Avu Lagoon

Avu Lagoon, also known as Xavi, is a freshwater wetland in the lower Volta Region of south-east Ghana, lying between the Aflao Road and the Atlantic Ocean. The marsh centres on a shallow freshwater lagoon roughly 10 to 12 kilometres around, with surrounding streams, rivers and aquatic vegetation. It forms part of the larger Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar site, designated in 1992, whose management responsibility is shared between the Wildlife Division, the Environmental Protection Agency and local district assemblies.

The wetland is a community-protected area and a CREMA, conserving Ghana's only remaining population of the sitatunga, the world's only aquatic antelope. The species was once believed extinct in Ghana until it was rediscovered in 1998. The permanently flooded lagoon, about 2.8 square kilometres, is ringed by largely impenetrable, permanently or seasonally flooded habitat densely vegetated with marshy grasses and fig trees (Ficus species), sometimes seasonally cultivated for sugar cane. Birdlife includes numerous water-dwelling species, and reptiles and small mammals may also be seen.

Visitors can expect guided canoe and river tours along the Lotor River, a canoe safari through a flooded fig forest, a baobab tree grove with a nearby summer hut, and two sitatunga viewing platforms. A visitor centre arranges river tours and has a small craft shop. Home-stay accommodation is available with showers, flush toilets, fans, lights and sheets, though no towels; meals are prepared by community cooks, and liquid refreshments are available in the village.

The area is community-governed. Conservation work is supported by the Wilder Institute, the Wildlife Division of Ghana's Forestry Commission and partners across 17 communities, whose farming and fishing activities are directly affected by resource management measures. The CREMA project is a partnership involving the Wildlife Division, Calgary Zoo, Avu Lagoon CREMA and The Development Institute; in 2006, 15 communities in the Avu Lagoon Enclave initiated the community protected area to safeguard the sitatunga.

Published opening hours are 8 am to 5 pm daily. From the main Accra road, watch for Avu Lagoon ecotourism project signs at Dabala junction, turn right and drive to Dabala, then follow signs to Tosukpo, where the welcome sign and tour guides are. Alternatively, from the main Accra–Aflao road at Akatsi, turn right onto the dirt road and follow signs for 18 km, about 20 minutes, to the visitor centre at the entrance to the village. Trotros run from Accra and Ho, and local taxis are available from Akatsi market. Contact details published by Visit Ghana are Avu Lagoon Ecotourism Project, P.O. Box 6, Akatsi, Volta Region, and phone 024-2015329.