Bunso Arboretum

Bunso Eco Park, formerly Bunso Arboretum, is an ecotourism site and botanical garden in the Abuakwa South Municipality of Ghana's Eastern Region. It lies south of the town of Bunso, on the Bunso–Nsutem Road, roughly two hours from Accra. The 40-acre forest reserve was leased to a mining firm in the early 20th century and used by the African Products Department for rubber and cocoa plantations from 1917. Two British nationals, Frank Thompson and David Gillet, opened the arboretum in 1935 and built a guest house there. It was later handed to the CSIR Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute as a research facility, and in 2019 the government, private partners and the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council opened it as a tourist facility.

The site's draw is its living collection. It holds over 600 tree species used medicinally, including Garcinia kola (twepea), alongside more than 110 bird species, 30 butterfly species and a herb garden with over 40 species. Guided tours cover native and exotic plants and their medicinal properties, indigenous foods, and nearby village life and cocoa farming.

Built visitor features include Ghana's second canopy walkway, after Kakum, plus a separate children's canopy walkway, a butterfly and bird sanctuary, a 50-metre zipline reached via a suspended rope walkway, horse riding with two horses, an adult swing, children's playgrounds and a swimming pool. The operator also lists picnic areas, a bamboo cathedral, forest hiking trails and a mobile app for booking.

Practical planning is straightforward but incomplete. The park sits about 4.1 km from Bunso junction (Linda Dor) on the Accra–Kumasi road; one reference places the arboretum 3 km off that junction. Contact details are published at bunsoecopark.com, with email [email protected] and several phone numbers, including a WhatsApp line. Opening hours, ticket prices and whether food, shopping or lodging are available on site are not confirmed by the sources reviewed, so visitors should check directly before travelling.