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Monuments in Western Region

Fort San Sebastian · Photo: Esthee2010 · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

The Western Region holds some of Ghana's most storied monuments, strung along a coast where European traders, local chiefs and fishing communities met over centuries. Many of the places here are forts and crosses tied to that Atlantic past, and several form part of Ghana's UNESCO-listed forts and castles. Fort San Sebastian at Shama, a Portuguese fort of 1520–1526 later expanded by the Dutch, and Fort Santo Antonio at Axim, begun by the Portuguese in 1515, are the oldest of the group. Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg at Prince's Town is Ghana's only German-built fort, while Fort Dorothea at Akwidaa is a ruined Brandenburg-era fort on a rocky hill.

They differ in mood and in how you reach them. Cape Three Points, Ghana's southernmost tip near Akwidaa, pairs an 1875 lighthouse ruin with a working 1925 tower and a fishing village. The Cross in the Sea at Shama stands in the water, linked to Portuguese arrival in 1471. Inland at Nkroful, the museum and mausoleum honour Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first president, and keep his original 1972 burial site. Harbour View Gardens in Takoradi offers an easier, family-friendly stop, an elevated garden, bar and restaurant overlooking Takoradi Port with a war memorial at its entrance.

Good to know

Before you go

Plan this as a coastal route rather than a single day out, since the monuments stretch from Shama and Takoradi west to Axim, Prince's Town, Akwidaa and Cape Three Points, with Nkroful further inland. Shared taxis and tro-tros serve the main towns, but expect to arrange local transport or a driver for the smaller stops. Some sites need care: Fort Dorothea is reached on foot with permission from the local chief, and Fort Santo Antonio at Axim has been closed since 18 December 2025, so check before travelling. Carry water, wear sturdy shoes for hilltop and rocky ground, and confirm access with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board or your guide.

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Places to explore

Attraction · Akwidaa

Cape Three Points Lighthouse

Cape Three Points is Ghana's southernmost tip, a fishing village and peninsula in Ahanta West known for its 1875 lighthouse ruin and working 1925 tower.

Photo: Friedmut Abel · Source

Attraction · Prince's Town

Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg

Ghana's only German-built fort, a hilltop fortification on Manfro Hill at Princes Town (Pokesu), Western Region, now a partially restored attraction and rest house.

Photo: Roberto Zaugg · Source

Attraction · Shama

Fort San Sebastian

Fort San Sebastian at Shama, Western Region, is a Portuguese fort of 1520–1526, later expanded by the Dutch and now a National Monument in Ghana's UNESCO-listed forts and castles.

Photo: Esthee2010 · Source

Attraction · Axim

Fort Santo Antonio

Portuguese-built fort begun in 1515 at Axim, Western Region, now a UNESCO-listed state monument managed by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and closed since 18 December 2025.

Photo: Jesuraj Alakassery · Source

Attraction

Attraction · Shama

Cross in the Sea (White Cross), Shama

The Cross in the Sea, or White Cross, is a historic cross monument standing in the sea off Shama in Ghana's Western Region, linked to Portuguese arrival in 1471.

Attraction

Attraction · Akwidaa

Fort Dorothea, Akwidaa

Fort Dorothea is a ruined Brandenburg-era fort on a rocky hill at Akwidaa in Ghana's Western Region, reached on foot with permission from the local chief.

Attraction

Attraction · Takoradi

Harbour View Gardens

Harbour View Gardens is an elevated garden, bar and restaurant in Takoradi's Harbour Area, overlooking Takoradi Port and marked by a war memorial at its entrance.

Attraction

Attraction · Nkroful

Nkrumah Museum at Nkroful

Museum and mausoleum at Nkroful, birthplace of Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah, retaining his original 1972 burial site and memorial.

Wider area

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