Christmas and New Year festivities are ideal times to spend a great time with family and loved ones.
Having relaxation with the family at some tourist sites in Ghana will always be memorable.
Ghana as an African country is blessed with many natural resources and they are now serving as tourist centres for the country.
The country generates income from these tourist sites. As a government official or any prominent personality from a different country currently in Ghana on a diplomatic mission, or if you find yourself in Ghana to spend some time with family and friends this Christmas, do not forget to visit these beautiful places in Ghana before returning to your homeland.
- The Kakum National Park
Kakum National Park, located in the central south of Ghana is one of the most visited tourist sites in Ghana. The place was established and recognised as a tourist reserve in 1931 but was gazetted as a national park as recently as 1992 after an initial survey of avifauna was conducted.
A study of National Parks indicates that Kakum National Park encompasses an area of 145 square miles (375 sq km). The elevation of the park also varies from 443 feet (135 m) to 820 feet (250 m) with moist evergreen making up the majority of the forested area.
Research has shown that the Kakum National Park is one of the three places in Africa that features a canopy walk through the trees.
The tourist site was named after the Kakum River in the Southern Central part of Ghana. Ghana Tourism Authority generates some income from this tourist site.
Every year, foreigners, and citizens of Ghana such as students, workers, and families visit the Kakum National Park for refreshment and relaxation. Guests are required to pay a little amount of money as gate fees to get access to the arena where the prospect of a canopy walk awaits.
- Cape Coast/Elmina Castle
Photo credit: Easy Track Ghana
The Cape Coast or Elmina Castle is another frequented site in Ghana by foreigners and citizens alike. If you are in Ghana and planning to visit any tourist site, bear in mind the Elmina Castle and the same goes for those in the diaspora who wish to vacation in Ghana.
According to Ghana Museums, the castle was established in 1953 under the leadership of Krusenstjerna who was a Swedish. The Swedish named the castle, Carlousburg which is now Cape Coast Castle.
The castle served as a slave trading centre for the Europeans. Students especially love to visit this tourist site to learn about the experience of their forefathers in the period of the slave trade and British colonial rule.
The slave cell or dungeon
In the castle, there is a slave cell which is commonly known as the dungeon. This place served as the last room for vulnerable Ghanaians before being shipped away at the height of transatlantic slavery. It takes a courageous person to visit the dungeons of the Cape Coast Castle as the associated narratives and the sight are pathetic. Sadness always fills the heart of people who visit the castle as the walls still depicts the harsh realities of this era which was anything but closer to the stone age in terms of dehumanised conditions.
- Mole National Park
The Mole National Park is also a topliner. It is a domain of wildlife and it has a record to be the first protected wildlife centre in the country.
Research has shown that the Mole National Park lies within two physiographic regions which indicates- a 65 per cent penetration of the Voltaian sandstone basin and 35 per cent within the savannah high plains.
People in Ghana especially from the Coastal and Southern parts of Ghana like to go to the Northern part to see the Mole National Park. Foreigners also enjoy visiting the site when in Ghana. Maybe you are in Ghana or abroad and wondering which parts of the country you should enjoy holidays in December. One of the best places recommended for you and your loved ones is Mole National Park. Being there, makes you feel closer to nature.
The Park also serves as an avenue for rearing endangered special species such as Yellow-backed Duiker and Black and White Colobus monkeys as a special report by UNESCO indicates.
At the Mole National Park, animals such as Elephant, Buffalo, Kob, Western Hartebeest, Roan Antelope, Defassa Waterbuck, Oribi, Bohor Reedbuck, and Red-flanked Duiker and others can be found. Anytime you visit the Park do not panic because those animals will not harm you. There are people supervising the place so you are in safe hands.
- Kintampo Waterfalls
The Kintampo waterfall is another most visited tourist site in Ghana. This tourist attraction is located in the Bono East Region. During the colonial regime, the place used to be called Sanders Falls.
Ghanaians and those in the diaspora when they land on the soil of the country cannot return without touching their feet at the Kintampo waterfalls due to the pleasure and serenity attached to the environment.
Families, churches, schools, and other social organisations planning excursions can try visiting the Kintampo waterfalls to have a feel of the area.
One of these days, you can try visiting the Kintampo waterfalls, and experiencing the environment yourself will motivate you to recommend this beautiful and serene tourist site to others.
- Nzulezu (Surface of water)
Nzulezu which literally means ‘surface of the water’ is one of the most beautiful and creative villages located in the Jomoro District in the Western Region of Ghana. The small village is wonderfully situated on a water body.
With stilt structures and houses built from branches of raffia palm, the place is calm, and serene and hosts tourists during the holiday seasons.
The people at Nzulezu are welcoming and very peaceful to mingle with during holidays.
Also at Nzulezu, there are beaches, hotels and recreational centres where the family can spend a few days before returning to their destinations.
This Christmas and new year holidays, the family can decide to pay a visit to Nzulezu to have a feel of the environment.
- Accra Zoo
The Accra Zoological Garden popularly known as Accra Zoo has been moved from its original location which was within precincts of the presidential household at Flagstaff house, now the Jubilee House. The animals were moved to the Kumasi zoo and the Achimota forest in Accra. It was first established by Ghana’s first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah in 1961.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah opened the zoo site purposely to serve as an entertainment avenue for his guests.
As an elite person, the centre was at first serving as a private entity for Dr Kwame Nkrumah. It was opened to the general public.
There are different types of animals at Zoos in Ghana. Maybe your children, fiancée, parents and friends have never seen a snake, monkey, giraffe, etc before but taking an excursion to the Zoo will be the day your loved ones will get in touch with the aforementioned animals.
- Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary
Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary is a tourist site situated in the Volta Region of Ghana. Looking for all the various species of monkeys in Ghana, look no further than Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary.
Family and visitors to Ghana can take a trip to one of the best monkey sanctuaries in the Volta Region for more pleasure and fun.
The monkeys are very nice to play with and the managers of the tourist site are also friendly and lovely.
Remember to take about one or two bunches of bananas with you and present them as Christmas gifts to the monkeys at Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary.
Trust me, they will always remember you for that…maybe you are wondering how animals can remember you for your kind gestures but I assure you they will never forget about you.
- Kokrobite Beach
Kokrobite Beach is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved beach resorts In Ghana, located in the Greater Accra Region.
Every holiday, the place is swarmed by domestic and foreign tourists.
Over the years, some youth groups have taken the initiative to sanitise the beach.
This year, the people in Kokrobite as part of their readiness to welcome visitors in the town embarked on a series of clean-up exercises before the Christmas and the new year holidays.
At Kokrobite beach resort, the family can swim in shallow waters at the seashore, just that one doesn’t have to take too many risks and the children must be under full scrutiny.
Maybe the family has not settled on any particular place to enjoy the holidays but trust that visiting Kokrobite to enjoy the day will never be a bad idea.
Apart from Kokrobite beach resort, there are other beaches like Labadi beach located in the Greater Accra Region, Ada beach located at the estuary of the Volta River, etc.
Ada Beach
- Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum is the place where the mortal remains of the first president of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his wife Fathia Nkrumah lay.
The mausoleum now serves as a tourist attraction for Ghanaians and foreigners.
The mausoleum is located in downtown Accra.
There are managers at the site ready to welcome visitors eager to learn more about the history of the first president of the Republic of Ghana.
The neatness and the calm nature of this environment over the years have given tourists the desire to always pay visits to the mausoleum.
Indeed Dr Kwame Nkrumah is a living legend whose history can never be eroded in the minds of Ghanaians.
This Christmas, family or friends can choose one day within the holiday period to have a feel of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum.
- Bobiri Forest Reserve and Butterfly Sanctuary
Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary is the first butterfly sanctuary in West Africa located specifically in Ghana.
The location is a few metres into a CSIR forest reserve from a bypass in a town called Kubease in the Ashanti region, along the main Accra – Kumasi Highway. Kubease is about 30 kilometres from Kumasi.
The sanctuary has comfortable chairs for visitors who decide to lodge for some hours, there are tour guides who take visitors around the area to see the different species of butterflies and the forest reserve.
Do not hesitate to pay a visit to Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary this Christmas with the family to experience the nature of the pristine environment.