Ghana: Volta River and Lake

Board a slow ferry near the river mouth, finish on a party boat at the lake

An exploration of the Volta River area could well start at the place where the river meets the ocean, near the village of Ada Foah, which has some fine beachresorts. On wednesdays, you could take a shared canoe taxiride across to experience the weekly market of Anyanui village in Keta district, and continue travelling from there (or return if you'd like).

From Ada I took a long full day river ferry ride all the way to Amedica, just before the point where the Volta river is blocked by the Akuse Dam. The ferry stopped really countless times, not rarely just to load a complete markettrade or household at one stop, to unload it a few stops further upstream. Quite a spectacle it was, and in addition to the beautiful river views I consider it a highlight.

From the last stop, I proceeded by road to Atimpoku, a busy village, situated at the N2 highway to Ho near the only bridge over the Volta river in this part of the country. With its cool riverside bars, it was a pleasant enough place to spend a night, while waiting for the weekly Sunday departure of partyboat Dodi Princess, just 10 km from there. The partyboat generally appeared pretty serious matter for the more sophisticated type of Ghanaian audience, and was not very memorable, apart from the nice company I had, the live music on board and the bbq food we had while cruising on the pretty Lake. Still I think this partyboat is far overrated, and a much better experience can be had on the Volta river ferry.