Our first stop was Kakum National Park. Kakum is a 375 square km national park located in the Central Region of Ghana. The 350 square kilometer park was first established in 1960 and it is located 30km north of Cape Coast. The entire area is covered with tropical rainforest.
Kakum has a long series of hanging bridges at the forest canopy level known as the "Canopy Walkway." The Canopy Walkway passes over 7 bridges and runs over a length of 330 m. It is secured by a series of nets and wires for safety purposes.
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| Canopy Walk Shin, June and Denis |
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| Joanne survives the Canopy Walkway |
After the canopy walk we went to a beach resort called Coconut Grove for lunch. The coastal scenery was breathtaking and we wished we could have stayed longer for some quality beach time.
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| Cocunt Grove Resort Our stop for lunch |
Final stop of the day was Elmina Castle. Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482. It is the oldest European building in existence below the Sahara. First established as a trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic Slave Trade. The Dutch seized the fort from the Portuguese in 1637 and the slave trade continued under the Dutch until 1871 when the fort became a possession of the British Empire. Today, the castle is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
While at the castle, our local tour guide that showed us around and provided a moving narrative about the slave trade and how the slaves, particularly the women were treated. In certain rooms of the castle, you can still smell the stench of human urine and feces even after 200 years and many, many attempts to cleanse or paint the stone walls.
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| Our tour of Elmina Castle |
It was a very moving experience and I found my self totally struck by the history of this castle. In all, it was another very interesting day in Ghana.
Hey Jo, looks absolutely amazing. Glad to see you well. We'll keep on reading.... you keep on posting!!! The Tiernans
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