Paga is a small town in Ghana's Upper East Region, right on the border with Burkina Faso. It is famous across Ghana for its sacred crocodile ponds, where large Nile crocodiles live in shallow pools and are considered sacred by the local Kassena people. For a small fee, a guide will summon a crocodile from the water with a live chicken — visitors can sit on its back for photographs. The tradition dates back centuries and the crocodiles, well-fed and habituated to people, are remarkably docile.
Near the main pond, the chief's palace is a traditional compound built in the round, flat-roofed mud style of northern Ghana, decorated with bold geometric wall paintings. Paga is also known for its Kassena painted houses — the same vivid black-and-white or ochre designs that define domestic architecture across this corner of West Africa. The border crossing into Burkina Faso is within walking distance of town, at Dakola on the Burkinabe side.