Ada Foah

Ada Foah stands where the Volta reaches the sea after its long course from the north, and the geography is the attraction: a narrow sandspit runs between the wide brown river and the open Atlantic, so that a short walk crosses from calm water to surf. Boats run from the town out to the estuary islands and up the river, past mangroves and fishing villages, and turtles nest on the ocean side between roughly November and March. Lodges sit along the spit, some reachable only by boat. The town itself has faded colonial-era buildings from its trading days. Ada is also the site of the annual Asafotufiami festival, when the traditional militia companies parade.

History

Danish traders set up a post at Ada in 1775, and from 1783 they built Fort Kongenstein, from which the name Foah comes, a fort used in the Atlantic slave trade, through which Ada people were shipped to the Americas; the English bought it on 15 March 1850, and only traces of it remain, much of it washed into the sea. After the slave trade ended the Dangme traded palm oil, palm kernels and rubber from the forests, and with warehouses by the shore and the Volta giving quick transport north, Ada was a major trading centre (Wikipedia, Ada Foah).

Highlights

• The estuary - the Volta meeting the sea at the sandspit.
• The spit lodges - accommodation between river and ocean.
• Boat trips - the runs to the estuary islands and upriver.
• Turtle nesting - the ocean beach in the nesting months.

When to go

November to March for the dry season, which is also the turtle nesting period. The Asafotufiami festival falls in late July or early August. Weekends bring visitors from Accra and fill the lodges.

Good to know

The ocean side has strong currents and is not safe for casual swimming. Boat fares are negotiated and vary considerably. Some lodges are reachable only by boat, which complicates arrivals. Erosion has taken parts of the spit.

Nearby

Keta and its lagoon lie east; Accra is west.

Key facts