About 16 km north of Techiman, the village of Bono Manso sits on the site of what was once the capital of the Bono state — a city that stood for roughly 700 years before the Asante destroyed it in 1723. At its height, it was a genuine urban centre with distinct residential quarters, active shrine complexes, and workshops producing pottery and metalwork. Muslim traders from the Mali Empire maintained a presence here, exchanging salt and textiles for gold and kola.
Today it is a quiet village, and the ruins are not spectacular in the way that stone monuments are. What you find is more archaeological: earthworks, traces of settlement patterning, and a strong sense of place maintained through oral history and traditional authority. Local guides can walk you through the significance of different parts of the site.
Bono Manso is reachable by shared taxi from Techiman's main transport hub. The road is paved for most of the route. Allow half a day if you want to explore properly and talk to local custodians of the site.