Ghana: Adaklu Mountain
... and the friendly village of Helepke
When you approach Volta Region's capital Ho, you surely notice that odd single standing mountain that rises from the savannah and forest. Well, this one is called Adaklu Mountain and at its base lies the village of Helekpe, where a community based ecotourism project has been developed. Helkpe has a basic guesthouse, there are women that cook great food and there are guides to bring you to the top of the mountain, or to take you on walking tours around the village. The atmosphere in Helekpe is - like almost everywhere in the Volta Region- laid back and welcoming.
Adaklu Community Tourism Project
After reporting to the project's administrator in Helekpe, a local teenager was appointed to be my almost full time guide and company. He took care of everything. Excursions according to my interests, arranging meals prepared by local women, and carrying water to the guesthouse for a bath. It all was very well organized and so the Project not only improved my quality of stay, it also and foremost generated income for the village. Things to do & to see include nature hiking, visiting a sacred bat tree, visiting an akpateshi distillery. But of course you can also tell the guide that you would like to explore on your own. Just do make sure to spend money that benefits the community.
Hike up Adaklu Mountain
Adaklu Mountain (altitude about 600m.) is the tallest free standing “mountain” in Ghana and the return hike to the summit takes around three hours, starting from Helekpe Village. The tour actually starts with a walk to the next village, about half an hour uphill. Here you´ll greet the local Chief and donate him some 2000 cedis (EUR 0,20); he will appoint a local guide for the hike to the summit. I borrowed some plastic farmers boots which was the recommended footwear on the mountain.
The bush trail to the top is beautiful and slightly slippery at times. The trails cross thick bush and interesting stretches of forest, and occasionally you'll need to scramble across huge boulders. There are fixed ropes supporting a few meters of rock climbing. If you're lucky you may spot monkeys and exotic types of bird and butterfly, but the only living animals I encountered on this rainy day were huge amounts of large varieties of insects. Near the summit there’s a brilliant natural platform to rest and to enjoy the view. Looking down you'll see 3 villages, and bush taxis plying between them. Behind the villages you overlook the Kalakpa Reserve.
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The local bar for entertainment
Drinking is a popular pastime here as well and it didn’t surprise me to find several distilleries and a well stocked bar in Helekpe. The bar along the main road had an impressive choice of labelled bottles but most of them are filled up with akpateshi, the cheap and very strong local brew. It is made from palmwine and contains alcohol values of up to 80%. As always, it’s a good place to meet some of the locals, provided you do enjoy dealing with people in various degrees of being drunk.
Staying overnight in Helekpe
Although Helekpe is usually visited as an easy daytrip from Ho, staying overnight is certainly an option. I stayed in the three-bedroom guesthouse of Helekpe, which was rarely used, but had decent enough beds. Buckets of water and kerosene lamps were carried in. Although convenient, it is probably more rewarding to request a homestay when travelling solo, as the guesthouse it is located on the quiet outskirts of the village. A third option is camping, possible even at the summit of Adaklu Mountain; but you'll need provisions and certainly must enjoy the company of countless insects of all sorts!
Helekpe Village tour
An enjoyable thing to do, especially if you haven’t visited many African villages in your life before, is a guided walk around Helekpe. In a very informal atmosphere we visited the clinic, the school, several craftsmen and a nearby farm. The Ewe tribespeople living here are really welcoming, and you could as well walk around unguided. Hiring a guide is recommended tough as it provides an income.
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Visited: Aug 2003
Tips & Impressions originally posted on Virtualtourist.com