Aburi

On Sunday I decided to take a trip out of the capital. I headed to Aburi, a small town in the mountains about an hour inland of Accra.

Aburi is easily accessible from Accra and takes only around an hour by tro-tro from Medina station. The trip costs 3 cedi (60p) each way.

I arrived in Aburi early. It’s a sweet little village that, with its views back to Accra, temperate climate, and lush vegetation, reminded me a lot of the hill stations I visited in India. After ambling around for a little while and taking in the slightly cloudy view back to the city, I jumped in a share taxi to the village of Mampong in order to visit Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farm, the first cocoa farm in Ghana (now the world’s second largest cocoa producer). The farm is very small and the 10 cedi (£2) entrance is probably a little steep for the tiny tour. However, it was worth it for me to get my first ever taste of cocoa straight from the pod.  The ripe orange pod was cracked open by the farmer with a machete. The pods inside were, to my huge surprise, white and fluffy – like little pieces of cotton wool. I took one and bit into it – only to be laughed at by onlookers for being foolish enough to bite into the bitter cocoa pod. It didn’t taste good. I was then told I wasn’t supposed to bite it, only to suck it. I tried again. This time it was delicious. Sweet and fruity tasting, a bit like a strawberry. Very unexpected!

Next, I headed back to Aburi this time for a wander around the botanical garden. Hundreds of different kinds of trees were scattered around the park, each neatly labelled with helpful information. My favourite was the vine that had grown up around a tree and had gradually taken it over. The tree was completely hollow – I even stood inside it and was able to look right up and out of the top.