Attractions

Near the coast at the far western side of Ghana, near the border with Cote d’Ivoire, is a village that is unique in all of Ghana. Spectacular scenery of the 400-year old stilt propped water settlement of Nzulezu, is a unique village built on stilts in Lake Tadane, which is home to hundreds of people in the Western Region.

Nzulezu is an Nzema word meaning ‘surface of water’. The inhabitants of the village are said to have migrated from Walata, a city in the ancient Ghana Empire, the earliest of the Western Sudanese States. According to tradition, ancestors of the village were brought to their present place by a snail.

The serene ambiance of the surrounding landscape, coupled with the general activities of life on stilts points to a dynamic relationship between man and nature.

The name Apollonia was given to the area by a Portuguese explorer who sighted the place on the Feast of Saint Apollonia, 9 February. The Swedes established a trading post at Apollonia as part of the Swedish Gold Coast between 1655-1657 .In 1691, a British trading post was erected at this site, which between 1768 and 1770 was extended into a fort. After the abolition of slave trade, the fort was abandoned in 1819, but it was again occupied from 1836 onwards. The fort was transferred to the Dutch as part of a large trade of forts between Britain and the Netherlands in 1868, on which occasion it was renamed Fort Willem III, after King William III of the Netherlands. Four years later, however, on 6 April 1872, the fort was, along with the entire Dutch Gold Coast, again transferred to the United Kingdom, as per the Gold Coast treaty of 1871. The fort was restored between 1962 and 1968 and it is now a museum

Ankasa is the richest forest in terms of botanical diversity in the Country. About three hundred (300)plant species have been recorded in a single hectare. Notable among the plant is: Makore, Dahoma and Khaya. Ankasa is home to many well know plants including: Marantas, Glory bower, Bloody Lilly. There are also spectacular ferns and orchards.

The park is approximately 500 square kilometers and consists largely of tropical evergreen rainforest. The Ankasa, Nini, and Suhien Rivers all pass through the park and are known for their rapids and waterfalls. The forest has the most biological diversity of any in Ghana, with over 300 different plant species having been recorded in a single hectare of forest. Animal life includes the elephant bongo, chimpanzee, Diana monkey, and 263 species of birds.