My Ghana!!

Tara Larkai
Mar 14, 2017
4 min read

My last visit to Ghana was over 8 years ago so you could only imagine how excited I was to be going this time...excited for the food, the bustling & colorful markets, the people, my family, the beautiful places I haven't seen in almost a decade etc. I was very much looking forward to it. My Ghana crew consisted of 3 Brits, 2 Americans and our Ghanaian hostess with the mostest. Our itinerary was a mile long but we could only do a couple of things from it due to limited time.

Our first tourist visit was Elmina, in Central Region to visit the Elmina castle. Most Ghanaians have visited the slave castles in the central region but not me. In fact, almost all of the members in my crew had visited except for me. I tend to stay in Accra and eastern region whenever I visit Ghana that is why I was determined to see as many places as I could on this trip. I have read about the dark history of these castles but seeing this one in person was something else. It was very emotional to hear all the horrible things that our ancestors were put through. Our tour guide was excellent and gave us a great history lesson. The castle is huge and he made sure to take us to every corner of it. The tour took over an hour. Hawkers will swarm you as soon as you exit and enter the castle though. They can be a nuisance but just stand your ground and say no. lol I got a nice souvenir from one of them because they refused to leave me alone. He made me a personalized souvenir without asking me so I refused to pay full price for it.

We continued our journey to Cape three points (far western region) the next morning after staying the night at Coconut Grove hotel in Elmina. Half way through the trip to Cape three points, I wish I had not put this on the itinerary. While it was totally worth it, the trip was long and uncomfortable with bumpy unpaved roads and for it to be such a tourist attraction, there were no real signs leading there. It was another 3 long hours from Elmina to Cape three points. We were stopped by a very frail old man at their "entrance" right before we climbed the hill up to the light house. I use entrance very loosely here because it was a small kiosk to the right that read "Cape three points tourism" and it had a rope attached across from it to act as the barrier gate. So he pulled the rope from inside the kiosk to prevent us from crossing the entrance before paying an entrance fee. lol It was a small fee we each had to pay. He said it was for the upkeep of their village and whatnot. From the looks of the village, I can tell, he was pocketing the money. It was worth all the trouble we went through though. The water, the beaches, the palm trees and the lush forest were all gorgeous. It was like something you would see in the Caribbeans. The harmattan weather was not behaving so we did not get to enjoy the views as much however it was still beautiful. I just kept saying to myself...this is my Ghana! My beautiful country!! We travel far out of our countries to witness the beauty of other countries when our country has far more hidden gems to offer. I was impressed and awe-inspired. I felt at peace and didn't want to leave. lol But of course we couldn't leave without climbing the lighthouse. There was a small charge for that too. The views up top were so much better however.

Because we had to make time for family and other stuff, the only other exciting touristy thing we were able to do was visit the tallest waterfalls(Wli falls ) in West Africa located in Hohoe. The plan was to visit the waterfalls and the ancestral caves all in one day but time was not on our side so we only did the waterfalls. I was disappointed but it only means that I will return to see it. The drive was about 4 and half hours from Accra. It was a smooth ride for the most part until we got to Ho. The roads became just as bumpy and windy as the roads to cape three points. We hit so many pot holes, I'm surprised we didn't sustain any neck injuries. lol We were immediately greeted by some people from the tourism office upon arrival. We were guided into their office to hear options of exploring the waterfalls. We opted for the least time consuming option, a 45 minute hike to the falls. We had to pay a small fee here too. We were offered a tour guide who works on a tip. lol The hike was not as bad as I anticipated because it was very flat. We crossed about 9 streams before arriving there so if you ever find your way there and decline the tour guide, just follow the path and after crossing 9 streams, you will hear and see the falls. lol #easiestdirectionever

It was certainly the tallest falls I've seen in Ghana and majestic. It was very quite and peaceful there and not crowded at all. It actually started filling up as we were leaving. I would say it was worth the drive and hike. I was happy! But then again all waterfalls make me happy. Not many people from the city know about Wli falls because it is so far away but I would say it is definitely one of the most magnificent I have seen in Ghana.