Water cascading down a tall rock face at Wli Falls surrounded by forest.

Explore Ghana

Wildlife reserves in Volta Region

Wli Waterfalls (Agumatsa Falls) · Photo: Bosiako Creatives · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

The Volta Region rewards travellers who like their wildlife close to the ground and close to people. Almost everything on this page is community-run or community-protected, from the sacred grove at Tafi Monkey Village in Tafi Atome, where Mona monkeys are looked after by the village, to the Ave-Dakpa Crocodile Pond in Akatsi North District and the sea turtle sites at Dzita and Atiteti on the Anlo-Keta coast. Several places sit within the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site, including Avu Lagoon (Xavi), home to Ghana's only sitatunga, and the birdwatching islands reached by boat from Keta town.

They differ in what you actually do. Wli Waterfalls in the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary offers an easy trail to the lower falls and a longer guided hike to the upper falls, while Avu Lagoon, Keta Lagoon and the Xavi Bird Sanctuary on the Lotor River are about boats, water and birds. Tafi Monkey Village and the Afadzato South Snake Village at Liati Soba add cultural and herbal-medicine interest, and Madora Lodge sits directly inside the Tafi Atome sanctuary if you would rather stay among the monkeys than travel in and out.

Good to know

Before you go

These sites are spread across several districts, so plan a loop rather than a single day out, and allow for slow roads. Boat trips on the Keta Lagoon, Avu Lagoon and the Lotor River are arranged locally, so ask at your guesthouse or the site itself. Turtle nesting at Dzita runs roughly September to March; sightings are never guaranteed. The Xavi Bird Sanctuary's operating status is uncertain, so check before travelling there. Bring water, sun protection and cash, and remember many of these are sacred or community-managed places: ask before photographing, follow your guide, and leave the groves and ponds as you found them.

Start here

Places to explore

Attraction · Tafi Agome

Tafi Monkey Village

Community-run sacred grove in Tafi Atome, Volta Region, protecting Mona monkeys and offering guided forest walks and cultural village experiences.

Photo: Mike Norton · Source

Waterfall · Wli

Wli Waterfalls

A two-cascade waterfall in the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary near Wli, Volta Region, with an easy trail to the lower falls and a longer guided hike to the upper falls.

Photo: Bosiako Creatives · Source

Attraction

Attraction · Liati Soba

Afadzato South Snake Village

The Zimmaziwo Snake Zoo and Herbal Medicine Centre, or Snake Village, is a community tourism site at Liati Soba in the Afadzato South District, Volta Region.

Attraction

Attraction · Ave-Dakpa

Ave-Dakpa Crocodile Pond

Ave Dakpa Crocodile Pond is a sacred, crocodile-inhabited pond and eco-tourism site in Akatsi North District, Volta Region, managed by the district assembly.

Attraction

Attraction · Gui

Avu Lagoon

Avu Lagoon (Xavi) is a community-protected freshwater wetland in Ghana's lower Volta Region, part of the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar site and home to Ghana's only sitatunga.

Attraction

Attraction · Dzita

Dzita Sea Turtle Site

Community-linked sea turtle conservation and viewing site on the coast at Dzita, Anloga District, Volta Region, with nesting roughly September to March.

Attraction

Attraction · Keta

Keta Lagoon Birdwatching

Birdwatching on the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site in the Volta Region, a brackish lagoon with boat access to bird-breeding islands.

Attraction

Attraction · Keta

Keta Lagoon Islands

Small, undeveloped sand islands in Ghana's largest lagoon, reached by locally arranged boat from Keta town and known for birdwatching in the Keta Lagoon Ramsar site.

Attraction

Attraction · Atiteti

Keta Ramsar Centre Sea Turtle Watching

Community-run sea turtle conservation and turtle-watching activity on the Anlo-Keta coast, within the Keta Lagoon Complex Ramsar Site in the Volta Region.

Hotel

Hotel · Tafi Atome

Madora Lodge

Madora Lodge is an eight-bedroom eco-guesthouse set directly inside the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary in Afadzato South District, Volta Region, Ghana.

Attraction

Attraction · Xavi

Xavi Bird Sanctuary

Community-run bird sanctuary on the Lotor River in Xavi, Akatsi South District, Volta Region, known for river canoe rides and birdlife; operating status uncertain.

Wider area

More in Volta Region