A few weeks ago I found myself in one of the beautiful
places I’d ever seen in Ghana, the kind of beauty that one can only describe as
breath-taking. I mean, I’d heard, mostly from some of my white friends, that
places like this existed in Ghana but I always dismissed it as the usual
white-people hyperbole that you hear when they
come into contact with a little nature. A few trees and some butterflies and
all you hear is things like ‘…it was a life-changing experience’ or ‘…after all
these years of soul searching, I finally found myself…blah blah blah’. For my
white readers, I don’t mean to cause offence, however you guys seem far more in
touch with your inner ‘nature person’ than any black person I’ve ever met. Anyway, I digress…
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| View of hillside from Mountain Paradise |
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| Kulugulu Waterfall Trail: The beginning |
As I was saying, I found myself in this slice of paradise that
was comfortably nestled away in a village called Biakpa in the Volta region of
Ghana. Biakpa lies in the shadow of Mount Gemi (the second highest mountain in
Ghana) and is surrounded by awesome natural beauty as far as the eye can see.
We stayed in this rustic yet semi modern resort aptly named Biakpa Mountain
Paradise. Its proprietor, Tony Fiakpui, is the most pleasant, endearing and
kind hearted man I’ve met in a long time in Ghana. He is responsible for
carving out this piece of heaven on earth called Mountain Paradise and although
you don’t know him, this man has done his part in preserving the beauty that
Ghana has to offer its citizens and visitors. Tony, thank you!
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| 'Woe Zɔ' - Welcome |
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| Mountain Paradise guest rooms (view of Mt. Gemi) |
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| Mountain Paradise: Reception and rooms |
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| Relaxing Biakpa style |
I could continue to gush over this place but let me get on
with it. One is presented with so many things to do once you get here. There’s
a 3 hour hike from Biakpa up the mountain to Amedzofe and then on to the summit
of Mount Gemi. There’s a 2 hour hike from the resort, through a thick forest
trial, down a ravine to behold the beautiful (and safe to swim in) Kulugulu
Waterfall. Not for you? You can hire mountain bikes for the day and just
explore Biakpa and the surrounding villages. Culture galore! Still too much
activity for your sedentary and ultra-modern city office lifestyle? Why not
just grab a book and enjoy the serene, ethereal environment that is offered to
you the moment to arrive here. Trust me, anything you choose to do, you will
not be disappointed.
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| View from mountain trail (a 3rd of the ascent) |
I chose to climb Mount Gemi on day 1 and do the waterfall
trail on day 2. They were both exhilarating experiences of which I will
encourage everyone who reads this to try. To get to Mount Gemi, you have to
start from the village of Biakpa and ascend to Amedzofe. This is possibly the
most terrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life. Terrifying because the trail,
or what remains of it, is steep, slippery in places, overgrown in others,
non-existent in some places and generally in bad shape. I was surprised by this
because most things outdoorsy and exciting are associated with tourists and
white people. Tourists and white people are associated with money. Ghanaians
have an affinity for both white people and money. Naturally, one could see the
money making opportunity in keeping this trail in good nick and completely
accessible to said tourists and white people. But no! You’d be hard pressed to
find a trail guide. You’d spend 15 minutes wandering through Biakpa trying to
find the beginning of the trail. There are no signs of its existence and no
information regarding what you are to expect once you begin the ascent. But
ignore all that for a minute. Once you find your way, the journey is stunning. You’re
steeped in dense jungle for 2 and half hours, desperately trying to stay
sure-footed, hydrated and focussed. You will constantly battle with the feeling
of fear on one hand and be taken aback with the sheer beauty of the environment
in which you find yourself immersed. You will cross a river, battle ants and
other creepy crawlies, lose your way, climb over and under dead and
decaying tree trunks, stop to catch your breath, give up half way and encourage
yourself to complete the journey. At the end of it all, you will have inspired yourself!
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| Ascent to Amedzofe: The easy part |
Reaching Amedzofe is a bit of a disappointment. At the end
of this amazing nature quest your first reconnection with civilization is the
stench of decaying rubbish. Most of the town dispose of their waste where the
mountain trail connects with the town. The result is the all-too-familiar odour
of modern waste disposal, the ‘bɔɔla’
as it is known in Twi or the rubbish dump. Once you understand that you've been
on earth all this while, you quickly overcome the disappointment with its
inhabitants and move on to the ‘Tourist Information Centre’. I swore that I wouldn’t
say anything about this place for fear of using too many expletives in its
description. Point made!
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| Sunrise over Mt. Gemi |
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| Typical morning mist (accompanied by cold) |
From the Totally Idiotic Centre…ahem…I meant the Tourist Information
Centre, it’s just another 45 minute hike to the summit of Mount Gemi. This
trail, while abandoned is in good shape and easy to navigate. There is such an
overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and ‘I
can f*cking do anything’ once you reach the summit and place your hands on
the metal crucifix, erected by the Germans a long while back. The vista is
glorious! You can see for what must be hundreds of miles. The great Volta Lake lies
in the not so far distance. Villages such as Kpando, Vokpo, Ho and Anfoe are
dotted along the horizon like pearls on a string. Other fascinating settlements
can be seen in the nooks and crannies of the valleys that are commonplace in
this part of the world.
Apart from the natives, we were the only black people that were exploring this beautiful slice of Ghana. Everyone else we met and stayed with at the Mountain Paradise resort was white. British, Italian, American, Eastern European and even Australian; all white! Not a single Ghanaian or black person from the diaspora. I think that we owe it to ourselves as black people and natives of this beautiful country to explore it as much as we possibly can. Let’s each schedule a weekend or two, where we set aside our need to go to the same old places; Republic, Frankies, Mövenpick, Papaye, Noble House etc. and eat the same old things; fried rice with chicken, banku and tilapia, omo tuo and ‘zoo soup’ etc. Let’s purpose in ourselves to know as much about this country as we possibly can and educate ourselves about the beauties and pleasures that exist a little beyond our doorsteps. Let’s get to know this beautiful country!
