Elephants in Mole National Park

On our second weekend we took the chance to go way off the beaten track to Mole National Park, a large park in north-western Ghana known for its wild elephant population.  To get there it was a bumpy and looooong drive along terrible roads with our Ghana Health Service driver Donku at the wheel.

A dirt road in the middle of nowhere, Ghana.

We arrived in the evening to find the one hotel in the park full, but we eventually wangled a room out of them.  The next morning we woke up to find all sorts of fauna around the buildings – warthogs, babboons etc.  We took a guided walk through the savannah to see what we could see and saw many different kinds of antelope and kudu.  As we walked back towards the escarpment we passed one water hole and saw some small crocodiles.  In the distance we then saw the herd of elephants heading towards one of the water holes!  We walked towards the herd and managed to get as close as 20-30m to wild elephants!  What an experience!!

   
A couple of pics taken through Kirsten’s binoculars.

   
Taking a morning bath.                           “Working” by the swimming pool.

That afternoon we walked through the heat into the local town to see its one tourist attraction – the oldest mosque in Ghana.  The architecture was fascinating and it was constructed using a mud-and-pole technique.  Unfortunately we were not allowed to go inside.

    
Walking into town = very hot!                 The mosque.

Fascinating mud-and-pole architecture.

   
They must be little people…                   Back into the National Park.