How to get to Kakum National Park

About Kakum National Park

Kakum began as a forest reserve in 1931 and wasn't formally protected as a national park until 1992, after local communities pushed for conservation over logging. Its rainforest canopy is crossed by a rope-and-plank walkway suspended roughly 40 metres up, stretching 350 metres across seven treetop platforms — built in the early 1990s and still one of only a handful of true canopy walkways anywhere in Africa. Beneath it live forest elephants, Diana monkeys, and giant bongo antelope, alongside more than 250 recorded bird species and over 600 kinds of butterflies.

Getting there

Kakum's visitor centre is at Abrafo, roughly 30 km north of Cape Coast on the road towards Twifo Praso. From Accra, follow the coast road (N1) west to Cape Coast, then turn inland.

Many visitors combine Kakum with Cape Coast and Elmina castles on the same trip, staying a night in Cape Coast or Elmina.

For live, turn-by-turn directions from wherever you are — by car, trotro, motorbike, bicycle or on foot — open Kakum National Park on the Lincoln Navigation map. It also shows the weather there and any road hazards reported along the way.

Before you go

• Go early in the morning: it's cooler, the forest is at its liveliest and queues for the walkway are shorter.
• Wear shoes with grip — the walkway and the path up to it can be slippery after rain.
• Fees and tour times are set at the visitor centre; check there when you arrive.