Kakum National Park
Located in the prestigious Beach Road area of Takoradi – aka ‘Oil City’.
Half an hour’s drive from Cape Coast, Kakum National Park’s verdant slice of semi-deciduous rainforest offers a fresh green alternative to the bustling heat of the coast (033 21 302 65, kakumnationalpark.info, 6am - dusk Mon-Sat). The 607 square kilometres (234 square miles) of protected rainforest play home to an assortment of wild residents, including forest elephants, giant hogs, flying squirrels, leopards and various species of monkey. However, with much of the elusive wildlife buried deep in the forest’s flora, there’s little chance of seeing anything more than birds and a millipede or two – unless you’re spending the night here on a camping trip.
For those content with gazing at the greenery to a soundtrack of birdcalls, try the canopy walk (Ghanaian GH¢25, non-Ghanaian GH¢60). Elevated 40 metres above the forest floor, the 350-metre-long wooden walkway has various viewing platforms offering spectacular, if vertiginous, views of the park. There’s a simple but informative visitors’ centre with information on flora and fauna, a café, and a decent gift shop run by the Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust. Overnight stays in the treehouse costs around GH¢70.
