The canopy walkway
Planks and rope.
Philip Nalangan — CC BY 4.0 · Matti Blume — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gianluca Floris — CC BY-SA 4.0 · ArabaDankwa — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Matti Blume — CC BY-SA 4.0
Kakum National Park is a tropical forest of 375 square kilometres in Ghana's Central Region. Its fame rests on a suspended walkway strung between the treetops, so you walk over the forest and not under it. It is one of only a few such walkways in Africa, and the park is the main nature trip for visitors to the coast. The area became a reserve in 1931 and a national park only in 1992, after a survey of its birds. Unusually, the idea came from local people and not from the wildlife department. It shelters threatened species, among them the Diana monkey and the giant bongo antelope, along with hundreds of kinds of birds and butterflies. The canopy walkway runs for 350 metres and links seven treetops with narrow bridges of planks and rope. They sway a little at each step, and from them you see tall trees rising out of a green sea. Animals rarely show themselves to daytime visitors, so do not count on seeing them. Listen for the birds instead, as early morning is the best time for them. Cape Coast Castle is about 31 km away in a straight line and Elmina Castle about 30 km. Visitors cross in groups with a guide, and the wait can be long at weekends. Wear shoes that grip and carry water. If heights worry you, ask about the forest trails on the ground.
Planks and rope.
Tall trees above green.
Hundreds of species.
Cape Coast to Twifo Praso road, Central Region, Ghana
The bridges are high and sway a little, but rope netting encloses them and many families cross.
Rarely by day, as the forest is dense and animals avoid people, and birds are easier.