Shai hills Reserve – Baboons and Beads

This is the closest wildlife reserve to Accra being as it is located less than 50 kms away. Its not a big area but it covers a huge punch with the attractions and wildlife on offer. The reserve is made up of mostly savanna covered plains. There are 5 separate hills and low dry forests.

If you are feeling fit you can do some rock climbing and learn about the Shai people that once lived among the rocks and in the canyons of this park.

The wildlife in the park is diverse and plentiful. You will usually be advised to get here early in the day to get the most out of your experience but arriving later didn’t affect my visit. .The park hosts a total of 31 mammal species, 13 reptiles and 175 bird species. You will be given a guide and the first place they will probably take you is to see the large zebra enclosure which are the only ones in Ghana and imported from South Africa.

Next door are the Ostriches. You are more than welcome to feed them.

One of the most interesting attractions is visiting the ancestral caves used by the Shai king and his people in the 19th century. Its a great climb using ropes up rock faces to reach the caves. They were easy to defend in times of war due to the overhangs and tunnel like openings.

The best part is the baboons. We saw them mostly at the side of the road. Armed with a good bunch of bananas you will usually come across a friendly enough group who are used to people. (Be warned these are wild and dangerous animals so always follow a guides advice).

We had one last adventure and that was a visit to the Cedi glass factory.

You can find out the process from the broken glass through to the final product. Beware of the store where you can purchase the beautiful finished products (super cheap).

This was part of my tour which included the Akosomba Dam with Jolanika tours.