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Tourism, Volta Region, Hohoe District Assembly, Wli Waterfalls, Ghana
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AWARDS
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Liati Wote - View Photo Gallery Location Liati Wote is located 3 km south of Gbledi which is about 24 km away from Hohoe. The two ways to reach the village are via Wli or Fodome Ahor, and from Golokwati on the main Accra-Hohoe road via Liati Agbonyra and Liati Soba (14 km from Golokwati). History
Wote literally means “good for garden eggs”. The village owes its name to a man named Gbleve from the village of Kuma who started a garden egg farm at the foot of Mount Afadjato. In the light of his great success, he urged his friends in Kuma to settle in this new area in order to set up farms. Since then, the chief of Wote has always come from the Gbleve clan, one of the five clans living in Liate Wote. The two major sites of interest in the area are Mount Afadjato and Tagbo Falls. The name Afadjato comes from Avadzeto which means “to go to war against the bush”. The mountain owes this name to the fact that it is covered by a certain plant which causes severe skin irritations. Hence, whenever farmers or hunters climbed the mountain, they were “at war” with the plants. The Ewes, however, did not have a written language for most of their history, so that the European colonisers called the mountain in the way they heard its name pronounced, namely Afadjato. The syllable “to” in Ewe language means “mountain”, so that the correct name is not Mount Afadjato, but simply Afadjato. There are also some intriguing stories with regards to the name of Tagbo. In one story, a fisherman once set some traps in the river Tagbo. When he came back, he discovered that he had caught a fairly large mud fish that had a pot of herbs on its head and cowry shells lining its back. In another story, a man caught a fish from the river and brought it home for dinner. He wanted to eat it in a soup and, therefore, cut it into pieces. At some point during the preparation, however, the fish became whole again. And, afterwards, all of the children in the man’s house died one after another, and the man and his wife developed blisters all over their bodies. The villagers therefore consulted the oracles which revealed that a powerful spirit ruled the waters. They then named the river Togbui, meaning “small god”, and that later became Tagbo.
A community-based ecotourism initiative has been set up in Liati Wote in collaboration with the Nature Conservation Research Centre, Peace Corps Ghana, Ghana Tourist Board, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the Liati Wote community with funding from USAID. Regular Tourist Activities
Mount Afadjato can be ascended as a roughly two-hour round trip. With 885m, it is the highest peak in Ghana. It forms part of the Agumatsa range which runs along the Ghana-Togo border. From the top of the mountain, there are magnificent panoramic views of surrounding communities, forests, mountains, deep valleys, and, in distance, Lake Volta. Behind Mount Afadjato is Aduadu, the highest point in Ghana. Even though its summit is higher than that of Mount Afadjato, it is considered to be smaller because it is placed on top of another mountain. Mount Afadjato is shaped like a traditional yarn mound and covered with luxuriant tropical forest. Its area is well-known for its biodiversity richness. Researchers have recorded over 300 species of butterflies and 33 species of mammals. Mona and Spot-nosed monkeys are regular sights. Furthermore, Bird Life International has selected the site as one of the key Important Bird Areas in Ghana. The Tagbo Falls is an easy 45-minute hike through coffee and cocoa fields and untouched forest. There are plenty of opportunities for exploring and observing the plant life and the more than 300 species of butterflies. The waterfall itself flows from an almost circular cliff formation with lush vegetation climbing the sides into a refreshing plunge pool. Information for the Visitor Entrance
Fees Adults..................................................................35,000.00
cedis There are various types of accommodation available. The villagers operate a community-run 6-room guesthouse, located in a forest glade at the entrance of the village on the left side of the road coming from Golokwati. It contains basic facilities and clean rooms with mosquito nets and fans, and it is possible to obtain drinks and local dishes. Prices are ¢30,000 for a single bed and ¢35,000 for a double bed. Several local families also offer homestays for ¢20,000. Finally, camping is possible in the village.
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Hohoe
District Assembly
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Liate
Wote is part of the Liati Traditional Area. In Ewe, lia means “to
climb” and ti means “tree”. This history of this name
comes from a daring escape which took place long ago in a village called
Notsie in present-day Togo. The chief, Togbui Agokoli, was evil and
erected a huge wall encircling the village so that no one could escape.
People resorted to climbing trees to get over the wall and headed west
to escape the chief. They settled in what is today the Volta Region
in Ghana. 
The
forefathers of the current villagers considered the river Tagbo sacred,
and still today a number of taboos are associated with it. For example,
no fishing is allowed in the stream, as the spirit of the people is
thought to live in it. Washing is also not allowed in the stream on
Fridays because on this day the spirit of the river and his children
bathe. Furthermore, dogs are taboo in the village, as the villagers
believe that the dogs can see spirits and would bark and scare them
off. Once every three years, a ceremony for the river takes place, in
which a male goat is slaughtered at the riverside. 
Liati
Wote combines great ecotourism activities with an intimate experience
of community-based tourism. Nature attractions include Mount Afadjato,
Tagbo Falls, and more general hiking possibilities in the largely untouched
forests. Community activities include educational courses of drumming,
dancing, or cooking, visits to craftsmen involved in weaving, batik
dying, palm oil production, palm wine production, bee keeping, mushroom
farming, or snail farming, and evening entertainment in the form of
a drumming and dancing troupe. 
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