Upper West Region Things to Do

  The Chief's Palace
by Pieter11
 
  • The Chief's Palace
      The Chief's Palace
    by Pieter11
  • The cemetary in front of the palace
      The cemetary in front of the palace
    by Pieter11
  • Inside the ruins of the palace
      Inside the ruins of the palace
    by Pieter11
  • Canoe in the Upper Black Volta
      Canoe in the Upper Black Volta
    by atufft
  • Upper Black Volta
      Upper Black Volta
    by atufft
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Lobi Home

by atufft

We found that the Lobi Villages on the Ghana side of the Upper Black Volta were friendlier than on the Burkina Faso side of the River. However, they were also somewhat more affluent in terms of access to civilized life. Nevertheless, this part of Ghana is quite traditional in lifestyle. The guide who took us to the Hippo Santuary also took us to the homes and villages in the area. We had a chance to visit with an old woman who clung to the fashion of wearing a plug in her lip. Her daughter however did not.

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Chief's Palace

by Pieter11

A very special place to visit in Wa is the old Chief's Palace, in the centre of the city. With a little bit of patience you will be able to get a great tour around the building, as well as the complete history of the chiefancy and the palace. The very interesting story about the chief of Wa is written in my General Tip about the Chief.The first thing you'll notice when you get closer to the Chief's Palace, is that it is a complete ruin (at least in 2006 it was). This is obviously not the place where you need to be to arrange a tour. The building to the right of the palace, is where the family of the chief lives nowadays. When you ask someone (anyone actually) around the palace where you can arrange a tour through the building, they will all direct you here. Just enter and ask for it. Within 10 minutes they will find someone to be the guide. The guide will take you, without discussing...

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Lobi Marketplace

by atufft

On the way back to Wa from the Hippo Sanctuary we stopped at a marketplace. Actually, this may not be Lobi alone, but rather serves for a variety of tribal groups that live in the area. We observed sales of home-made beer, bicycle repairs, and foods of all sorts. This isn't a tourist market, so we caused quite a stir for having visited. The villagers were very friendly, and the children led us around to all parts of the market. Nearby, vaccinations were being given by a government medical technician.

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King's Palace and Mud Mosques of Wa

by atufft

Upon arrival, we were able to walk directly to the Wa Chief former palace. The visitor has to pay both sides of the family, which still feuds over the structure. After that, we walked down a narrow street of mud homes to a small mud mosque. Later, our taxi driver took us across town to visit another larger mud mosque. These structures are obviously quite old and still in use by local Muslims.

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Wechiau Hippo Santuary

by atufft

This Hippo Santuary on the Upper Black Volta is not a National Park. Rather, the local community has found tourism value in keeping the hippos protected, so poaching in rare. The Black Volta as this point serves as the border between Burkina Faso and Ghana as well, but since the Lobi also live on the other side of the river, cooperation is relatively good. See web links belowe for more information and images. A taxi will be needed for this trip, which takes nearly an hour from Wa. Our driver charged us $25- for the day. His taxi had a huge spider on the windshield, and at one point he stopped to check the mechanical condition of his aging vehicle. At the Santuary, we found a guide with a good command of English, who climbed into our vehicle. We drove as close to the river as boggy soil would permit vehicular traction, and then walked about 1/2 mile to where the canoe was hidden among...

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Fun things to do in Upper West Region
 
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