West to East: My Top 3 Tourist Sites

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Northern Ghana is an exciting place when it comes to tourism. There are a myriad of tourist destinations and sites to visit. These are my top three out of the various tourist sites i have visited. These three tourist sites can be located in the upper west and upper east regions of Ghana. 

Wechiau Hippopotamus Sanctuary

The Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary is located at a small town called Wechiau in the upper west region of Ghana. The hippopotamus sancutuary is about a 10 kilometre ride from the town square. It is a pleasure to see the hippos swimming on a warm day whiles they come out to look for food at night. The hippopotamus are untamed therefore wander to and fro the Volta river where they reside. It's interesting to see hippopotamus in their natural environment. I went to this tourist site last year and i really enjoyed the trip. I particularly enjoyed the canoe ride called 'river safari' since it was my first time on a canoe. I would not hesitate to go to Wechiau again, may be this time for a longer period and possibly a camping trip. You can read my trip report of this amazing tourist destination here and for all visitors information on accommodation, dinning etc click here.

Hippopotamus skull at wechiau

Paga Crocodile Pond

I read about the Paga crocodile pond when i was a kid and since then it has been on my travel bucket list. Therefore on a recent backpacking trip it was high on my bucket list and i really didn't regret going to Paga because the last time i saw a crocodile, i was watching from a very safe distance whiles the crocodile was caged. This was about 6 years ago at a zoo. But to touch, feel and even squat on a crocodile was much more surreal. It was a great experience. Although it's been a few weeks since i came back from this tourist trip, it still feels like yesterday. The way humans and crocodile coexist in Paga is nothing short of amazing and legend of how the crocodiles became an integral part of the society is nothing short of amazing. At Paga i learnt the word 'herptophobia' as i panicked when it was time for me to hold the crocodile. You can access the trip report here and every tourist information you need about the crocodile pond here.

Crocodile at Paga

Nania-Pikworo Slave Camp

It wasn't after i have been to the Paga crocodile pond did i hear about Nania and when i heard of Nania my mind went straight to C.S Lewis classic book 'chronicles of nania'. But this Nania is different, it is a defunct slave camp which was operated  by African slave masters. Piwkworo slave camp has a harrowing story of slavery which has no doubt has a dent on the African continent and Africa in general. It was only in Pikworo slave camp that i learnt that Africans traded each other for sugar during the slave trade. My trip report is available and you can click here for tourist information if you want to visit Nania-Pikworo slave camp.

This sign post ushers you into the camp

Confessions of an African Backpacker

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This is my last post on the series of my one week backpacking tour where i backpacked from the upper west region of Ghana to the upper east. I am doing a short question and answer question to inform you more on how fun it is to backpack in Ghana

Question: Why did you decide to go on a backpacking trip?

Answer: I had always wanted to visit the tourist sites in the upper east region of Ghana like the Paga crocodile pond and the mysterious stone at Winkongo near Bolgatanga. But i never really made enough time or money to go to all these places. Then the perfect opportunity presented itself. There was a one week break from work therefore i used that time to go on the trip. Besides i knew i wouldn't be in the northern region of Ghana for long (since my mandatory one year service rendered to the government was coming to an end). I wanted to take the trip before its too late. And one week seemed like the perfect duration. It was long enough to see the tourist sites and it was short enough not to overwhelm me since i feared i might not enjoy the backpacking trip.

Question: How did you prepare for your backpacking trip?

Answer: I had never gone backpacking prior to this trip therefore i honestly didn't know what to take along. But northern Ghana is quite sunny and warm therefore i decided to pack 2 pairs of jeans some cotton sweat shirts and some underwear. I went along with a huge sweater as well. I also packed my little laptop so that i could blog about my experience and an ipad since i did not have a camera the ipad served as my camera besides i wanted to upload pictures of the tourist sites on my twitter page. I also downloaded a map of Ghana to enable me track my journey as i went along. I packed some deodorants and a light towel i would use to shower when i stayed in a guest house.

Question: Do you know anybody in the places you wanted to visit?

Answer: Yes i knew one person in Bolgatanga and another old school mate of mine in Tumu but when i called to find out whether i could see them. They were both out of town therefore i didn't get to see any of them. Garu was initially not part of the places i wanted to visit but a very good friend of mine lived there and since it's quite close to Bawku. I added it to the list in order to see my friend.

Met my friend in Garu

Question: How was the entire trip like?

Answer: I really had a good time. It felt good to see places i have heard and finally being there. It was interesting to read the map as the bus moved along during the bus rides. i was tracking every where i went on the map which really cool. For once i got to know how a map actually worked,  I was happy to see the Paga crocodile pond because it's such a major tourist centre in Ghana. I felt really good when i went to Tumu and Navrongo since they are popular towns in Ghana. I also loved the arts and crafts at Bolgatanga, i even bought a cool little xylophone.Though most parts of the trip was fun and exciting, i felt like coming back home on the first day. It rained heavily that day so it was cold, wet and lonely. But then again i told myself nobody was forcing me to go backpacking. I am doing it for fun therefore i can go home anytime i wanted. The fact that i told myself i can go home at anytime put me at ease and helped me relax.

Paga crocodile pond

Question: Any special observations?

Answer: I was really blown away by the level of kindness shown me by complete strangers. People offered me rides on their motorbikes others were willing to escort me to places when i asked directions for. I thought the food in the upper east would be different but it didn't vary much. People were quite surprised when i told them i'm on a backpacking trip. According to them they have not seen an African on a backpacking trip. I didn't know there was another tourist site close to the Paga crocodile pond, a former slave camp known as Nania slave camp so it was great to visit another tourist site i didn't know about.

Watchtower of camp security at Nania slave camp

Question; Knowing what you know now will you do anything differently on your next backpacking trip?

Answer: Sure, i would definitely pack fewer clothes. I didn't even wear 50% of the clothes i took But i would  definitely pack more underwear. The sweater i took was unnecessary since after the first day it was sunny through out the week. The laptop did not serve any purpose because i used the ipad through out the journey. Next time i won't worry too much because one does not achieve anything by worrying and  would rather hope and believe that the world is a safe place.

Question: Any regrets?

Answer: Yes, i couldn't take pictures at night since the ipad does not have a flash light. Therefore i couldn't document what happened in the evenings. It was the world cup season and most of the Ghanaian matches were in the evening so i wanted to document how people were watching and enjoying the world cup. On hindsight i regret my backpacking was only just a week because i was really enjoying it and by the last day i didn't want to come back but i was running out of time and money. I was also sad i couldn't make it to two other tourist sites that is the Tono dam in Navrongo and the mysterious stones which makes ghostly noises at Wunkungo a small village near Bolgatanga.

Second day after i have braced the storm. Notice the big sweater around my neck?

Question: Would you recommend this backpacking trip or backpacking in northern Ghana?

Answer: Yes definitely ( i would like to go again myself and for a longer period this time).

Brought home this cool xylophone as my travel souvenir 

Question: Do you have plans to go on another backpacking trip?

Answer: Now that i have tasted how backpacking feels like, i want to go on one every year. I would take time off every year to backpack and enjoy the wonderful things that my country has and hopefully backpack and holiday in other countries.

Tourist Site: Paga Crocodile Pond

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Paga Crocodile Pond

Paga is located in the upper east region of Ghana and the last major town on the north eastern corridor. It shares a border with Burkina Faso Ghana's neighbour to the north. Paga is the district capital of Kassena Nankana west district of Ghana.

Get There

Paga is quite a developed town therefore it is fairly easy to get there from which ever part of the country one is coming from. Popular towns close to Paga are Bolgatanga and Navrongo. The most popular mode of transport to get to paga is by car/bus. There are buses which move from other major cities in Ghana such as Kumasi and Accra to Navrongo or Bolgatanga and from there you can board a taxi to Paga. There are two main crocodile ponds in Paga but the most popular one is the Chief Crocodile Pond which is located right in the centre of town. A Paga bound taxi drives past the pond therefore its easy to locate it.

Information board and reception area

Front entrance

Activities

The prime activity at Paga is crocodile watching and the interesting nature in which crocodile and humans coexist in a peaceful way. At the pond, you will be allowed to touch the crocodile fave a feel of it scale and hold it tail as well as take pictures with them from different angles.

The pond

 Crocodiles

Another interesting thing you can indulge in at Paga is go to the Ghana-Burkina Faso border which is not very far from the Chief crocodile pond. Even though the official language of Ghana is English, at the border you will here an interesting mix of English, French and the local Kassen dialect which is quite delightful. 

Accommodation/Lodging and Dinning

The Chief crocodile pond has an eatery nearby therefore finding a place for a meal will be no hassle likewise, there are a number of hotels and guest houses in Paga though they are not associated with the crocodile pond. Paga can be toured in a few hours therefore you can decide to go back to Navrongo or Bolgatanga where there there is a wide variety of hotels and guest houses.

Crocodile pond restaurant

Prices

10 cedis for Ghanaian nationals ( prices vary for school kids and non-nationals)

NB: These are 2014 prices and are subject to change

Contact

+233-244-691-525

+233-244-189-338

No dedicated website yet

A Crocodile Pond (What is Herptophobia?)

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From Navrongo, i made my way to Paga. Paga is a border town on the north eastern boundary of Ghana. It is famed for it crocodile pond among other tourism sites. Therefore upon reaching, the first place i went to was the crocodile pond just to continue the cliche.

Entrance of the Pond

I located this tourism center rather easily, because it is right in the middle of town. I board a shared taxi from Navrongo which cost about 2 cedis. The taxi made a stop in front of the pond. After paying an entrance fee of 10 cedis (10 cedis is for nationals entrance fee differ for non nationals and kids) i entered the fenced pond.

The pond does not look big but was informed by our tour guide it has upwards of 200 crocodiles

Legend has it that the first person who settled in the town wanted to cross the pond which was huge at that time and these crocodiles helped him cross therefore there was a personal bond between him and the crocodiles and this bond has evolved to 'spiritual'. It is believed in Paga that when ancestor dies they metamorphose into one of the crocodile in the pond. At night some of these crocodiles go to various houses in town and if a crocodile comes to a house it is believed to be an ancestor. 

One thing that really caught my attention was how cattle were drinking from the pond ( though fenced had an openning on the far left) without being harmed by the crocodiles. It seemingly went to corroborate the story or the ancestral bond between the crocodiles and the indigenes of Paga. This was truly an experience

This fella was following us everywhere

I wasn't the only one at the crocodile pond that day i was joined by other people who had come to also see the crocodiles. After the tour guide showing us around and giving us the history he now asked "who will be first to hold the crocodiles tail for a picture?' That is when we all realised we were battling Herptophobia

Tour guide, he is a 'gunner'

We all became fast friends based on our collective fear of crocodiles

If you enjoyed this post and would love to visit the Paga crocodile pond click here for all the information you need about transport. lodging and dinning..

Hunter Satisfaction or Animal Cruelty...

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Well this is what led up to it. On a warm day whiles sitting under a shea tree (so many of them here) i was approached by a young man wearing shorts and a shirt with a locally made gun hanging behind him. We exchanged pleasantries as usual and that is where my knowledge of the local dialect ends ( called "birifo" by the way). I therefore called a fellow teacher to explain to me whats he's saying. Apparently he's a hunter who's shot something, would we like to see it and may be buy it? Yeah sure i said, he opened his sack and LO!!!

Sad case of animal cruelty i said. 'not at all' hunter and teacher say in unison. Hunter says 'you don't know how wicked monkeys are they destroy the planted crops during planting season and eat a lot of farm crops during harvesting'
Disclaimer: I didn't buy the monkey though i have heard it is a delicacy...
So question is will you buy a dead monkey?