Lake Bosomtwe

Lake Bosomtwe lies in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, about 30 km south-east of Kumasi, in a meteorite impact crater roughly one million years old. It is described as the only true inland natural lake in Ghana, with a surface area of about 49 sq km and a depth of roughly 70–73 m. The lake has no surface outlet; small streams tumble down steep crater sides that rise between 150 m and 425 m above the water. The tarred road from Kumasi climbs over the crater rim and descends to Abono, the first village reached by road and the most popular base for visitors.

The lake sits within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve nominated in 2016, one of six in Ghana, covering about 28,698 hectares. Its southernmost section overlaps the northern part of the Bosomtwe Range Forest Reserve, combining forest, wetland and mountain ecosystems. The reserve is recorded as sustaining 35 tree species and wildlife including tree pangolin, western green mamba and lesser spot-nosed monkey. Around 27 communities, mainly farming and fishing villages, ring the shoreline; UNESCO lists a total population of about 50,800.

For visitors, the appeal is both natural and cultural. Ashanti oral tradition holds that a hunter, Akora Bompe of Asamang, found the lake while chasing an antelope, giving the name Bosomtwe, and the lake remains sacred to Ashanti traditionalists, with the Abrodwum Stone at the lakeside regarded as its spiritual centre. Iron was traditionally taboo in the water, so fishermen use a wooden plank, the padua. Activities recorded around the lake include boat trips, swimming at resort areas, hiking crater-rim trails, birding, recreational fishing, canoeing and horseback riding at The Green Ranch. An information centre holds details on the lake and conservation, and boat trips can be arranged there, through guesthouses or freelance operators at Abono. Accommodation ranges from guesthouses to mid-range eco-resorts, and lakeside resorts serve Ghanaian and international dishes, including fresh tilapia and busumana lake fish with banku or jollof rice.

Practical details need checking before travel. Community entry at the checkpoint into the crater area has been reported at GH₵20 per head, and boat cruises at GH₵200–600 depending on privacy level and passenger numbers, but fee amounts are disputed between sources and should be confirmed on site. No dedicated phone or email for the lake visitor site was found; UNESCO lists the Water Resources Commission of Ghana as the site contact. The Bosomtwe District Assembly notes that infrastructural development around the lake is presently below standards.