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Tourism, Volta Region, Hohoe District Assembly, Wli Waterfalls, Ghana
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AWARDS
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Wli - Photo Gallery Location The road from Hohoe eastwards reaches a junction after about 22 km at Likpe Bakwa. From there, a dirt road leads southwards for another 3 km to Wli township. Another option is to take the scenic mostly dirt road eastwards from the main Accra-Hohoe road at Golokwati through Liate Wote, Gbledi, Chebe and Fodome Ahor. Wli Falls is located in the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary which is in close walking distance from the town. The entire trip to the waterfall takes about 45 minutes. History
The Wli area The Wli Traditional Area consists of three main communities (Afegame, Agorviefe, Todzi) and one settler community (Dzogbega). Its population is estimated at 3,000. Main attractions
Wli Falls is located in the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary which covers an area of 35 km2. To reach the waterfall, visitors walk on a footpath through a thick, semi-deciduous forest, fording two rivers a total of nine times. 220 bird species and 400 butterfly species as well some monkeys and antelopes reportedly inhabit the Sanctuary. Some trees around the footpath have been marked with intention of creating a nature education trail. At the waterfall, thousands of straw-coloured fruit bats nest on the adjacent cliffs. At the foot of the waterfall, there is large pool that invites visitors to swim in. Regular tourist activities
Information for the visitor The current tourist reception centre is located next to the beginning of the footpath leading to the waterfall. It hosts the reception area with some information about the attractions as well as other sites in the Hohoe District, and two little shops for souvenirs. A new visitor centre is under construction. This much bigger facility is supposed to accommodate a major reception area, a conference centre, a restaurant, 12 craft shops, a museum, and a library that will function as an information centre. Facilities close to the waterfall include provisional changing rooms and toilets.
There are several options for accommodation. 18 families offer a total of 43 beds on a private homestay basis. This type of accommodation costs between ¢30,000 and ¢50,000. Visitors are also allowed to camp at the base of the lower waterfall for ¢10,000-15,000. Other facilities include the Waterfall Lodge (¢90,000), the Blue House Guesthouse (¢50,000), or the government resthouse at nearby Likpe Todome (¢40,000).
Adults..................................................................35,000.00
cedis Wli Falls
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Hohoe
District Assembly
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Visitors
started to come to Wli Falls on a regular basis as early as 1973. In
1997, the Hohoe District Assembly started to develop a District-wide
community-based ecotourism initiative, using Wli as their pilot site.
A year later, the villagers of the four adjacent communities founded
the Tourism Management Authority (TMA). Its mission is “to mobilise
its people and resources in order to derive the maximum benefits from
the natural attractions for the well-being of its citizens”. This
shall be achieved by helping to “build an economically strong
Wli Traditional State on the principles of unity, peace and respect
for one another and for the laws and regulations”. That way, “communities
could be economically empowered to access quality health care, education,
water, shelter and other basic amenities”. To achieve this goal,
the TMA seeks the active collaboration of the District Assembly, the
Ghana Tourist Board, the Department of Wildlife and several NGOs.
Wli
is by far the most popular tourist attraction in eastern Ghana. Wli
Fall is supposed to be the highest waterfall in West Africa, though
specifications of its real height vary considerably with estimates ranging
from 20m to as much as 400m. The Fall actually consists of two separate
waterfalls, one easily accessible Lower Fall and a
more difficult to reach Upper Fall (Shown in Photo).
An apparently reasonable guess is that the lower fall is about 50m high
(Bradt Travel Guide).
The
main tourist activity is of course a visit to Wli Falls and a walk through
the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary. There are, however, other community
activities that visitors can participate in. Most importantly, the villages
offer a total of 18 homestays with 43 beds, so that the guests may have
a real village life experience. Recently, university researchers and
NGOs have also introduced several alternative farming activities, such
as snail farming, mushroom farming, ostrich farming and grasscutter
farming, a local rat-type animal that is used as a delicacy in restaurants.
Interested visitors have the chance to visit these projects.
Prices
for a visit to the lower waterfall are ¢35,000 (¢18,000 for
students) plus a guide fee of ¢8,000 and a camera fee of ¢5,000
or video fee of ¢30,000. For those visitors who wish to climb up
to the second waterfall, guides will take an additional ¢35,000
per person. Groups for the second waterfall should not be bigger than
5 persons, and the trip is not permitted due to security reasons during
the rainy season from 1st August to 1st December. 
© 2006, Hohoe District Assembly - Site Re-design by ICT Pro Company Ltd.