Ankasa

Remote rainforest national park in southwest Ghana, protecting swamp forest, bamboo groves, and dense canopy.

Ankasa National Park sits in the far southwest of Ghana, close to the Ivorian border. It protects around 500 sq km of tropical rainforest — swamp forest, bamboo groves, and dense canopy — and is one of the least-visited reserves in the country, which is part of its appeal.

To get there, take the Elubo–Takoradi road and get off at Sunkwa, where a sign marks the turning. From there it is a 6 km walk to the park entrance. Along the way you pass several small bush settlements. The most interesting of these is Old Ankasa Village, a village on the edge of the park whose people live from small-scale farming, hunting, and collecting forest products.

Old Ankasa makes a good rest stop. Locals will offer you palm wine, palm liquor, and whatever fruit is in season. If you ask around for "the Frenchman," people will point you to a guesthouse on a hilltop with good views and a cool breeze — a decent place to sleep before pushing on into the park.

Inside the park, hiking and wildlife spotting are the main activities. The Wildlife Division staff at the base camp can organise guides. You may see monkeys, elephants, antelopes, and various reptiles, as well as good birdlife. The Nini and Suhien rivers that cut through the park are worth following — their banks are where wildlife concentrates, and the occasional waterfall breaks the journey.

Guide

Getting There

Ankasa is in Ghana's far southwest, about 365 km from Accra near the Côte d'Ivoire border. The access road runs between Elubo (the border crossing) and Takoradi. Look for the sign at Sunkwa junction — from there it is a 6 km walk along a bush track to the park entrance at the Wildlife Division base camp. Private taxis can sometimes be hired in Elubo or from passing traffic along the main road. There is no public transport directly to the park entrance.

Elubo, on the coast about 20 km south, is the nearest town with transport links to the rest of Ghana.

Guide

Things to Do

Ankasa is about the forest and everything that lives in it. Hiking, wildlife watching, and river walks are the main activities. The Nini Suhien National Park section to the north and the Ankasa Forest Reserve to the south together protect around 500 sq km of wet evergreen rainforest — Ghana's only wildlife sanctuary within this forest type. The Wildlife Division office at the park entrance can arrange licensed guides for forest walks; going without one means missing most of what there is to see.