Digya National Park

Digya is the second largest national park in Ghana, some three and a half thousand square kilometres of savanna woodland, grassland and riverine forest on a peninsula reaching into Lake Volta, and it is among the least visited protected areas in the country. Elephants are present, along with buffalo, roan antelope, kob and several primate species, and the lake shore holds the West African manatee, an animal almost never seen anywhere. Access is the difficulty: tracks in are poor and often impassable, and boat approach across the lake is the more reliable route. Facilities inside are essentially nonexistent, so visiting means camping with a park guide and carrying everything.

What you actually see

• Lake shore - the Volta shoreline forming the park's eastern boundary.
• Savanna woodland - the wooded grassland covering most of the park.
• Elephants and antelope - the large mammals of the interior.
• Riverine forest - the gallery woodland along the watercourses.

When to go

December to April in the dry season, when tracks are passable and wildlife concentrates near water. The rains make land access impossible. Early morning and evening are the wildlife hours.

Honest expectations

There is effectively no visitor infrastructure: no lodges, no supplies, no marked trails, and camping with a guide is the only option. Access requires a boat or a serious four-wheel drive. Wildlife is skittish and sightings are unreliable. Illegal settlement and grazing pressure affect parts of the park.

Nearby

Atebubu lies west; Lake Volta surrounds the peninsula.