After the Accra International Marathon: Aburi Botanical Gardens

The Route: Accra → Aburi → Accra Logistics: The gardens are in the Akwapim hills, about 32 km north of the city. Hire a car and driver for the day through your hotel, and agree a return time before you leave. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Accra ──(about 45 minutes by road, climbing into the Akwapim hills)──> Aburi Botanical Gardens ──(about 45 minutes)──> Accra

The race finishes on a Sunday morning, which makes Monday the natural day for Aburi. Your legs will be stiff by then, and the gardens ask very little of them. The lawns are broad, the paths are made for strolling, and the road up from Accra gains enough height that the air feels noticeably cooler than it did on the coast.

October in Aburi. October sits in the tail of the southern rains, so a shower is possible on any afternoon. Take a light waterproof and expect damp grass. The hill setting is cooler than Accra, though you will still be warm in the middle of the day. Go early and finish before the afternoon cloud builds.

Getting there and back

A hired car with a driver is the simplest option, since public vehicles to the hills involve changes and long waits that tired legs do not need. The drive takes about 45 minutes in light traffic, and the road climbs as it nears the town, with views back over Greater Accra from the upper bends. Leave the hotel before 08:00 to beat the worst of the city traffic, and agree a fixed price and a return time before you set off.

The gardens

Aburi opened officially in 1890 as a sanatorium for Gold Coast government officials, who came up from the coast to escape the heat and fever of the low country. The site later became a garden for plant introduction and agricultural teaching, with a part in the spread of cocoa across southern Ghana. Today it is used for research, the conservation of medicinal plants and environmental education.

Visiting is a matter of walking slowly. Roughly ten lawn areas are scattered with sculpture, including carved wooden trunks, and the kapok trees, some of them about 160 years old, throw deep shade. Bird and butterfly watchers do well here. You can wander alone or join a guided walk, which covers the history and the plants. The paths are mostly level, with some gentle slopes, and the best recovery plan is to sit on a lawn for half an hour in the middle of the visit.

Weekday opening hours of 8am to 5pm have been listed, and the entry fee was listed at GH¢5, though both come from an older guide. Check the current hours, particularly for weekends, and the current fee before you go.

Lunch and the afternoon

There are restaurants within the gardens, and you can also bring a picnic. A picnic on the lawn under a kapok tree beats any restaurant for tired legs, and your hotel can pack one. Take plenty of water.

If your legs allow, a short drive through the hill town gives a feel for the Akwapim ridge. Do not plan a second major stop. The gardens are the day.

Getting home

Leave by mid-afternoon so you are back in Accra before the evening rush and, if you fly the next morning, before dark. The Foreign Office advises care on the roads after dark and prearranged transport where possible.

Practical notes