I will be independently travelling through Ghana from Burkina Faso down to Accra and the Ghanaian coast and am looking to stop off to visit the Mole National Park en route.
It seems that getting there by bus is a bit of a pain and sometimes the place is full.
Does anyone have any tips about comfortably and reliably visiting the park in November and ideally how long should a visit be?
Many thanks for any tips!
Mole is worth a day or two, you could spend longer just depends on your budget & whether you want to rent a guide & vehicle. Spent two nights there & were fortunate enough to see a wide variety of wildlife. The bus is a nightmare but it least it gets you there without the hassle of the touts in Larabanga.
Kira
I wouldn't spend too long in Mole. There isn't much to do, after you've done the walking safari. Electricity is stl a big problem and you'll find yourself having dinner by candlelight. The pool there needs some serious attention. Make aure you shower after using it.
I was there in the spring. I was also traveling alone. I arrived in Tamale with the intention of getting to Mole, but no real plan. I hadn't even booked a room at the park, which only has one small hotel. Luckily, I ran into a very decent young guy, who happened to be from Larabanga. ( a side trip you should make from Mole)
He offered to guide me and I paid his expenses, which were not much more than what my own expenses would be. Up until that point I hadn't really needed a guide, but I was glad to have one from here.
The Tamale bus station is chaotic, but my guide got the tickets and got me on a bus that I might never have found in the crush of humanity.
Worst busride ever, but totally worth it.
Then my guide took me to Larabanga and into his home. It was a very special experience for me.
Definitely book ahead, and you will have a better chance of getting in during the week than on weekends. Also the restaurant can be slow, so be patient. As for the pool, it looked fine while I was there, though I didn't swim in it. Check out the staff canteen for cheaper beer.
If you want I can give you his email. You can see more information about Mole and Larabanga visit my Ghana blog at www.goyestoeverything.com,
and you can contact me through there if you wish.
Mole was awesome, but I think two or three nights is enough. Consider that you arrive late (7pm or so) and leave early (5:am), so two nights is really one day.
Have a great trip!
Superb feedback thanks. I will check the blog and definitely aim to stay at Mole 2 nights and book ahead if possible too from Tamale - I'd hate to turn up and it was full. I wonder if the bus can be by-passed with a private car or that might be extortionate!
Mole national park is worth visiting, but the bus journey is horrific (ok, maybe a slight exaggeration). If you can get a private car up there you should do so. When we went we took the 4am bus bound for Wa, and got off at Larabanga, from there we walked to Mole, although u can hire a push bike or motor cycle. We had to bride the driver to let us on as all the tickets were sold out, and ended up standing with the masses of people who are picked up along the way. It was the worst journey, ever, and I had a panic attack, with all this said getting to mole made it all worth it, not that I would take that route again.
Although this may not affect your travel, it is the case that there are currently talks about commissioning a bus to run between tamale and Mole for tourists, at more regular intervals, which will be air conditioned and comfortable. How do I know this? My father is on the board of STC (the state transport link) and my auntie owns a travel/ tourist booking agency, together they are planning this venture, which hopefully should be up and running very soon!