Touring The Gold Coast

When you think of going on vacation, a beautiful island in the Caribbean or a yacht experience in the South of France might be ideal. You don’t need to leave Africa to enjoy new experiences or have a fabulous time. There are many beautiful tourist sites and destinations in Africa that are undervalued.

Tour the Gold Coast of West Africa a.k.a Ghana with me. Akwaba!

Ghana is blessed with natural resources, genuine, loving and kind people and a unique cultural diversity. Popular local languages spoken are Twi, Fante and Ga. Ghana is mostly known for its pristine beaches and ancient castles, but this isn’t about what you know. There are exciting activities you can engage in the Volta region and the Eastern region.

The Wli Waterfalls is located in the Volta region of Ghana and it is a 4-hour drive from the capital Accra. If you are a romantic individual who wants a break from city life with your partner and loves nature, this would soothe you. The waterfall is believed to be the highest water fall in West Africa with a height of 143 metres and it is part of the Agumatsa River.  

Mount Afadjato is the highest mountain in Ghana with a height of 885 metres and close to the waterfall lies the Akwapim- Togo range that borders Ghana and Togo. On getting to the site, you will be asked to pay a token fee which is used for the development of the site. You’d be assigned to a tour guide who would take you on an hour hike into the forest where the water fall is hidden. On this trek, you will pass 9 small rivers before getting to the foot of the waterfall. Visitors don’t need to climb hills or descend steep valleys to get to the foot of this spectacular geological testament. On getting to the fall, the first thing that strikes you is the cascading thunder of water gushing from the tip of the overhanging cap rock of the high rise hill where the water flows from. It is indeed a beautiful sight to behold.

One of the fun activities to do at the site is to take a swim in the shallow plunge pool and allow heavy droplets of water hit you like hail. There are are a flock of bats which hover around the fall making squeaky noises that can be distracting, but also bring cohesion to the natural scenery. The waterfall is one of Ghana’s most visited sites and attracts people from all over the world.

In the Eastern region of Ghana, a unique festival is celebrated every Easter. It is a paragliding festival and not for the faint at heart. I was privileged to take part in the Kwahu Paragliding Festival. Whoever thought you could go paragliding in Ghana? The festival started in 2005 by the Ministry of Tourism and the festival last for three days. Apart from paragliding, there are street jams and other fun activities. The paragliding activities are done on one of the highest hills in Kwahu with a breathtaking view of the town.

In preparation for your flight to glide, your parachute is unpacked, spread evenly on the floor and inspected to ensure that during takeoff it can expand to its maximum span without being tangled. After which you and your pilot would be strapped together to the parachute and then you start a takeoff run from about 50 metres towards the edge of the cliff. As you run the parachute begins to catch air and rise, and when getting to the edge of the cliff you jump. I must confess, the final moments before we took off, my heart skipped but after the lift off all I could feel was serenity with the blue skies and amazing view of the town below me. We cruised About 5000ft above sea level, hovering around with birds and pulling stunts. After about 20 minutes we started our decent to a nearby field. After landing there where a lot of refreshment and I had the traditional meal of Banku and Tilapia.

In addition, there where cultural displays and also a standby ambulance in case of any emergencies.

It was a wonderful experience.