Ecotourism

Another income generator for Ghana is ecotourism, tourism that attempts to keep the money spent within the local population so that this particular local population becomes invested in the natural environment around them and stop poaching and deforestation. Here is a good site explaining Ghanas community-based ecotourism. Some of the most impressive national parks are located in the north as well as the east of the country near Lake Volta. One of our partners, Cass, is specialized in natural resources / agriculture which was quite helpful in answering our many question. In addition, he actually spent three years at Mole National Park as a park ranger.









On our way from Sunyani to Mole National Park we also stopped at the  Baobeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary. The sanctuary was created to protect the monkey population around the villages Baobeng and Fiema. The inhabitants of the villages regard the Mona monkey as sacred, as part of their ancestors' souls and this is the reason that the significant monkey populations have survived here in contrast to most other parts of Ghana. 

The natural environment of this particular sanctuary -- a relatively small, dry rainforest -- does not allow for the growth of bananas but locals have been selling bananas to tourists--so the monkeys are well adapted to the peeling of bananas; very skilled.

Of course we bought bananas and of course we fed those little cute creatures who appear well fed and not afraid of humans at all--they do keep a short distance so won't jump on people but they do jump on the cars.

Mona monkey on our van !!

Kwame feeding Mona monkey!

Mona Monkey with baby
--also hungry but ended up not getting anything because she was shyer.

The story goes that these monkeys are the spirits of deceased people and for this reason they are not only protected from the inevitable soup they would normally end up in but also be given a grave if a dead one is found.

Quite clearly the monkey sanctuary has been conceived as an ecotourist destination--the village was immaculate, there was a local guide and there was an opportunity to buy touristy stuff from local artists. The village sported well kept huts and small houses and it was incredibly clean-no trash. This is also the village where our exchange partner Emanuel comes from.

When entering the village where the sanctuary is located one can see that the village is well kept, it is clean and people are well organized. Even the deep gutters on both sides to the main dirt road--necessary to catch the water from those torrential rainfalls--were clean. 
From there we went to Kintampo waterfalls:

Some geologic facts: The Volta Basin is one of the supracrustal basins of the West-African craton. It is moderately folded in its eastern margin and partially involved in the Panafrican Dahomeyide orogenic belt (basically metamorphic rock).

Rocks belonging to this formation are mainly sedimentary and exhibit horizontal alignments.  Sand stone, shale, mudstone and limestone are the principal examples of these rocks.  The Voltain formation was created soon after the Precambrian era when sagging of land occurred resulting in scarp slopes (hence waterfall possibilities) due to different levels of sagging.

The area has been named the 'District of Waterfalls', here the Pumpum river falls 70m down some beautiful rocky steps to form the Kintampo waterfalls, the water of which continues its journey towards the Black Volta at Buipe and the Fuller Falls 7 km west of Kintampo.

Kwame at the waterfalls