Central Region: Rainforest, Forts and Festivals

Ghana’s Central Region offers a range of experiences for a trip: rainforest, coastal landscapes, historic forts and festivals.

The region stretches from coastal plains in the south to gently rolling, forested hills in the north. This north–south contrast shows that the Central Region’s landscape cannot be reduced to a single type.

Forest landscapes and trails in Kakum

The Kakum Conservation Area consists of Kakum National Park and the Assin Attandanso Resource Reserve and is predominantly covered in rainforest. Together, they cover about 350 km² in the moist evergreen forest zone; the area was designated in 1991.

Kakum National Park has various trails and guided hikes through the rainforest. Another feature of the park is its canopy walkway, made up of seven suspension bridges: the route is 333 metres long and runs up to 27 metres above the forest floor. The comparison puts these figures in context: the approximately 350 km² refers to the combined protected area, while the 333 metres refers to the canopy walkway in Kakum National Park.

About 40 species of large mammals occur in the Kakum and Assin Attandanso reserves, including elephants, bongo antelopes, red river hogs, seven primate species and four squirrel species. The birdlife comprises about 200 species, including five hornbill species, the Fraser’s eagle-owl, grey parrots and Senegal parrots.

Forts and their history

In Senya Beraku, Fort Good Hope stands on a headland near a bay, overlooking a quiet beach lined with coconut palms. The Dutch built the fort in 1715 to take part in the trade in gold, ivory and enslaved people in the inland Kingdom of Akyem. Fort Good Hope thus connects the coastal landscape of Senya Beraku with a history of trade that reaches as far as the inland Kingdom of Akyem.

Fort Patience in Apam and Fort William in Anomabu are part of the UNESCO World Heritage property “Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions.”

Festivals in Saltpond and Elmina

The Odambea Festival is celebrated in Saltpond on the last Saturday in August and reflects the region’s historic migration patterns. Edina Buronya is a local, Christmas-like festival in Elmina, held on the first Thursday of the new year. The dates are far apart in the calendar year: Odambea marks August, while Edina Buronya marks the beginning of the year. If you want to plan your trip around one of the festivals, check its date while planning.

Choose your travel focus when searching for hotels

Those primarily interested in forest trails and guided hikes will have different priorities from travellers who want to focus on the forts or a festival. For a festival, the date is the first step in planning; for nature- or history-focused trips, the desired experience comes first. This makes it easier to tailor your search for hotels in the Central Region to your travel plans.

Discover more destinations: Abura Asebu Kwamankese, Oduponkpehe, Elmina, Biriwa, Mankessim, Saltpond, Ajumako, Agona Swedru, Assin Manso, Apam, Winneba, Moree, Buduburam.

For the main travel overview: Ghana.