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 The road from Hohoe eastwards reaches a junction after about 22 km at Likpe Bakwa. From there, a dirt road leads southwards for another 3 km to Wli township.
Another option is to take the scenic mostly dirt road eastwards from the main Accra-Hohoe road at Golokwati through Liate Wote, Gbledi, Chebe and Fodome Ahor. Wli Falls is located in the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary which is in close walking distance from the town. The entire trip to the waterfall takes about 45 minutes.
Visitors started to come to Wli Falls on a regular basis as early as 1973. In 1997, the Hohoe District Assembly started to develop a District-wide community-based ecotourism initiative, using Wli as their pilot site. A year later, the villagers of the four adjacent communities founded the Tourism Management Authority (TMA). Its mission is “to mobilise its people and resources in order to derive the maximum benefits from the natural attractions for the well-being of its citizens”. This shall be achieved by helping to “build an economically strong Wli Traditional State on the principles of unity, peace and respect for one another and for the laws and regulations”. That way, “communities could be economically empowered to access quality health care, education, water, shelter and other basic amenities”. To achieve this goal, the TMA seeks the active collaboration of the District Assembly, the Ghana Tourist Board, the Department of Wildlife and several NGOs.
The Wli area
The Wli Traditional Area consists of three main communities (Afegame, Agorviefe, Todzi) and one settler community (Dzogbega). Its population is estimated at 3,000.
Main attractions
Wli is by far the most popular tourist attraction in eastern Ghana. Wli Fall is supposed to be the highest waterfall in West Africa, though specifications of its real height vary considerably with estimates ranging from 20m to as much as 400m. The Fall actually consists of two separate waterfalls, one easily accessible Lower Fall and a more difficult to reach Upper Fall (Shown in Photo). An apparently reasonable guess is that the lower fall is about 50m high (Bradt Travel Guide).
Wli Falls is located in the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary which covers an area of 35 km2. To reach the waterfall, visitors walk on a footpath through a thick, semi-deciduous forest, fording two rivers a total of nine times. 220 bird species and 400 butterfly species as well some monkeys and antelopes reportedly inhabit the Sanctuary. Some trees around the footpath have been marked with intention of creating a nature education trail. At the waterfall, thousands of straw-coloured fruit bats nest on the adjacent cliffs. At the foot of the waterfall, there is large pool that invites visitors to swim in.
Regular tourist activities
The main tourist activity is of course a visit to Wli Falls and a walk through the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary. There are, however, other community activities that visitors can participate in. Most importantly, the villages offer a total of 18 homestays with 43 beds, so that the guests may have a real village life experience. Recently, university researchers and NGOs have also introduced several alternative farming activities, such as snail farming, mushroom farming, ostrich farming and grasscutter farming, a local rat-type animal that is used as a delicacy in restaurants. Interested visitors have the chance to visit these projects.
Information for the visitor
The current tourist reception centre is located next to the beginning of the footpath leading to the waterfall. It hosts the reception area with some information about the attractions as well as other sites in the Hohoe District, and two little shops for souvenirs. A new visitor centre is under construction. This much bigger facility is supposed to accommodate a major reception area, a conference centre, a restaurant, 12 craft shops, a museum, and a library that will function as an information centre. Facilities close to the waterfall include provisional changing rooms and toilets.
Prices for a visit to the lower waterfall are ˘35,000 (˘18,000 for students) plus a guide fee of ˘8,000 and a camera fee of ˘5,000 or video fee of ˘30,000. For those visitors who wish to climb up to the second waterfall, guides will take an additional ˘35,000 per person. Groups for the second waterfall should not be bigger than 5 persons, and the trip is not permitted due to security reasons during the rainy season from 1st August to 1st December.
Entrance Fees
Ghanaians:
Adults..................................................................35,000.00 cedis
Tertiary................................................................18,000.00 cedis
Pre-Tertiary...........................................................5,000.00 cedis
Organised Groups (20 and above)
a)Adults...............................................................25,000.00 cedis/head
b)Tertiary.............................................................15,000.00 cedis/head
c)Pre-Tertiary........................................................2,000.00 cedis/head
NonGhanaians:...................................................$7 per head
Organised Groups..................................................$6 per head.
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