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Our first stop was Butre, Ghana, where we stayed at a hotel called ‘The Hideout’, which earned its name. It is the only hotel on the cove of Butre, and houses no more than 30 people. We were the only people there for the first few days. In order to get to the hotel, you have to walk through the nearby fishing village, and then cross a rickety wooden bridge.
Each morning, I would get up early, watch the sun rise, and then head into the local village. I think this would be a rude awakening for most Americans. You are at a vacation resort on beautiful beaches, then cross the bridge into the village where you can see true poverty. I enjoyed it through. I would eat breakfast in the village each morning, and got to meet some nice people and see some interesting things. My favorite part was going in the morning to the beaches when the fishing boats arrive. All the women from the village come to the beach and haggle for fish. There are hundreds of fish; from small, minnow-sized fish to humungous ones (I even saw one dolphin!).
Looking down on Butre is Fort Batenstein, which was built in the 1600’s by the Dutch West Indian Trading Company. The locals are quick to say that this was never a slave fort because Butre didn’t support slavery, but it was used a base for the company. It housed the company’s workers and they stored their supplies there.
A 30 minute hike through the forest leads you to Busua, which is a bigger, and more touristy town. There were several hotels here, gift shops, and a lot of restaurant options. It was fun to see, but I would prefer Butre to Busua anyday.
Busua is known for their huge waves and attracts surfers from around the world. It was actually used to shoot many surfing movies. At about 5pm everyday, you would see all the surfers from the town (locals and tourists alike) head into the ocean in masses with their surfboards. I saw a few people get eaten alive by the waves, but was I was also impressed when watching some of the most experience surfers. It was truly like watching a surf scene out of a movie.
Busua was a town full of interesting people from around the world. There were so many people there who were backpacking across Africa, then ended up loving Busua so much that they just stayed there. There were a few who were there for a few weeks, and one Irishman who was turned a 3 day vacation into a 6 month vacation.
About a 15 minute walk from Busua is Dixcove. This is a pretty big fishing town, but definitely not a tourist spot due to the rock beaches and overall uncleanliness of the town and beaches. Dixcove is the home of a huge, white, abandoned fort, which was the most attacked fort in Ghana during the colonial times. I tried to go up and explore it a little bit, but was only harassed by kids asking for money.
Overall, this was a great vacation, and an excellent break from the landlocked Burkina. I am planning on going back to Ghana, and exploring even more.
