We made an early start to the day, had some breakfast and took advantage of the fact that there was a washing machine, and put a load on. We then left and walked round the corner to the park office, where we paid to visit the falls. We then set off up the path toward the falls, which runs through the dense rainforest. Along the way we spotted many different types of colour butterfly’s and insects and crossed the river coming from the falls 9 times using the footbridge. It did not take us long to search the falls, which you can hear before you can see them. As the track opens out into a clearing at the base of the falls you have an impressive view of the lower falls. The water much falls some 50-60m into the large pool at the bottom. After taking a few photos of the falls and the massive collection of bats on the nearby cliff, I could not resist the temptation to go for a swim. So I left my stuff with Verena and waded into the water. It was a little chilly at first but I soon got used to it and swam across to where the water landed into the pool. I edge my way under the falling water, which was like having a high-pressure hose fired at you and stung slightly with the impact. So I didn’t stay long and swam back out into the pool. It was lovely just to float around for a while taking it all in. As it not every day you go swimming in tropical waterfalls surrounded by rainforest. I climbed out of the water dried off and put my gear back on, and then we started the walk back down. Along the way we took a detour up a nearby path to try and get a better view of the upper falls. Verena was not too impressed with the thick under growth along the path and so left me to continue to the top along. I managed to get a glimpse of the upper falls the treetops, but there was no clear view of both the upper and lower falls together to get a picture. So I returned down the path and rejoined Verena on the main path back. We were soon back at the lodge were we rested for a while before returning into the village to get some shopping. Once back at the lodge we made some lunch and got chatting to some visitors that had come to see the place. They where a father and his two daughters all of which had extensively travelled Africa, and so were very interested in my trip and the route I planned to take. Because of the rough piste on the way to Wli Falls I gave the Landy a check over and in the process found that I was missing the rear bump stop rubbers. Which had been smashed off in a large bump some where along our way. I then spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening reading only stopping to have some dinner. Later the evening we got chatting to Sabina and Bernard again and it was late by the time we said goodnight.
After a relaxed breakfast from the lodge, with real coffee which Verena enjoyed, I spent the morning working on website stuff and managed to finish an update. I then grabbed a snack for lunch, and we went with Sabina and Bernard into Hoehoe using there car. It was a rough ride in the back as most of the way is piste. Once there we went with Sabina round the shops and to the bank, and met up with Bernard later to go to the main market. Where we spent quite some time wondering round doing food shopping. The last stop before leaving town was at the internet café. But it was really slow and expensive and so we didn’t stay any longer than to just read our mail. We then all went back to Wli Falls Lodge and by this time it was late afternoon. Me and Verena then made dinner and spent the rest of the evening drinking and chatting with Sabina and Bernard until it was late.
We got up early and got ready to leave in quick time. After saying our goodbyes to the owners and swapping contact details, we left Wli Falls Lodge and headed south along the piste. We passed through many small villages and even went to look for a piste, which we had been told about and that was supposed to cross the mountaintops. But when we got to the last village before the turn off, the locals said that the piste was no longer passable. So we had to back track to the previous village where we could continue round the mountains instead. With some careful navigation we found our way to the village of Houta and the border crossing with Togo. We checked with the police that it was possible to get the Togo visa issued at this border crossing. They reassured us it was no problem, and so we went through the formalities on the Ghana side. Once done we crossed the border and had to drive quite some way before coming across the police checkpoint. There they checked our papers and took down the details. It was not until further down the road did we come across the immigration police where we could get the visa and go to the customs to get the carnet stamped. The visa cost us 10,000 CFA each and once all the papers were stamped we were free to go where we liked. We first headed into the closest town of Kpalime, and spent some time looking for somewhere to buy a map of Togo, but with no luck. We then decided to drive north to a town called Adete, and from there look for a monastery which we where told you could camp at. It was straight forward driving to Adete and I only needed to dodge the odd pot hole. Once there we asked the locals for directions and then left westward to climb into the mountains. Not far down the road we ran into a French family who were also going to the monastery and knew the way. So we followed them to the place. Once there we checked that it was possible to camp and they showed us where we could set up and the facilities we could use. By this time it was late afternoon so we set camp and relaxed for a bit with a cup of tea, before making dinner. We spent the evening hiding in the roof tent from the mosquitoes, while playing board games, before falling asleep.
We were up and about with the light, and where soon ready to leave. We left the monastery and headed back along the road to Adete. Once there we turned northeast and followed the road all the way to Atakpame. There was tared road all the way but there was also plenty of potholes to dodge, so we couldn’t go that fast. Once there we stopped at the first bank we saw and changed some euros into CFA. After which we went around the nearby market stocking up on supplies. We then went on the hunt for a map of Togo and a local guy kindly showed us the way to the bookshop. They indeed had one and so after a quick inspection we bought it. Armed with our new map we looked at the options of where to go next. We decided that we would have to go very far north to see anything else of particular interest and then we would have to back track on our selves to return south. So we felt that was not a worthwhile thing and decided to head for a set of waterfalls near Badou. It took us the rest of the morning to drive to Badou and once there we started to look around at the options for accommodation. It was soon evident that there was not a great choice and of the places we looked at, they where expensive for what they where. It’s at time like that when I think of other travellers who may have spent many hour on a hot and sticky Tro-tro and find that they have to put up with the crap that they find. That’s when I feel lucky that I can just drive on. We then left Bodou and found the turning to follow the road to the village near the falls. After going a bit to far, as the maps we had didn’t add up, we arrived in the correct village. We where hoping to find some place to stay in the village but we didn’t see any signs for anything. Unfortunately Verena was feeling not to great and we decided that it was not a good idea to do the hike to the falls. So again we turned to the guide books and maps to see what our options where. Through one thing and another we knew that there was supposed to be a piste that left the main road east of and not far outside of Badou that would take us back toward the monastery. Sure enough we found the junction at which there was a crumbling concrete triangle with faded directions on it. We had a lunch there and then set of down the piste. It was rough in places and but looked liked it was used. Along the way we stopped to take some pictures of the countryside below. As the piste snaked its was around the mountain tops in the southerly direction, which gave some great views. Whilst negotiating a set of wash out I managed to stall the engine and as the Landy came to rest it slid sideways into the trench. As I tried to pull away again I found that the Landy was now resting on the axles and not the wheels. So we had to use the high lift jack to lift the Landy so we could place stones under the wheels to regain the ground clearance. After a couple of attempts we managed to break free and were on our way, a bit wetter and a bit muddier. As we continued on our way we passed a couple of small villages and as we progressed the piste got narrower and less well used. To the point where the bushes were being pushed aside by the Landy and then running down both sides. At this point we were keeping our fingers crossed that the piste was still passable and had not be reclaimed totally by the forest at some point. As afternoon turned into evening we were still on the piste and with on clear idea of when it would return to the road. So as the light was fading we started to look for a place to stay the night. We managed to find a siding on the corner of the piste so we parked up and made some dinner. As no one seamed to be around we set camp and climbed into the roof tent. Before we fell asleep a few locals cam wondering past but didn’t stop to bother us and continued along their way. We quickly fell asleep listening to the strange and loud noises of the rainforest.
We got up at 05:30 just as the light was coming up and packed the roof tent away. As we wanted to have it closed up before we got any possible hassle from the locals. Then we had breakfast during which we saw no one. We the continued along the piste and eventually rejoined the tar road after passing through a couple large villages and junction points. We then passed the monastery and carried on to Adete, where we stopped to fill up on fuel. We then followed the main road going south to Lome and along the way passing through Kpalime again. The road from Kpalime to Lome was generally good tarmac and so we could get up to cursing speed for most of the way there. As it was Sunday when we entered Lome there was not a lot of traffic about, and we soon found our way down to the coastal road. There we turned east and headed out of town to find the two options for camping that were listed in the Lonely Planet. Both of the places were beach resorts but were to pricey for what they were. As I think both places had seen better days. We decided to carry on east and see what we could find. Sure enough only a couple of K down the main road we spotted the sign for camping at a place called Chez Alice. We went in a checked that it was OK to stay and they showed us a second compound closer to the beach where we could camp. So we moved the Landy round to the second compound. As it was a hot day we got our swimming gear on and walked the short distance to the beach and went for a swim in the sea. Even through they had put a breakwater all the way along the beach the currents were still very strong. So you couldn’t really swim just jump about in the wave and get wet. We then walk along the beach for a short way and sat and relaxed for a while, chatting the rest of afternoon away. We then returned the compound and set camp for the night. We made dinner and then went round to the main compound to have a drink and listen to the live music, until we went to bed.
We had some breakfast and then I checked over the Landy as changing gear the day before had seamed quite hard. But the oil level was good and there was no problem now. We packed up and left Chez Alice and headed back along the coast toward Lome. We had spotted an internet café the day before and stopped there to check our mail. The connection was slow and so after an hour of not being able to do much we left. During our time there though we met a German made who was also overlanding and we arrange to meet him after. This we did and it turned out that his wife had been taken ill and she had been flown back to Germany. I explained my situation and it looked possible that we might be able to drive on together. So we swamped contact details and before we left he told us of this nice place he was camping at called Mystic Lake. So we followed the coastal road east and after a bit of looking around we managed to find the place he was talking about. Indeed it was a nice spot, and was set up for people to come there at the weekend to enjoy the lake. But being mid week it was quiet. We check it was OK to camp and told the guard we would come back later to stay the night. We then continued along the coast road east to the old colonial town of Aneho. Where we stopped and had a look around and done a little shopping. The place was really run down and it looked like no one cared if the building stood or fell down and we found it hard to find any charm in the place. We then went down the beach front, which in fact had a nice stretch of beach edged with palm trees, and had lunch. As we still had half a day to do something with, we decided to drive a loop around the area on the north side of the lake, which included passing through Togoville. We then returned to Mystic Lake and set camp for the evening and shortly after we arrived the German guy, Henry, we had met earlier in the day came back. We sat and had a glass of wine and chatted together until the light had faded. Then he left to go back into town and we had some dinner. We spent the evening relaxing in the roof tent reading until we went to bed.
We got ready and said goodbye to Henry and left Mystic Lake. We then headed back along the coast road westward and on to Lome. Once therewe made our way to the border crossing and it took us around an hour of running around from office to office to get all the papers stamped. But soon enough we were back in Ghana. We left Aflao and soon turned off the main road and drove along the coast to Keta. The scenery in the area was very different to want I had seen before in Ghana. In some places in was desert like with wide expanses of sand and little vegetation. Once in Keta we drove around and found a gas refilling station. I popped in and checked to see if they could refill my campgaz bottle. Indeed they could and they done it right then and there for a good price. We continued on through the own centre and made our way to the beach front and Keta Fort. The Fort is in ruin now, as most of the damaged was caused when the sea flooded the whole town during a massive storm. We then stopped on one of their breakwater and had lunch. The views in both directions where great, with golden sands sinking into clear blue sea. We then continued along the coast road passing through many villages along the way. When we came to an open stretch of beach we stopped and I went for a swim in the big waves. We then decided that we would continue on to Prampram and look for somewhere to stay there. It was a couple of hours drive there and it was late afternoon by the time we arrived. We found a beach resort called Common ic, and we asked if we could camp there. They were fine with it, so we bought a drink and sat chatting a watching the sea. We then set camp and made dinner. We got quite a lot of interest from the guy who worked at the place and they wanted to know all about us an where we had been. After dinner we sat drinking our wine for a while and then retreated into the roof tent and went to bed after a long day of driving.
We had breakfast, packed away the gear, and left Common-ic. After returning to the main coastal road we headed into Tema. We ended up driving round for a bit as we didn’t have a map of the town, and so it took us a while to find the town centre. Once there we soon found an internet café and parked up outside. We spent an hour there check and replaying to e-mail before leaving Tema and taking the main road north toward Akosombo and Lake Volta. We arrived at Aylos Bay before lunch and after checking it was OK to stay we set up camp. We then got on with some washing and after I had finished my lot I went for a swim in the river, while Verena done hers. I then jumped in the shower, which was nice for a change as it had decent pressure. We then sat down together and had a nice relaxed lunch and chilled out for a bit. Mid afternoon I went shopping for a few things and whilst I was walking back it decided to chuck it down with rain. By the time I had walked the short distance back to Aylos Bay I was soaked through, and I found Verena sheltering in the Landy. The rain eventually gave up and not taking any chances we decided to have dinner in the restaurant. Verena was still not feeling to great but still managed to eat a decent dinner, after which we retired to the roof tent.
After a relaxed breakfast I spent a while doing a few odd jobs on the Landy. We then spent the rest of the morning just chilling and chatting, during which we ended up stuffing the other have of a water melon we had. I then went for the short walk into Senchi to get some bread for lunch, while Verena made the filling. After lunch we decided to hire one of the Pirogues they had and went for a paddle further up the river. The current was very slow moving and so it wasn’t a problem to paddle up river. The views along the way were great and you really got the feeling you were paddle along some jungle river as you could not see a lot of settlements from the water. After around an hour we turned back and it only took us half an hour to do the return journey. I then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in one of the hammocks and reading. Verena was still feeling rough and so I just made dinner for my self. I then spent a while updating the mileage, fuel and campsite logs for the website, before joining Verena in the roof tent.
After breakfast we slowly packed up, paid and left Aylos Bay. We then headed down the main toward Accra, passing through Somanya and Aburi along the way. We entered Accra near the airport but as we dew closer to the ring road I took a wrong turning and we got temporally lost round some side street until we found our way to Danquah Circle and Koala supermarket. Where we stopped and done some shopping, spoiling our selves by buy cheese and French bread. Which we had for lunch once we were at Kuku Cottage. We spent the afternoon wandering around finding the DHL and UPS offices and doing a bit more shopping. As we were out already we stopped at one of the fast food places and got a big pizza for dinner. After which we wandered back to Kuku Cottage and along the way stopped for a beer at Duncan’s bar.