Amansuri Wetland

The Amansuri Wetland is a blackwater wetland system in the Jomoro Municipality of Ghana's Western Region, near Beyin and roughly 90 km west of Takoradi. It takes in the freshwater Amansuri lagoon — with the stilt village of Nzulezo (also written Nzulenso) built over the water — the flood-plains of the Amansuri river, the coastal lagoon and estuary, and sandy Esiama beach between the Amansuri and Ankobra rivers. Together these cover about 40% of the Amansuri river catchment, from sea level to about 30 m elevation.

The vegetation is Wet Evergreen Forest, with swamp-forest in the wetter parts. The most common swamp tree is the Raffia Palm (Raphia vinifera), which grows here in almost pure stands. The site is described as the largest stand of intact swamp-forest in Ghana and the largest inland swamp forest in Ghana. It is a confirmed Key Biodiversity Area, last assessed in 2015, and is noted for waterbirds, including Haematopus ostralegus — the only coastal site in Ghana where that species is seen with any frequency.

For a visitor, the wetland is primarily a boat experience and a community tourism destination. The established visitor experience centres on a canoe trip along the wetland to the stilt village, with bird, monkey and other wildlife viewing and nature trails. Canoe trips are listed as running from 8 am to 5 pm, extended for guesthouse guests, and the ride is given as 45 minutes to about an hour. Lifejackets are reported to be provided.

Tourism activity in the wetland began around 2000. The Nzulezo Village Amansuri Conservation and Integrated Development (ACID) Project functions under the Ghana Wildlife Society and the Ghana Tourism Authority. The operator is the Nzulezo Stilt Village Tourism Project / Nzulezo Tourist Information Centre, with a reception centre and ticket office in Beyin on the mainland. Contact details published by the operator are phone 0244606762, WhatsApp +233244606762, email [email protected], and postal address P.O. Box 1, Beyin/Nzulezo, Jomoro Municipality, Western Nzema, Beyin, Western Region 00233, Ghana.

The area is subject to seasonal flooding, and much of the terrain is difficult to access, which has left large areas largely untouched. The coordinates recorded for the wetland are feature coordinates for the wetland itself, not a visitor entrance.