One of my most memorable hikes has been along the borderline of Ghana and Togo. Before setting out we, a franco-german group of four, drove to a german couples guesthouse, which is located very close to the border on the ghanaian side, and spent the night there. Very early, in the wee hours of the morning, we set out in darkness to climb the ridge that runs along the border in a north-southerly direction. Hiking through the jungle and up the hill approximately 1,200 feet (ca. 400 m) would be wisely done before the heat of the day sets in. I absolutely cannot remember wether we had the guide from the beginning or if he joined us later in the morning. We had asked for and gotten precise directions from Bernhard, the guesthouse host, and I´m quite sure that we left by ourselves. Very often, when venturing into the country by oneself, total strangers appear from the bush and offer their services. And I´m talking about regions void of tourism. Ghanaians are the most friendly and helpful people around, and in return they ask of nothing but a smile and a handshake (in most cases that is, excluding places like Fort Elmina for instance). 

Crossing a small river, one of the first obstacles.

Jungle path.

Vitamins for the way.

The first stop. Even though this is a Ghanaian village, it is cut off from Ghanaian infrastructure

and can only be reached via a road from Togo, or the way we came, by foot.

The elders were busy sorting some kind of business, but we were welcome to rest anyway.

Coffee, a very important crop along the border. At times we didn´t know for sure wether

we were in Ghana or Togo, as we heard both english and french along the way.

The second village. A Ghanaian village as could be seen by the english vocabulary on the

blackboard of the makeshift classroom.

Our guide to be. The machete is the african version of a swiss pocket knife.

Shy onlooker.

We were welcomed by the chiefs.

Preparing fufu, a core of Ghanaian dishes. In most cases it is made from either

cassava or sweet potato.

Our third stop was a farm in the middle of the jungle. Apart from the kids, no one seemed to be home.

This was the point at which our guide had to leave us. He gave us vague directions

which would eventually lead us down the mountain.

After an arduous hike through the jungle on the way down, on which we got lost for some time

before finding the right track, we were more than happy to have found

the road and this astonished young man.

See more pics of the hike