Ghana is not so known for the wild life you can spot. If you are really looking forward to see the Big Five, we will advise you to go somewhere in East Africa because Ghana is not going to meet your expectations. Luckily there are a lot of other things to do in Ghana too!
Even you won’t find the Big Five, there are many animals you will spot. We will share a few today.
Monkeys
You can find monkeys in a lot of places in Ghana. It can happen a monkey will accompany you during a lunch at the beach in Kokrobite. You can also sometimes see monkeys on the streets, mostly chained. We don’t support that kind of animal exploiting, and would recommend you to visit one of the sanctuaries.
Visit the monkeys in Boabeng Fiema, where they are treated as holy. There is even a cemetery for the monkeys who died. In the Volta Region you can visit Tafi Atome. At both of this places you can do a tour.
Also during a safari or hike through Mole National Park or Shai Hills you will see this fantastic animals.
Elephants
Ghana doesn’t have the complete Big Five but they have elephants. We believe the safari in Mole National Park is super cheap, low back and so nice. Mole isn’t an over-touristic place (just like most of the landmarks in Ghana), and that makes your experience so nice.
In Mole you can stay at either Zaina Lodge or Mole Motel, and do several safaris. It isn’t guaranteed you will see elephants, but that is part of the adventure too. Best season to visit the elephants is November to March (dry season). That is when there are less water places for the elephants to bath, and a bigger chance you will find them at the water places close to the lodges.
Hippos
In Wechiau you can visit the hippo sanctuary. You can do an early canoe trip on the river to see the hippos. Also here seeing them is not guaranteed, because these are animals in their natural habit. They are not caged or trained to meet human beings.
During your visit you can stay at Mark Donohue Lodge. This accommodation is basic but will give you an unique experience.
Zebras
At Shai Hills, close to Accra and Tema, you can spot zebras. Good to know is that zebras are not native to Ghana. They have recently been placed at the hills.
At the hills you can also spot lots of other animals, such as monkeys, antelopes, birds and an ostrich. You can also do other activities, for example rock climbing and exploring the cages.
Crocodiles
We are actually not a big fan of spotting crocodiles in Ghana, but if you like to see crocodiles from a close distance the county offers lots of possibilities. Our favourite, and for us only good place, to spot them is Mole National Park. Here you can spot them close to the water places where you might can spot some elephants too.
Other popular places to see animals are Hans Cottage close to Cape Coast and Paga, all up in the north close to the border with Burkina Faso. At those places you will have to buy a chicken to feed them, and distract the crocodile so you can take a picture with it. It isn’t our cup of tea, but we also think the animals are not as badly treated as for example elephant riding (which is impossible to do in Mole, to be clear) of hugging lions.