Mountains & Reserves

MOUNTAINS AND RESERVES

Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary

This Sanctuary is one of the most successful examples of community-based tourism development in the Region. It is one of the most well-managed eco-tourism sites in the country It is home to a population of endemic Mona monkeys which are considered sacred by the natives. During guided nature walks through the reserved forest, you will be able to meet the monkeys and feed them as well.

The Monkeys number about 300. The forest is a semi-deciduous forest within the savannah transitional zone, with grassland and farmlands. Tourists can play with monkeys, feed them, and take pictures.  The monkeys are not aggressive and are very friendly. Tafi Atome is about 80km from Ho.

Mount Afadza (Afadzato)

Is the highest peak in the country (885m above sea level). It hosts a remarkable variety of butterflies, relic populations of mammals and bird species. The tour to the top will take you on an average 2 hours depending on your speed and strength and you will be rewarded with great scenic views. The close Tagbo Falls are also worth a visit.

South to Afadjato, within 45 minutes walk through the cool forest, cocoa and coffee farms is the beautiful and perennial Tagbo Fall set in a lush forested amphitheater. The waterfall has its own climate as it is set in a semi-circular rock formation with two small caves at its base. As it cascades down the mountains the whirling breeze gives a good and refreshing splash of the cool waters as if to say welcome. Truly, a good welcome awaits you at the refreshing hidden paradise of the Tagbo Falls.

Afa’ is the name of the mountain and ‘djato’ means hill, so literally, Afadjato means Afa Hill or Afa Mountain. Afadjato is the highest mountain in Ghana and rises to an elevation of 885 meters (2,904 ft.).

The mountain is located near the villages, Liati Wote and Gbledi at the Ghana – Togo border. It is found in the Agumatsa Range. The name of the mountain is derived from the ewe word ‘Avadzeto’ which means at war with the bush. It is the number one tourist destination for visitors and tourists in the region.

The Twin Mountains

Further to the south is the beautiful Twin Mountains. New hiking trails have recently been constructed to the two peaks. It takes between an hour and 50 minutes to 2hours to climb both peaks of the Twin Mountains. The Twin mountains offer ideal hiking for adventurous mountaineers who wish to avoid Afadjato that is more overcrowded with tourists. The Twin Mountains is almost as high as Afadjato and offers a magnificent view on a clear day of Lake Volta. One can also see Afadjato and Mount Aduadu in the background. Trekking on a hunter’s trail in the mountains is a great experience! Make sure you get one of the specially trained guides for this particular hike.

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Mount Gemi/Amedzofe

The former German mission Amedzofe is situated in the Avatime Hills with around 40 km distance of Ho. Mount Gemi one of the highest mountains in the country can easily be climbed and offers amazing views over the width as far as Lake Volta. Another highlight is the Amedzofe Waterfall.

There are numerous stories about the lives and activities of the Germans in the Trans-Volta Togoland (now known as the Volta Region) but the one surrounding Mount GEMI is rather short but interesting.

The Germans came to Amedzofe in 1842. As travelers in a hostile tropical land, they sought areas that had the semblance of comfort in terms of climate hence the ideal choice were the hilly Akuapim-Togo ranges of which Mount GEMI is one of its highest habitable areas.

The Germans settled at various places in the Trans Volta Togoland, with Keta, Kpandu and Amedzofe being of few of such notable places. However, Amedzofe was considered to be the headquarters of the Germans and there is probably a good reason for that. With the town being 650 meters above sea level, it could be said to be one of the few towns in the then Gold Coast that the Germans could consider as “home away from home” because of the cool climate. What’s more? Mount GEMI just fell short of being the highest mountain (885 metres) in Ghana by just 85 metres as it stands at 800 metres above sea level. This accounts for the rather cool and often hazy atmosphere around the mountain, an ideal place to escape from the rather high temperatures of mainland Gold Coast. So ideal was the place that the potato variety that was grown in Germany also grew at Amedzofe.

Tales have it that it took the Germans about 40 years to really settle in at Amedzofe. Most of their houses were completed in 1888, along with the missionary School that they built. The school which was only known then as Missionary School or German Missions School is what has metamorphosed into the current Amedzofe EP Training College, known for training teachers for Ghanaian schools.

After 50 long years of settlement at Amedzofe and engaging in other activities such as the establishment of schools, Church (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), the Germans decided to commemorate that event in 1939 by mounting a cross on the hill locally known as “Gayito”.  The German life and activities in the area were championed by German Evangelical Missions Institute (GEMI). The abbreviation GEMI was inscribed on the base of the cross and over time, people came to refer to the mountain as GEMI.

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Kalakpa  Game Production Reserve

The reserve is located in the southeastern part of the country, about 120 kilometers northeast of the capital Accra and about 30 kilometers south of the Volta Regional capital, Ho.

The protected area was founded in 1975 by the Ghanaian government, located on the foothills of the Togo Mountains. Before this area became an animal reserve, it served mainly as a preferred hunting area for expatriates in Ghana.

In this animal reserve you can find, apart from lions and elephants. Among other animals, there is a variety of buffaloes, antelopes, baboons, and smaller mammals in the reserve. The bird world is worth seeing here. The reverse also boosts of 100s of butterfly species.

Liati Soba – the snake village

Liati Wote, home of serene Tagbo falls, and  Afadjoto, the highest mountain in Ghana, is a peaceful village nestled at the foot of the range of mountains that makes up the Ghana – Togo border. The village is located in the Volta Region of Ghana.

One of the almost forgotten and neglected tourist sites of the district is the snake village at Liati Soba which in the past provided home for more than 15 types of snakes including a 1.7-meter long python that escaped in 2015 due to the poor conditions at the village. The snake village is about 10 minutes drive from Liati Wote community.

There are many different snakes in Ghana. The most common is python, cobra and African adders. The most venomous is the Black Mamba. There are not so many people that are killed by snakes every year, but people are still very afraid of them.

The African Python is noted for its therapeutic values and so most visitors prefer to coil it around their neck to reduce body temperature and also to cure hypertensive diseases. In Ewe religion snake is associated with Da, a spiritual force or “god” symbolized by the royal python snake. Snake is also associated with the Mami Water is a goddess or god of the sea. Snakes can be wrapped around her and she often is wearing certain jewelry (silver, coral beads, blue beads). She is often represented as a mermaid or merman (with a fishtail instead of legs).