4min read
‘I would have bet on you losing it in the rainforest’ chided my father on our family What’s App group. ‘I have been waiting patiently for this to happen… did not disappoint’, derided my sister as a follow up barb, accompanied by a bunch of crying -with-laughter emojis. To be fair, they know me so very well, and their assessment of the situation was accurate! I had been visiting the Kakum National Park canopy walk when the ‘disaster’ happened and my brand new (less than two weeks old), DJI Mavic Pro Mini 3 drone clipped the side of a tree, and went hurtling down 50metres into the dense thicket of rainforest below.
I had been visiting Kakum National Park in Ghana’s centre-west; it’s one of the country’s top attractions, and it is not difficult to see why. The 213km² park was established in 1925 to conserve Ghana’s rapidly depleting rainforest, and it became a fully-fledged National Park in 1992, with its famous canopy walk opening three years later. The canopy walk, which hangs at a dizzying 50metres above the forest floor, provides visitors to the park with the opportunity to view the very highest level of tree line, bringing you as close as to nature you can imagine. And nature is abundance in the park – it is home to African crowned eagles, Senegal Parrots, Diana monkeys, pottos, leopards, honey badgers, pangolins to name just a few. Kakum’s biodiversity is rich, and if spend some time ‘hanging around’ and you certainly reap the benefit and see some really beautiful birds and perhaps some monkeys. My highly knowledgeable, and aptly named guide, Mensa, noted that the monkeys tend to only be seen in the mornings, keeping themselves well away from the crowds when the park is busier in the afternoon; unlike me you’re probably better visiting a bit earlier, to have a better chance of seeing something special.
Whilst Kakum is the flagbearer of Ghana’s conservation efforts, there are still wider concerns about the country’s rapidly dwindling forest resources. According to the Global Forest Watch, Ghana’s rainforest is being lost faster than any other country in the world. It was estimated that there was a 60% increase in Ghana’s primary rainforest loss in 2018, compared with 2017, making it the highest percentage of loss in the world.
The existence of Kakum as a protected area within Ghana is reassuring, but further work needs to be done to preserve more of the country’s magnificent landscapes. The canopy walk certainly does a fantastic job of promoting the benefits of conservation; it hangs high above the forest floor and provides visitors to the park with an amazing opportunity to immerse in nature.
Aside from the time of day, the drone drama also meant that my interaction with nature was limited. After losing the device to the depths of the jungle, Mensa took me down off the canopy walk as he and fellow guide Francis intrepidly disappeared into the jungle, machetes in hand, to try and retrieve it for me. I just had accepted that I would never see it again, when to my absolute astoundment they returned about forty minutes later, drone in hand. Miraculously, aside from a bit of dirt and vegetation stains, it was still operational and blinking enthusiastically. Needless to say, I didn’t push my luck and chose keep it grounded, and packed it away for another time.
For visiting Kakum National Park, I chose to board in the nearby market town of Akroform, staying two nights at the Rainforest Lodge, about 15 minutes south of the park entrance. Aside from a local market, there isn’t very much to see in the town, but its conveniently close distance to the park entrance made it appealing for me. If you prefer to stay somewhere with a bit more going on, it would be perfectly feasible to stay in Cape Coast, and travel the 45 minutes journey to Kakum and back again, with a local driver, who will be happy to wait for you for a cost. You can read my more in-depth description of the Rainforest Lodge here.
Fast Facts
· Entrance to Kakum National Park costs – 30 cedis
· Distance to Cape Coast – 30km (about 45 minutes)
