Kakum National Park
Encyclopedia
Kakum National Park is a 375 square km national park
located in the Central Region
of Ghana
. The park was first established in 1960. It is located 30km north of Cape Coast
and Elmina
near the small town of Abrafo
. The entire area is covered with tropical rainforest
.
In the park gamekeeper
s are specially trained in the medical and cultural significance of the local foliage. Kakum National Park contains rare animals, including the endangered Mona-meerkat
, as well as pygmy elephant
s, forest buffalo
, civet
cats, a wide array of birds, and over 500 species of butterflies.
Kakum National Park has a long series of hanging bridges at the forest canopy level known as the "Canopy Walkway
." At 40 m (131.2 ft) height, the visitor can approach the plants and animals from a vantage point that would otherwise be inaccessible to people. The Canopy Walkway passes over 7 bridges and runs over a length of 330 m (1,082.7 ft). It is secured by a series of nets and wires for safety purposes. An additional viewing platform that will allow visitors to climb into the canopy without braving the Canopy Walkway is currently under construction.
The Canopy Walkway was built by two Canadians from the city of Vancouver.
The park is located 30km to the North of Cape Coast
and is easily accessible by taxis from the city center, and through organized tour buses. The park welcome center contains a restaurant, a Rainforest Lodge, a picnic area, a camping area, and a wildlife education center.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
located in the Central Region
Central Region (Ghana)
The Central Region is one of Ghana's ten administrative regions. It is bordered by the Ashanti and Eastern regions to the north, Western region to the west, Greater Accra region to the east, and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean.-Districts:...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. The park was first established in 1960. It is located 30km north of Cape Coast
Cape Coast
Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana and is also the capital city of the Fante people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of 82,291 . From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the...
and Elmina
Elmina
Elmina, is a town in the Central Region, situated on a south-facing bay on the Atlantic Ocean coast of Ghana, about 12 km west of Cape Coast...
near the small town of Abrafo
Abrafo
Abrafo is a small village located in the Central Region of Ghana about 30 kilometers north of Cape Coast. It is situated at the entrance to Kakum National Park. The town is mainly a small agricultural outpost, but at the border of the park there are several small restaurants and shops. The town...
. The entire area is covered with tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
.
In the park gamekeeper
Gamekeeper
A gamekeeper is a person who manages an area of countryside to make sure there is enough game for shooting, or fish for angling, and who actively manages areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland for the benefit of game birds, deer, fish and wildlife in general.Typically, a gamekeeper is...
s are specially trained in the medical and cultural significance of the local foliage. Kakum National Park contains rare animals, including the endangered Mona-meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
, as well as pygmy elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, forest buffalo
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
cats, a wide array of birds, and over 500 species of butterflies.
Kakum National Park has a long series of hanging bridges at the forest canopy level known as the "Canopy Walkway
Canopy walkway
Canopy walkways are bridges between trees in the canopy of a forest; mostly linked up with platforms inside or around the trees. They were originally intended as access to the upper regions of ancient forests for scientists conducting canopy research. Eventually, because they provided only...
." At 40 m (131.2 ft) height, the visitor can approach the plants and animals from a vantage point that would otherwise be inaccessible to people. The Canopy Walkway passes over 7 bridges and runs over a length of 330 m (1,082.7 ft). It is secured by a series of nets and wires for safety purposes. An additional viewing platform that will allow visitors to climb into the canopy without braving the Canopy Walkway is currently under construction.
The Canopy Walkway was built by two Canadians from the city of Vancouver.
The park is located 30km to the North of Cape Coast
Cape Coast
Cape Coast, or Cabo Corso, is the capital of the Central Region of Ghana and is also the capital city of the Fante people, or Mfantsefo. It is situated 165 km west of Accra on the Gulf of Guinea. It has a population of 82,291 . From the 16th century the city has changed hands between the...
and is easily accessible by taxis from the city center, and through organized tour buses. The park welcome center contains a restaurant, a Rainforest Lodge, a picnic area, a camping area, and a wildlife education center.