Mr. Mark Lomo, a retired Officer of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has called for adventurists seeking to assay their physical endurance at the Ote Falls in Amedzofe, to go there prepared.
He said trips up and down the waterfalls of the nation’s highest human settlement posed a unique endurance test to all who ventured.
It also makes an ideal site for people seeking nature experiences in the extreme.
Mr. Lomo made remarks in an interview with the Ghana News Agency when he led more than 30 members of the Port City Zone (Tema) of the Retired Customs Officers Association (RECOA) to visit the falls, located in the Ho West District of the Volta Region and which has become the latest in the country.
It is also said to be the nation’s only canopy walkway-under-waterfall.
The trip down the total 259 steps was easy for the retirees, but after completing the canopy walk, they found that the main challenge was the descent to the base camp, and several had to be assisted.
“The Amedzofe walkway is not for the faint hearted and you have to come well prepared,” Mr. Logo remarked after reaching the camp.
“We decided to come and see for ourselves the much talked about Amedzofe canopy walkway, and to test our stamina,” he said, adding that the visit was to promote domestic tourism, and that the Association had been to such attractions as the dam city of Akosombo, and the estuary of the Volta River at Ada.
He noted how going close to the waterfall gave a “picturesque view,” while other members on the tour described what they said was “a wonderful experience” and promised to visit again.
The retirees, some who had friends and relatives on the trip, also spoke of the benefits from physical activity, and several agreed it helped strengthen the heart.
Many called for increased stairs and more rest stops.
The Amedzofe canopy walk was opened to the public in late 2022, as part of a non-profit’s nature reservation project, and has so far received several thousands of visitors.
Mr. Godwin Dagadu, Senior Tour Guide at the Falls, the canopy walkway and the unending stairs helped provide a “maximum expedition experience.”
He said the facility was among the safest in the country, and that a team of standby rangers and support staff was always available to guide and protect tourists.
The Senior Guide said visitors tend to engage the stairs without planning and advised that one must be “strategic and gradual.”
“Most people feel the heat because they are in haste,” he said.
Other retired officers on the trip asked management of the facility to explore the possibility of adding some medical care to the tour package as the place became increasingly popular among both local and international tourists.
The group received its share of the reservation’s hospitality offering; heard stories of the unique community whose temperate climate grew apples and other non-tropical foods.
The group would visit other sites in the area including Mount Gemi, the highest peak at Amedzofe, and also the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary which is home to thousands of rare primates.
Credit: GNA
