Paga Crocodile Pond

Paga Crocodile Pond, also known as Zenga Crocodile Pond or the Chief's Pond, is a sacred pond in Paga in the Kasena Nankana West District of Ghana's Upper East Region. It is a cultural site and community tourism project as much as a wildlife one: the pond is home to wild West African crocodiles that have become habituated to people, and local tradition holds that the animals are totems in which the souls of Paga's people reside. Killing or eating crocodiles is taboo here.

Visits are arranged on site, where guides call the crocodiles to the shore by whistling. Visitors may touch a crocodile, sit on it, or hold its tail and take photographs, often after the guide has fed it a chicken. Chickens can be bought at the pond for feeding. A summer hut near the sacred pond is where tours are arranged.

Beyond the pond, the site functions as a gateway to Paga's wider cultural life. Village tours and guided visits to the chief's compound can be arranged, and a local cultural group performs evening drumming and dancing when booked in advance. Homestay accommodation and food from local chop bars can also be arranged through the visitor centre, and camping is possible. Hotels are available in Navrongo, about 8 km away, and in Bolgatanga.

The pond sits roughly 44 km from Bolgatanga, the regional capital, in a town that has served as a trade centre near the Burkina Faso border for centuries. Opening hours are listed as 6 am to 6 pm daily. By road, the usual approach is 18 km northwest from Bolgatanga to Navrongo, then a right turn at the junction near the prison and about 9 km onward to signs for the site on the main road, followed by a right turn down a rough dirt track toward the pond. Taxis from the main transport station in Bolgatanga, behind SG Bank, are another option.

The site depends on tourism to keep the crocodiles fed, so visitor numbers and bookings have a direct bearing on the animals' care. Facilities such as toilets, shops, and drinking water are not documented in the sources reviewed, so visitors should plan accordingly.