Waterfalls and Rainforest

I made a trip to the Volta Region of Ghana twice. It is so beautiful and everywhere is lush green. The area has many waterfalls and high peaks. The walk to Wli Waterfall takes about an hour, depending how often you stop to photograph your surroundings. We saw coco pods growing and tasted the sweetness around the beans inside, a long way from chocolate at this stage!

Having crossed over the river 9 times on our walk, we reached the impressive falls, the highest in Ghana. They descend twice in upper and lower falls. This place attracts Ghanaian visitors too and some feel the need to get into the water. I imagine the hour long walk back was uncomfortable!

We needed to take care walking through the forest as serious looking ant trails ran across our path intermittently. If they get on your shoes they quickly climb up and can bite painfully. The guide showed us a troop of soldier ants in pairs returning from battle, each one with a dead termite in its mouth. Scouts ran around protecting them and some brought up the rear of the line to ensure no stragglers were lost. This was amazingly organised. The ants would be returning to their chief to show their spoils of war. How fascinating!

We walked a lot in forests this holiday and learned a great deal about the life there. Beautiful butterflies were everywhere but were extremely camera shy. Birds were less obvious but audible and the undergrowth seemed to be growing around us visibly.