After spending several weeks within the city limits of vibrant Accra, I jumped on the opportunity to see more of Ghana by traveling with several other tourists to the Volta region for a long weekend. Ghana’s cities offer much culture and beauty but by trading the colors of the markets with the greens of forests canopies, the smells of fresh foods from street vendors with the smells of earth and fresh air, and the sounds of bustling streets with the calls of birds, one is able to see the true exquisiteness of the country.
The drive to the region, while bumpy with potholes worsened by scattered downpours, was nicely broken up with a stop at the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. A good amount of time was spent feeding bananas to the Mona monkeys, getting them to jump on my arm and climb on my shoulders.
We pulled into our cottage nestled in the foothills at dusk and embarked to hike the Wli waterfalls early the next morning.
Even before the hike began, the beauty of this lush area was simply incredible. Every piece of land had vibrant growth of all shades of green. The density of the foliage and the sheer size of certain trees and their leaves was remarkable.
After working my way up an initial steep part, I reached the top of the first hill. After walking along its grassy ridgeline for some time there was a view of the massive falls in the distance.
In the progression towards the falls, the hike required some active attention as there were several challenging sections. Unstable shattered rock and persistent mist and rain on bare muddy sections made finding stable footing difficult. Grabbing onto protruding roots and branches saved me from slipping out several times.
After several hours hiking through the forest, the sounds of the booming waterfall deafened the previous sounds of birds and insects. With added excited, I quickly reached the base of the upper section of the falls. The view of the craved rocks, ragged cliffs, towering trees, draping vines, and immense falls seemed surreal, like this picture could only exist as a desktop screensaver.
Quickly throwing my pack aside and ripping off shoes and shirt and ran into the falls pool, diving into the chilly but refreshing water.
Nearing the waterfall the intense mist coming of it made it impossible to keep your eyes open while facing it, so I walked backwards as close to it as I could. The sound and the strength of the falls was overpowering, the water began to sting like needles as it hit my back, but it made you feel alive. That is what experiencing nature is all about.
A much shorter route was taken back to the cottage, which my fatigued knees appreciated. The rain began to really come down, but already soaked from the falls, I didn’t mind in the least.
The next morning we embarked back to Accra. Unable to sleep in the car as I kept being jostled awake, when I finally reached my place I sprawled out on my bed exhausted and sore but full of great memories from a great weekend of exploring the beautiful country.
