Our excursion to the Brong-Ahafo Region of Ghana brought us first to a tiny place called Buoyem. After a short taxi ride down a dusty little road, we arrived in the village. We were soon informed that the caves that we had come to see were infested with bees. We were a bit disappointed since the caves were our primary reason for coming, but we decided to take in some of the other sights that the village had to offer. Our first endeavor was a short hike up to the top of a hill where there were some large rock formations. At the base of one of these was a flat rock that had been formed into the shape of the African continent! It seems that a corner had broken off, but it was still pretty cool.
After stopping to admire the Africa rock, we walked a bit further. We came across a rickety little ladder leading up the side of a rock. Climbing this rock required you to maneuver your way around a few tree branches. I stopped to take a picture as my friend dutifully followed the tour guide up the ladder, through the branches and to the top of the rock. I began my ascent as they were already at the top. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I really should have watched the precise path that they took. As I blazed my own trail up the side of the rock and through the tree branches, I unknowingly pushed my way through a nest of red ants! They were everywhere, and they were biting me. I screamed like a little girl until they were all finally brushed off of me. Not a fun experience.
On the way down, we approached a series of cement structures. These structures were meant to house animals for the reptile farm. They were all empty, except for one. Our tour guide dove into the hole and passed up a giant tortoise! He even told us that we could hold it. It was pretty awesome! There were also two baby tortoises that we were allowed to hold!
Our next stop was a small waterfall on the outskirt of the village. This required us to hike in the midday sun through a field and over several hills. My friend and I were huffing and puffing a bit, but our tour guide didn’t even break a sweat. At one point he actually played some music on his phone and was dancing up the side of the mountain. The waterfalls were nice, more than anything it was nice to get under the water and cool down a bit.
Even though we didn’t get to see the caves, we still had a great time at Buoyem. The view from the top of the rock was something straight out of National Geographic. The ants were a bad but certainly memorable experience. The tortoises were one of the highlights of my trip!