Vehicles and people waiting for the ferry to cross the Oti River at Dambai.

Explore Ghana

Boat trips in Ghana

Oti River · Photo: Mykojo · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Ghana is a country shaped by water, and some of its best days out are spent on it. This page gathers boat trips and boat-friendly places across the country, from the wide Volta River to quiet crater lakes and Atlantic estuaries. What they share is simple: you see more from the water, and the pace slows down.

They differ in character. On Lake Volta at Akosombo, the three-deck MV Dodi Princess II sails to Dodi Island with live band music and water sports, while the Akosombo Dam itself is a viewpoint over the lake it created. Near Keta, Aborigines Beach and its beachfront resort offer water sports and family recreation. At Ada Foah, the Volta meets the Atlantic, and the roughly 7 km crossing from Anyanui runs past mangroves and sandy banks. Inland, Lake Bosomtwe near Abono is Ghana's only true inland natural lake, explored by traditional flat wooden padua. Further north, ferries and canoes cross the Oti River at Dambai, and boat trips on the White Volta at Daboya and the Black Volta at Wechiau bring birdlife and hippos within reach.

Good to know

Before you go

Boat trips here range from scheduled ferries to resort cruises and community-run canoe outings, so plan around the water rather than the clock. Ask your hotel, resort or the local information centre at Abono what is running before you travel, and confirm departure points, as some trips start from a beach, a ferry landing or a lakeside village. Distances between regions are long, so group places sensibly: Akosombo and Dodi Island together, Ada Foah with Anyanui, Keta with the Volta Region coast. Bring sun protection, water and a dry bag, wear shoes you can get wet, and take life jackets when offered. Water levels and weather can change plans, so keep a little flexibility.

Start here

Places to explore

Beach · Keta

Aborigines Beach

Golden-sand Atlantic beach at Keta in the Volta Region, fronted by the long-running Aborigines Beach Resort.

Photo: Nana Ama Pokua · Source

Resort · Keta

Aborigines Beach Resort

Beachfront resort in Keta, Volta Region, with a pool, open-air bar and restaurant, water sports centre, petting zoo and rooms from Standard to Royal Suite.

Photo: Nana Ama Pokua · Source

Beach · Ada Foah

Ada Foah Beach

Palm-lined beach and estuary at Ada Foah, about 120 km from Accra, where the Volta River meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Photo: SanBa · Source

Attraction · Akosombo

Akosombo Dam

The Akosombo Dam is a rock-fill embankment dam on the Volta River in Ghana's Eastern Region, operated by the Volta River Authority and impounding Lake Volta.

Photo: Allison Stillwell at English Wikipedia · Source

Attraction · Anyanui

Anyanui to Ada Foah Boat Trip

A roughly 7 km boat crossing between Anyanui in the Volta Region and Ada Foah, travelling the Volta River estuary past mangroves and sandy banks.

Photo: Philip Nalangan · Source

Waterfall · Opersika

Boti Falls

Boti Falls is a seasonal twin waterfall in the forest of Huhunya, Yilo Krobo Municipality, about 17 km northeast of Koforidua in Ghana's Eastern Region.

Photo: Febelix · Source

Beach · Butre

Butre Beach

Butre Beach, also called Coconut Beach, is the narrow palm-fringed beach at the fishing village of Butre in Ghana's Western Region, where the Butre River meets the Atlantic.

Photo: benketaro · Source

Attraction · Dambai

Dambai Ferry Site

Dambai Ferry Site is the working ferry landing at Dambai, Oti Region, on the eastern bank of the Oti River, served by VLTL vessels on the Dambai–Overbank route.

Photo: Isibrahy · Source

Attraction · Dambai

Dambai Volta ferry crossing

VLTC's Dambai ferry carries passengers and vehicles across the Oti River (Volta Lake) in the Oti Region, linking Dambai with the opposite bank.

Photo: Isibrahy · Source

Attraction · Akosombo

Dodi Island

Dodi Island is an inhabited island in Lake Volta, Eastern Region, reached by a roughly two-hour cruise boat trip from Akosombo.

Photo: Hiroo Yamagata · Source

Attraction · Akosombo

Dodi World Cruise

Dodi World runs cruises on Lake Volta at Akosombo aboard the three-deck MV Dodi Princess II, sailing to Dodi Island with live band music and water sports.

Photo: Celestinesucess · Source

Beach · Akwidaa

Ezile Bay Beach

A roughly 300 m almond-shaded beach in a small protected bay between Akwidaa and Katakor, near Cape Three Points, Western Region, home to Ezile Bay Ecolodge.

Photo: aripeskoe2 · Source

Attraction · Abono

Lake Bosomtwe

Lake Bosomtwe is Ghana's only true inland natural lake, set in a million-year-old meteorite crater about 30 km south-east of Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region.

Photo: Noahalorwu · Source

Attraction · Abono

Lake Bosomtwe Boat Trips

Boat trips from the Abono shoreline on Lake Bosomtwe, Ghana's only true inland lake, using the traditional flat wooden padua rather than dugout canoes.

Photo: Alexandre Ultré · Source

Attraction · Abono

Lake Bosomtwe Information Centre

Community information centre at Abono, the main shoreline settlement and entry point to Lake Bosomtwe, Ghana's only true inland lake, set in a meteorite impact crater.

Photo: Alexandre Ultré · Source

Attraction · Dambai

Lake Volta Boat Ride Experience

The Dambai lakefront and ferry point on the Oti River arm of Lake Volta, where a working river crossing doubles as a scenic boat and canoe experience.

Photo: INUSAH GANIYU · Source

Attraction · Dambai

Oti River

The Oti River (also called the Pendjari) is a major international waterway through Ghana's Oti Region, crossed at Dambai by ferry and canoe services.

Photo: Mykojo · Source

Resort · Akosombo

The Royal Senchi Hotel and Resort

A four-star riverside resort on Senchi Ferry Road at Akosombo, Eastern Region, with 84 rooms and suites, extensive sports and wellness facilities, and Volta River boat cruises.

Photo: Celestinesucess · Source

Attraction · Wechiau

Wechiau Hippopotamus Sanctuary

A community-run sanctuary at Wechiau protecting a 40 km stretch of the Black Volta River and one of Ghana's two remaining hippo populations.

Photo: Kradolferp · Source

Attraction · Daboya

White Volta at Daboya

The stretch of the White Volta (Nakambe) flowing past Daboya in the Savannah Region, known for village-paddled boat trips, birdlife and salt-harvesting beaches.

Photo: Hasslaebetch · Source

Resort

Resort · Akosombo

Afrikiko Riverfront Resort

Riverfront resort on the Volta River at Akosombo, Eastern Region, with chalets and rooms, a pool, dining, and boat cruises.

Attraction

Attraction · Essikadu

Albert Bosomtwi Sam Fishing Harbour

GPHA-operated fishing harbour in Sekondi, Western Region, with inner and outer harbours, a canoe basin, and an adjacent fish market and processing area.

Attraction

Attraction · Beyin

Amansuri Wetland

A blackwater wetland system near Beyin in Ghana's Western Region, visited by canoe to the stilt village of Nzulezo.

Attraction

Attraction · Bakanta

Amanzule River Boat Cruise

A boat and canoe cruise on the Amanzule River near Nzulezo in Ghana's Western Region, run in association with the Nzulezo Stilt Village Tourism Project.

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