumming, singing, and processions. Visitors are generally welcome to observe the celebrations, and with an invitation from a Ga family, they can participate in the communal feast.

The Odwira festival of the Ashanti people, celebrated in September and October in Kumasi and throughout the Ashanti Region, is one of the most visually spectacular events in West Africa. Odwira is at once a New Year celebration, a purification ceremony, and an occasion for reinforcing the social and spiritual bonds that hold the community together. The festival lasts approximately a week and involves a series of ceremonies that build in intensity and public visibility. Chiefs are carried in palanquins in elaborate processions, dressed in magnificent kente and wearing gold jewelry of extraordinary craftsmanship. Drummers, horn players, and sword bearers accompany them. The culminating ceremonies at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, when the Asantehene appears in full regalia, represent one of the most magnificent spectacles of traditional African statecraft still practiced in the twenty-first century.

The Aboakyir festival of the Efutu people in Winneba (about 60 kilometers west of Accra) is unique in Ghana and possibly in the world: a deer-hunting festival in which two groups of warriors, organized into two companies (the Tuafo and the Dentsifo), compete to be the first to capture a live deer and bring it to the chief. The competition takes place on the first Saturday of May and draws large crowds. The warriors enter the bush early in the morning, and the group that returns first with a live deer — caught by hand, without weapons — wins the competition and the honor for their company. It is a remarkable blend of athletic prowess, community competition, and religious significance, as the deer is subsequently offered as a sacrifice at the shrine of the traditional deity Penkye Otu.

Panafest (the Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival) is held biennially in Cape Coast and Elmina, in odd-numbered years. The festival brings together artists, scholars, activists, and members of the African diaspora to celebrate Pan-African culture and history, with the slave castles and their history as a central reference point. Panafest includes theatre performances, music, symposia, film screenings, and tours of the historic sites. It is one of the most intellectually and emotionally intense cultural events on the African continent.

The Year of Return anniversary, observed each December 31 since the original Year of Return in 2019, has become one of Ghana's most significant annual events, drawing thousands of members of the African diaspora to Accra for a series of cultural celebrations, concerts, and community events. The Beyond the Return initiative that succeeded it has extended this annual homecoming tradition and given it a more permanent institutional framework.

The Chale Wote Street Art Festival, held each August in the Jamestown neighborhood of Accra, is one of the most exciting contemporary arts events in West Africa. The festival transforms the streets of Jamestown into a living gallery and performance space, with large-scale murals, installations, performance art, film, music, and dance. It draws artists from across Ghana, Africa, and the world, and has done much to cement Jamestown's identity as Accra's arts district. The name Chale Wote means "Charlie, let's go" in Ghanaian street slang, and the spirit of the festival is exactly that: come, let's go, let's see what is possible.

The Fancy Dress Festival in Winneba, held each year around the New Year, is a more informal celebration in which participants dress in elaborate handmade costumes and parade through the town. It is a joyful and visually inventive event that showcases the creativity of the local community. The Tamale Fire Festival (Bugum), celebrated in January by the Dagomba people of the north, involves processions of people carrying blazing torches, creating a spectacular visual display that marks the beginning of the Muslim lunar year. The Damba Festival, also celebrated in Tamale and the northern region, is a major Islamic celebration combining Islamic prayer with traditional Dagomba music and dance.

Ghana's Independence Day on March 6 is celebrated with parades, speeches, and events across the country, but the main celebrations take place in Accra and are centered on Independence Square. The day marks the 1957 independence declaration by Kwame Nkrumah and is one of the most emotionally significant dates on the Ghanaian calendar.

Accra Fashion Week, held annually, has established itself as one of the most important events on the African fashion calendar, showcasing Ghanaian and African designers to international buyers, press, and fashion enthusiasts. The event celebrates the enormous creative energy of the Ghanaian fashion industry, which has produced designers of international stature who work with traditional fabrics and techniques in contemporary ways.