Did you know that Ghana is the home of many wild and exotic animals? Perhaps you knew about the snakes and bats, eagles and vultures but I'm willing to bet that you didn't know that Ghana homes two out of the three species of elephant that have been identified worldwide; the African savannah elephant and the African forest elephant.
Well, elephants are my favourite animal so when I heard there were elephants hanging out in the wild, I couldn't wait to book myself on a Ghana Safari Adventure!
So where can you go to see elephants in Ghana? There are several places where they like to hang out including around Kakum National Park, Digya National Park and they've been spotted in around eleven locations in Ghana but the only place you are likely to actually see them is in Mole National Park which is where I decided to go.
Mole National Park
Mole National Park is an area of around 4,840m2 and is considered Ghana's largest refuge. It's located in the savannah region and homes many species such as antelope, monkeys, baboons, warthogs, buffalo, leopards and many many more. Birdwatchers can sight very rare birds here, and elephant enthusiasts (me) will most certainly be able to see the African savannah elephant.
As the park is open and has no borders, rangers are employed by the government to live in the park and guard it 24/7 from poachers who seek to capture or kill some of these lovely animals. If you ask them, they will surely tell you colourful stories of what it's like living and working in this beautiful park. Their biggest nemesis seems to be the baboons who live among them and have learnt many tricks to get into their homes and cause havoc! One recounted how a baboon knocked on his door like a human and then when he opened, it rushed in, wreaked havoc with all his stuff, ate all his food leaving peanut butter handprints all over his bed and finally took a sh*t in the middle of the floor before leaving. "Those baboons are evil!" he warned me as I cooed at them taking pictures.
The park has a humble little museum made up of animal furs, skulls and horns that have been gathered over time by the rangers as they roam the park. Some items were taken from poachers who have been caught, others from animals that had passed away naturally. Most interesting to me were the collections they had of the two types of elephants in Ghana.
The story of how the park became protected is a sad one, as communities used to live in the park and many were affected by a "sleeping sickness", African Trypanosomiasis. When they found out that it was caused by tsetse fly that was present because of the animals, instead of moving away, they decided to hunt and kill the animals which caused endangering to the species that lived there. The government had to step in and move the communities out of the park and to the surrounding areas, but some of them still come into the park to hunt the animals there which is illegal. The government have invested into education for these communities in the hope that this will stop the illegal poaching and destroying of wildlife.
Getting There
To get to Mole National Park for your very own Ghana Safari Adventure, it's either a two-day drive from Accra, which you could make a road trip out of and either go the more direct route via Kumasi, or take the scenic route via the Volta Region where you have plenty to see including Shai Hills, Tafi and Wli (more on this coming soon)!
If you don't have a spare two days to be on the road, or you aren't willing to fork out for a car and driver (for those not willing to brave the roads themselves), the easiest way to get there is getting an internal flight to Tamale from the Accra domestic airport (right next to Kotoka international airport). Two airlines fly there, Passion Air and Africa World Airlines (AWA) - I used AWA but I experienced a two-hour delay on the return journey.
You can expect to pay around £130 for a round trip which is an hour each way, and despite them asking you to arrive four hours ahead of schedule, you only need to get there when the check in opens which is around two hours prior. If you're a Ghana citizen, you can just bring your ID to check in, otherwise take your passport, and don't worry about any additional covid testing; it's not required on an internal flight.
The plane was one of the smallest I've ever been in with only room for two very narrow seats on one side, and one on the other. Carry on will not fit under the seat in front of you but may just fit on the rack overhead so don't go big with your carry on. Tamale airport wins as the smallest airport I've ever seen!
Once you arrive, you'll need to get a Taxi to take you on the three-hour drive to Larabanga which is the city in which the Mole National Park belongs. The taxis have a set price of 500 cedis (apx. £60) to take you to Mole, but if you contact my driver, Nelson, in advance and let him know I referred you, you may be able to negotiate a slightly lower rate; call him on +233 24 099 9176 (his wife also weaves Kente if you're looking for some traditional cloth).
My recommendation is that you arrive early so that you aren't having to drive in the dark on unlit dirt roads with both pot-holes and sleeping goats to contend with, as well as the potential for armed robbers. It also means you can maximise your time in the park.
Zaina Lodge
There are a couple of places to choose from when you are looking to stay in Mole National Park, the first hotel that was built there is called the Mole Motel and is a simple but well-located motel overlooking the savannah with an outdoor pool. You can stay here from around 400 cedis a night (apx. £50).
However, if you're looking for a real unique, luxury experience that you won't forget, then Zaina Lodge will give you exactly that (nope, not getting paid to say this)! Each room is a luxury tented chalet with a balcony that overlooks two watering holes at which animals large and small like to gather, especially as the sun sets. Beyond that, as far as the eye can see are the trees of the national park in the type of view I've only ever seen on movies. The sun sets majestically from your balcony view and the darkness reveals more stars than can ever be seen in our light-polluted western societies.
At the lodge each morning, they will take your breakfast, lunch and dinner order and the approximate times that you'd like to eat; I was particularly pleased at how well they handled my dairy allergy and ensured I still had delicious food choices.
Safari
For each night that you stay on the full Zaina Experience (£280 a night, but if you're Ghanain you can negotiate a slight discount), they offer you your own private safari tour with driver and ranger which can leave at three times of the day; 6:30am, 9:30am or 3pm. Your guide will tailor your two-hour tour to your request, do you like bird watching? Or maybe like me, you are obsessed with seeing elephants? They will do their best to take you where you are most likely to see what you're there to see.
My first day I had an exotic fruit platter for breakfast followed by eggs and sausage, with fresh pineapple juice and tea. I then went on my 9am Safari where we saw Baboons, Warthogs, Vevert Monkeys, Red Monkeys and basically everything but elephants! The guide told me the best time of year to come was actually during the dry season (December to April) because this time of year there was so much vegetation for the animals to hide in.
Elephants
I'd mainly came to see the elephants in Ghana so was slightly disappointed not to spot them on the Safari. When I returned, they promised to call me if they spotted any elephants and I enjoyed some chill time at my lodge before getting ready for a swim at the infinity pool which overlooks the watering hole. When I emerged from my lodge, the staff had all been trying to call me; elephants were coming TO THE LODGE! I was beyond excited as they provided me with an experienced guide to safely allow me to watch the elephants. At first, I thought it was just one, but a second larger one was hidden behind the building and emerged right in front of me! The guide, Barnabus, brought me back explaining the danger of being too close and advised that we should never be in front of an elephant.
Both elephants were really relaxed and didn't mind us humans observing from a distance, they were both male; the females are more protective and may not have been so chilled out. They walked through our property fanning their bodies with their ears, a noise that can usually be heard long before you see the elephant, and they stopped right beside the chalet windows to eat the trees beside it. I would have loved to have opened my curtains just to see an elephant right there!
Eventually, after close to an hour of watching these two elephants, they made their way in a zig-zag down the hill (if they walk straight, they'd topple over!) and to the watering hole where they got in and sprayed themselves with water after having a drink. It was honestly the most magical experience I've ever had.
I walked on clouds to the pool for my very own dip, hoping to be able to watch them from there but by then, they had disappeared into the trees. I was told there are times the elephants come up to the pool to try and drink from it, but I didn't get a chance to see that.
Last Day
My second and last day at Zaina, I took the 6:30am safari hoping to see more of my elephant friends, again I saw baby crocodiles, I saw more baboons and even the hard-to-spot red monkey but I didn't see any elephants. As I returned to the lodge, my guide received a call; elephants were back at the property! Sure enough, when we returned there was another elephant strolling through the property on its way to the watering hole below as guests gathered to watch. It was the perfect end to my stay.
I wish I could have stayed longer, but with a packed Ghana itinerary, I ate my breakfast, took a packed lunch that the chef had made for me (it was plantain and red red with fried fish and I have to say, even 3 hours later, they packed it so well that it was still warm and delicious!) and left with Nelson back to Tamale.
Tamale
I couldn't leave without actually checking out Tamale a little, which is why I chose to leave the lodge in the morning ahead of my evening flight. After an eventful car journey in which the car overheated and decided to stop two-hours from our destination making us wait for the engine to cool down and not use the aircon for the remaining journey (we were SWEATING!), we eventually made it back to the city of Tamale.
I'd have loved to stop along the way at the village that makes shea butter and even at the largest mosque in Ghana but I only had time to see one attraction and it is a worthy choice; The Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA) and its sister project in the making, the REDCLAY centre.
Located in Tamale a short distance from each other, these are artist-run project spaces, exhibitions and research hubs. Free to all who visit, they offer a place to express, challenge and educate, as well as spotlight significant moments in Ghanaian and international art in a communal space.
The SCCA currently exhibits a most unusual art piece made with the most famous dish of Tamale; waakye.
REDCLAY is currently under construction but still hosts exhibitions, the most notable interest here is the various aircraft that can be found on the compound and are used as art spaces and educational environments for local school children.
I wish I could have stayed longer in this beautiful city, but I know I'll be back!
Look out for my Volta adventure and Accra escapades coming soon...
Stay awesome,
Mary-Daisy x