Attraction · Tongo
Tongo Chief's Palace
The royal court of the Paramount Chief of the Talensi Traditional Area, and a stop on the official Tongo-Tengzuk Cultural Landscape tour in Ghana's Upper East Region.
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Explore Ghana
Palaces in Upper East Region
The palaces of Ghana's Upper East Region are working royal courts, not museum pieces. Each is the seat of a paramount chief, and each keeps the customs of its traditional area alive. Visiting them is a chance to meet living history in the towns where it belongs: the Tongo Chief's Palace, royal court of the Talensi Paramount Chief and a stop on the official Tongo-Tengzuk Cultural Landscape tour; the Bolgatanga Naba's Palace, traditional seat and administrative centre of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area in the Atulibabisi community; and the Navrongo Palace, working seat of the Navro-Pio and a ceremonial venue for the Navrongo Traditional Area.
They differ in character as much as in setting. The Paga Pia Palace is a chief's compound and a living Kassena extended-family home, its mud walls decorated by hand. The Sirigu Chief's Palace, also called the Azukodaana Palace, is the seat of the Paramount Chief of the Sirigu Traditional Area and the launch venue for the annual Azuko Festival. Some visits are quiet and formal; others fall on days when the courtyards fill with drumming and colour.
Good to know
Before you go
These are private homes and working courts, so always ask permission before entering or photographing, and dress respectfully. A local guide or cultural officer can introduce you properly and explain protocol. Bolgatanga makes a sensible base, with Navrongo, Paga, Tongo and Sirigu reachable as day trips, though you should allow generous time for the roads. Palaces may be closed to visitors during funerals, festivals or traditional ceremonies, so check ahead through your guide, hotel or the local traditional council before setting out. If you hope to see the Azuko Festival at Sirigu, confirm the dates locally rather than assuming them.
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Places to explore
Attraction
Attraction · Bolgatanga
Bolgatanga Naba's Palace
The traditional seat and administrative centre of the paramount chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, in the Atulibabisi community, Upper East Region, Ghana.
Attraction
Attraction · Navrongo
Navrongo Palace
The Navrongo Palace is the working traditional seat of the Navro-Pio, Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area, and a ceremonial venue in Ghana's Upper East Region.
Attraction
Attraction · Paga
Paga Pia Palace
Paga Pia Palace is the chief's compound in Paga, Upper East Region, seat of the Paga Pio and a living Kassena extended-family compound with decorated mud walls.
Attraction
Attraction · Sirigu
Sirigu Chief's Palace
The Azukodaana Palace in Sirigu, Upper East Region, is the seat of the Paramount Chief of the Sirigu Traditional Area and the launch venue for the annual Azuko Festival.