**KWAHU **features the highest inhabited spot in Ghana - it’s where the Christian Missionaries from Basel found their own new Switzerland - and the rocky green plateau breathes fresh air. Mosquitoes are fewer, and though the sun can still take the day temperature up to 36° the air is not humid, and you may even need a light jacket on occasional evenings.
The scenery is equally full of drama, as weather sculpted rocks tower precariously above ravines and command spectacular views. Waterfalls and huge trees, rivers (trickling in January, racing in July), brilliant flowers and butterflies, wind swayed crops and above all the great expanse of the man-made Lake Volta, fringed with gaily painted boats, make Kwahu a hidden paradise unlike any other area of Ghana.
Compared with the better-known tourist sites of the Slave Castles at Cape Coast and Elmina, the Canopy Walk at Kakum, the Cultural Centre at Kumasi, and the Sacred Crocodiles at Paga, Kwahu is a quiet country area less frequently visited by Ghanaians or foreigners. This makes it all the more special to discover for yourself. Its hills and valleys, rich forests, high cliffs, wildlife and waterfalls all add up to a rural experience that is quite unexpected in Ghana. Because the area is not over-exploited, the welcome of the people is sincere and delightful. They are ever ready to include you, whether in town activity or quieter village life and to share with you the peace that comes from centuries of living in a beautiful place.
WHAT TO SEE
BRUKU The towering great God Rock of the Kwahu people can be reached on the road from Kwahu Tafo to Adawso. Magnificent as it is, it was once (if the legend is to be believed) even higher, and visible by sailors on the ocean 150 km away. But one day a peasant farmer eating some water-yam nearby, and an ant stole a crumb and carried it up on to the mountain, not knowing that the ancient God Bruku is allergic to water-yam. As a result, Bruku’s top fell off, leaving the ant feeling rather foolish- but us with a still stunning landmark. The God Bruku is the sacred guardian watching over Kwahu, and you run the risk of offending local sensibilities if you go walking on the hill without permission (or, worse still, climbing the rock itself): but on request a guided trek can be arranged for you, making a strenuous climb as respectful as it is unforgettable. And if you have any breath left by the time you reach the foot of the rock, the views, of the surrounding countryside and the gleaming Lake Volta, will take it away.
HIKING Nature Walks can be found in so many places, and offer the perfect way to experience the countryside. One of the very nicest is a long stroll from the Adawso road along the flat rocky land on the left-hand side of Bruku. Flowers abound, the grasses are beautiful, and at every stage, you want to take another irresistible snap of the great God Rock towering in the distance.
LAKE VOLTA is one of the glories of Kwahu. It was the biggest manmade lake in the world at the time of its construction from the Afram and Volta Rivers in the early 60s. If you fancy a glide on its shimmering expanse, go to Adawso, where there’ll be a boatman ready to
chug you across to Ekyi. Some may have life jackets to offer you, but the traditional wooden canoe boats are comfortingly safe – and outcharm the car-ferry every time.
ROCK FORMATIONS Apart from the Daddy of them all Bruku, and its Kwahu Tafo companion the great cavern at Butuase waterfall*,* there are fascinating rocks to be seen all over the area. Some are weathered outcrops like the precariously hanging rock on the road to Kotoso just where Lake Volta comes stunningly into view: others bear witness as the cave homes of ancestors from many thousands of years. Many of the most interesting formations are in the area of the citadel ‘Stone City’ near Amartey and Abuamo, but you may need a 4WD to get there.
WARRIORS CAVE (ENKOFIEHO) Near Echo Ravine, just beyond Twenedurase, an intrepid guide can clamber with you into the chilly hideout of Kwahu fighters in the days of the war with the belligerent Ashanti. Ropes, ladders and torches are provided: you bring courage.
WILDLIFE
Birds, butterflies and yes, even chameleons abound in Kwahu, and will richly reward the enthusiast. Other animals are rarer, but you may glimpse an antelope, a mongoose or even a python. There are other snakes to be wary of, but generally, they will take the lead in avoiding encounters with you.
MEDICINAL PLANTS AND HERBS
The rainforest is a wonderful home for all sorts of medicinal plant, and since time immemorial the Kwahu people have found remedies for everything from colds and cuts to stomach upsets and ‘waist’ problems and even cataracts. In every village, you will find someone to tell you about the different herbs and their remarkable properties, and perhaps even give you a sprig of the Moringa tree*,* which cures 300 diseases.