Wli Waterfalls

Making the trip Wli waterfalls (pronounced Vli) was so annoying for us ladies as we had epic car problems. However, it does make for a good story to share. Let’s walk down memory lane.

I stayed in Kajebi, a small town in the Northern part of Volta region in Ghana, West Africa. For those of you who don’t know, I had recently moved to Ghana to do International development work. To immerse myself in the culture, I did what most people who reside in the cosmopolitan city of Accra do on long weekend, leave town. A fellow coworker by the name of Mel resides in Kajebi, who comes to Accra often and I decided to check out her place and also go to Wli waterfalls . Mel’s coworkers decided to tag along to the falls as they have knew the directions to Wli.
On our way to the major town Hohoe, our was car steaming half way as we approached a gas station and a police barricade. The gas attendant alongside a passerby helped out by throwing water on breaks to let it cool down. Do not ask me how it works but it worked like magic.

Next, as we entered Hohoe, due to a language barriers, as Mel and I spoke English and the ladies speak Ewe, a indigenous language in the Volta region in Ghana,we got lost. We took a short stop to ask for directions but as we stopped another passerby seen that our tire was flat. How annoying and how did this happen? We met a kind man who took our flat spare tire drove it to the nearest mechanic, came back and installed the tire for us with limited tools. Let me tell you, you will always meet men who are open and willing to help you in anything from car troubles to directions. Of course, we tipped him for his voluntarily service.
Once again, we are back on the road and enroute to Wli waterfalls. Once arrived, we collected our food and bathing suits from the car of trouble and made our trek through the forest. It is about a 30-45 minute trek through the forest but you will encounter ravines and flowers that are stunning. The best thing of this group I was apart of was that we laughed, danced, took shots along this trek. It does not get any better!

Once arrived, we realized how busy it was with locals, particularly young boys. We got undressed and jumped into the water and made it our mission to get under the pressure of the water fall.

Surrounding us were young boys, scouting women in a disrespectful manner. As I would get closer to the fall, men would grab my buttocks and breast. The amount of insults I had to give was very exhausting, Luckily for us ladies, a few male friends were at the falls that day and were advocating for our safety while in water. While under the water, men were dancing and singing and I had asked “Why the hype?” Our friend had let us know, the more we sang, the harder the water pressure, so I decided to join in the fun. As we got under the falls, it got worse as they knew the force of the water would also make us vulnerable and it did. I decided to walk back near the shallow end of the pool escorted by one of our friends for safety. To be honest, it is really sad that I had to be escorted and protect my body from young boys. But I digress.
Laying in the water, observing locals enjoy themselves even though the men were savages did not take away the beauty in Ghanaians participate in tourism activities. I really do not see or hear other Ghanaians telling me about their experiences to the tourist sites many foreigners partake in but coming that weekend assured me that Ghanaians enjoy too.
We headed back to where our belongings were, ate our banku alongside some more shots, got dressed in our dry clothing and headed back to our cars. The beauty that Wli waterfalls had on us was intimate from the treks, to feeling the pressure of the falls, to witnessing bats flying in the middle of the day. It is an attraction I highly recommend for those coming to Ghana.
As we were entering Hohoe, guess what folks? You probably guessed right, our car broke down yet again. This time it was dark and a few men came to helped, Mel called a friend to pick us up and to get us to a hotel because at this point we came to the conclusion this car was sent from the devil himself. So you can keep it and we can move on with our lives. A mechanic came by and told us, it no longer worked because we need a new radiator. We left it for overnight with the mechanic and made our way to the hotel. I stayed a few hours in the hotel and caught the earliest tro tro back to Accra. Wli waterfalls is an attraction I recommend as it is one of the largest falls in West Africa. Therefore, an extra reason to visit a country I call home.