Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary

The Wechiau sanctuary runs for around forty kilometres along the Black Volta, which forms the border with Burkina Faso here, and it was established in 1998 by the Wechiau chiefs and twenty communities to protect one of only two hippopotamus populations left in Ghana. It is a community project rather than a state park: revenue goes to the villages, guides are local, and farming continues within the zone under agreed rules. Hippos are watched from dugout canoes paddled along the river, best in the dry season when the water is low and the animals concentrate in pools. Riverine forest, baobabs and birds fill the rest of the visit, and a hippo hide and simple lodgings are provided.

What you actually see

• Hippos in the river - the pods watched from canoes in the dry season.
• The Black Volta - the border river and its riverine forest.
• Community villages - the settlements running the sanctuary.
• Birds and baobabs - the savanna woodland along the banks.

When to go

December to April, when water levels drop and hippos concentrate in visible pools; sightings are far less likely in the rains when the animals disperse. Early morning and late afternoon are best. Mid-day heat is severe.

Honest expectations

Hippo sightings are not guaranteed and depend heavily on water levels. Canoes are dugouts, low and unstable, and hippos are dangerous animals. Accommodation is very basic, either the hippo hide or village rooms. Wa is a long journey from the south.

Nearby

Wa lies northeast; the Burkina Faso border is across the river.