The Big Tree

The Big Tree is a single giant tree of the species Tieghemella heckelii, known locally as Bako, standing inside the Esen Apam (also written Esen-Epam or Essen Apam) Forest Reserve in the Birim Central Municipal District of Ghana's Eastern Region. It is the reserve, not the tree alone, that forms the protected area; the tree is the named feature within it. The site lies at Asantemanso, near Akim Oda, roughly 22 km from Akim Oda along the Oda–Agona Swedru trunk road and about 300 m off that road.

The tree's scale is the main reason it is known. Government tourism material describes it as reputed to be the biggest accessible tree in West Africa, about 66.5 m tall and about 12 m in circumference. Other sources give a diameter of 396 cm and describe a thick grey bark and a cylindrical, longitudinally ridged trunk with bright pink slash. Reported height and girth figures do not agree across sources, so treat any single measurement as approximate. The tree is estimated at 350–400 years old, and its low natural regeneration rate is noted as a factor in its extinction risk.

For many visitors the tree is also a cultural and spiritual place rather than only a natural one. Accounts describe visitors performing prayers and sacrifices and leaving gifts, and local belief holds that its leaves and bark can heal the sick and help infertile women conceive. Government tourism listings categorise the site under nature, forest reserve, cultural site and heritage site, and an operator listing describes eco-tourism, cultural insight and spiritual significance.

Practical expectations should be modest. A 2005 Ghana News Agency report on a Ghana Tourist Board stakeholder workshop at Akim Oda discussed a land-use plan to develop the Big Tree site into a tourist attraction centre; the then District Chief Executive said the place was not developed but was visited by Ghanaians and foreigners, especially at weekends. Current facilities, opening hours, fees and guided arrangements are not established by the available sources, so visitors should confirm these locally before travelling.