Lake Volta

When the Volta was dammed at Akosombo in the 1960s, the water backed up to create the largest reservoir in the world by surface area, covering a huge stretch of eastern Ghana. It reshaped the country: it generates a large share of Ghana's electricity, displaced tens of thousands of people, and created a north-south transport route where a ferry still runs for days between Akosombo and Yeji. Around the southern end, boat cruises leave from Akosombo past forested shorelines and island villages, and the Volta region east of the lake holds waterfalls, mountains and some of the friendliest travelling in West Africa.

History

The dam that made the lake was first imagined in 1915 by the geologist Albert Ernest Kitson, to power the smelting of local bauxite. The idea came back after the Second World War; its first industrial backer, Aluminium Limited, withdrew after independence in 1957, and Kaiser Aluminum joined a revised plan to smelt imported bauxite instead. Building began before resettlement was planned, and the move of 1964 was chaotic: some 15,000 homes in 740 villages went under the water, 78,000 people had to be resettled, and 52 new towns were built for them. The lake upset old ways of fishing and farming and brought more water-borne disease, but it also opened a navigable route to the north and new chances for fishing and tourism; it is the largest artificial reservoir in the world by surface area (Wikipedia, Lake Volta).

What you'll find

• Akosombo dam - the structure that created the lake and powers the country.
• Lake cruises - boat trips from Akosombo past shoreline villages.
• The Yeji ferry - the multi-day passenger boat north along the lake.
• Volta region excursions - Wli waterfall and the Avatime hills to the east.

When to go

The dry season from November to March gives the calmest weather and easiest roads. The lake is warm year round. Ferry schedules are irregular and change with water levels and maintenance, so confirm locally rather than online.

Practical notes

The ferry is a genuine local transport experience rather than a tourist cruise - basic conditions, uncertain timings and long waits are part of it. Bilharzia is present in the lake, so swimming is not advised. Some shoreline communities have complicated histories with the flooding and with child labour in fishing, which responsible operators address rather than ignore. Roads in the Volta region are variable.

Nearby

Wli waterfall, Mount Afadja and the Volta region hills; Accra is two hours south-west.

Key facts