Mount Afadjato- Hike On The Highest Mountain In Ghana.

Fodome township can boast of many tourist attractions. To start with they have in the town the famous Monkey Sanctuary, Tagbo Waterfalls, Twin Mountains, and Wli Waterfalls to the best of my knowledge. The tallest mountain in Ghana Mount Afadjato has been on my list for years and when the chance came for me to climb, regardless of the short notice I postponed my plans for the weekend and got ready to hike and hike we did. Join me as I share with you my experience.

Travel Time

As I always point out to you the times are estimated based on your mode of transportation and your set off time.

• From Madina – 4 Hours 52 Minutes.
• From Kasoa – 5 Hours 42 Minutes.          
• From Adukrom – 3 Hours 57 Minutes.
• From Takoradi – 9 Hours 43 Minutes
• From Osu – 4 Hours 54 Minutes.
• From Accra Mall – 4 Hours 36 Minutes.
• From Dansoman – 2 Hours 27 Minutes.

Travel Experience

The trip to Mount Afadjato was an interesting one, to say the least. The initial set-off time was 6 am but we ended up leaving at 7:30 am. I remember stories my sister told me of her experience climbing the mountain years ago of how some got to just the 1st level and had to return and what have you. With all this in mind and the fulfillment of making it to the top, I added it to my bucket list and I almost ticked it off but the weather had a mind of its own and made it impossible. the weather had its plan and delayed us for 30 minutes. This was the first trip id been on and it rained before set off, I forgot we were in the rainy season; therefore, I entreat you always check the weather forecast before planning a trip for a better experience. This was my first trip with an organized group as I always go with my friend Kan, we set off on the Tema motorway with no traffic in a big air-conditioned bus and I sat by the window. I had been on the Atimpoku road more than 3 times this year so rather I chit-chat with my new acquaintance seated beside me from one topic to another.

All was going well till we got to Peki where our car had an issue. Call that a blessing in disguise because thanks to that delay, I could charge my phone as I had a very bad morning and forgot to pick my power bank and my charger head. That stop delayed us a bit but soon after my phone was full, we were good to go. Some used that time to take pictures, I used that to stretch and get ready for the hike. There was not much to see aside from beautiful mountains and clouds. We used the Hohoe road which I was familiar with because I used it 2 years ago when I travelled with a group to Nyanbong in Nkwanta South on a volunteer teaching for a month, and from that town to go is a stone throw away.

The road was good to a part of Peki, the rest was just dusty and bad. To serve as a distraction I paid attention to the selection of songs that were being played on the bus and danced my heart out seated. We eventually arrived and met 3 groups there, we got to the reception area and our tour guide gave us a brief history on the name which I found very insightful and I appreciated the name better as I now understood it. All was said and done and it was time to hike.

Food.

Now, this is where I had a problem, I did not see any food vendor or an eatery or a souvenir shop for people to buy stuff aside from the shirts I saw on sale. I would strongly suggest they put up an eatery for visitors to have good local food to enjoy as all of that adds to the beauty of the site. We were there for almost an hour and did not see any sign of a food vendor, rather they sell alcoholic beverages at their drinking spot just as you enter descend to their grounds. Then again, I had snacks in my bag and that served us well till hunger set in and we left. Just outside the premises, you will have a lot of options to pick from so we did that and had our fills.

Hiking Mount Afadjato

It was about to go down fast, all pumped up to climb Mount Afadjato and see the beautiful view and Togo. All my workouts and squats were going to pay off finally. To start with, you will need a good pair of sneakers with good sole friction to hike. The climb was anything but easy. It felt more like a mind game than physical activity. Luckily there was a group in front of me and I stepped as they did as rested as they did because you need to control your breathing if not you cannot hike. With that in mind, I kept hiking till I could not see properly, I was slipping and crawling so I do not fall and also support myself on some trees each time I stopped to rest. 

We kept going until our tour guide advised we all descend because the rains got heavier by the second was not it is not safe to hike. But that was not easy. A gentleman from a different group came to my aid and helped me down. I kept slipping due to my wrong choice of sneaker was soaked.

In all, I will be back for a reloaded and conquer the mountains in my trainers in appropriate sportswear and visit the other sites. I did learn a lot from the climb that as you come down, you need people to help you come down the right way and people to be patient with you as they lead you up. Next time we will all get to the top and have a good dance.

Environment

The ambience is perfect with the mountainous weather and landscape with the mountains before you in its glory and maybe intimidating to the fearful. As I looked around, I felt at peace, enjoyed the fresh air, the sounds of tree leaves, the local people going on about their business, and chattering amongst people we met there. The mountain is a very relaxing place to be, very peaceful, a communal setting. There is a lot of greenery as we drove by towns. All in all, it is the one place you can be to have the best view.

Activities.

There are several activities like

1. Hiking of Afadjato.
2. Hiking on Twin Mountains.
3. Hiking to Tagbo Falls

Prices

• Entrance Fee                     
• Afadjato T shirt 25 Cedis
• Afadjato Lactose 45 Cedis

Payment Mode

Like many other indigenous places, payment is by cash.

Entertainment.

We were our source of entertainment with our portable speakers as we hiked up Mount Afadjato. Aside from that, you can party at the reception area or on top of the mountain or better yet drums.