The Kintampo Waterfalls, about six kilometres north of the town centre off the main Tamale road, are the principal reason most travellers stop in Kintampo. The Pumpum River drops in three stages down a forested gorge — the upper falls is a stepped cascade, the middle a sloping run over polished granite, and the lower the most dramatic 25-metre plunge into a pool you can wade or swim in.
A long concrete stairway descends through the forest from a small interpretive centre at the top, where you pay a modest entrance fee. Bring water shoes if you plan to enter the pool; the river stones are sharp. Crowded with Ghanaian families and students on weekends, much quieter on weekdays.