Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary
Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary
4.5
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4.5
20 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
3
Average
6
Poor
0
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0
Tabea L
2 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
We stayed in Talawona with Idris for two stays in end of April and it was insanely beautiful experience!
Our guide Idris picked us up at the airport and accompanied us the whole time we stayed at the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary (WCHS). He supported us in buying groceries for the upcoming days, as in Talawona you have to cook for yourself. The guesthouse itself is basic and costs 100GHS per person per night.
It is a community-owned sanctuary, which means that alle the revenue is used for local development, among other building roads, schools and providing kids with scholarships for schools.
Outside the rainy season, the chances of seeing hippos are very high! We did three canoe safaris and saw up to ten in total. The canoe tour costs 50GHC / per person / per hour.
It was a wonderful experience for us and we would go back any time.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to write Idris +233 54 980 2594.
Our guide Idris picked us up at the airport and accompanied us the whole time we stayed at the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary (WCHS). He supported us in buying groceries for the upcoming days, as in Talawona you have to cook for yourself. The guesthouse itself is basic and costs 100GHS per person per night.
It is a community-owned sanctuary, which means that alle the revenue is used for local development, among other building roads, schools and providing kids with scholarships for schools.
Outside the rainy season, the chances of seeing hippos are very high! We did three canoe safaris and saw up to ten in total. The canoe tour costs 50GHC / per person / per hour.
It was a wonderful experience for us and we would go back any time.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to write Idris +233 54 980 2594.
Written 5 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
shaynes129
Nanaimo, Canada1 contribution
May 2018 • Friends
I had read online that you couldn't see the hippos during rainy season, but we were in fact able to spot them on our river safari. We saw a group of five of them, including a baby hippo! For the most part the hippos stayed in the water, so you could see mostly eyes and ears and occasionally more of their heads, but to see a hippo in the wild is still a cool experience. The river is beautiful and I love being out on the water, so I think it would have still been a fun morning even without seeing the hippos. The boats look quaint, but they are safe, and the boatmen have lots of experience on the river. Definitely bring a hat and sunscreen, the trip in the canoe can take an hour or more and if the sun is out is can get very hot. We also watched the cultural display (xylophone playing and dancing) and visited the Lobi compound, which are pretty interesting.
A friend had gone to the sanctuary a couple years ago and told us we would there pit toilets and bucket showers available, but we were happy to find they had built a new lodge with flush toilets and showers. The rooms have comfortable beds, fans and mosquito nets, and the kitchen has a sink, gas burners and dishes. I would definitely recommend the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary for nature lovers and culture junkies, and for those who like their travel experience to support both conservation efforts and the local community.
A friend had gone to the sanctuary a couple years ago and told us we would there pit toilets and bucket showers available, but we were happy to find they had built a new lodge with flush toilets and showers. The rooms have comfortable beds, fans and mosquito nets, and the kitchen has a sink, gas burners and dishes. I would definitely recommend the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary for nature lovers and culture junkies, and for those who like their travel experience to support both conservation efforts and the local community.
Written 1 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sunstarved7900
Nanaimo, Canada11 contributions
May 2017 • Business
The title of this post was taken from the Lonely Planet’s online description of the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary and I was SHOCKED.
I was so fortunate to be able to accompany my university professor (who has established a long-term relationship with the community and the WCHS) as her research assistant and we spent 7 nights at their new WCHS Lodge in the village of Talawona. I understand that our experience there might be a bit different due to the nature of our presence but I was blown away by all that this beautiful community has to offer:
• Bird Walk
• Plant Walk
• Cultural Lobi Compound Tour
• Hippo Safari on the Black Volta River in authentic, traditional fishing canoes (they’re safe, I promise!)
• Wechiau community tour (plan to be there for a Market Day!)
• Wechiau Women’s Shea Co-operative Factory Tour
• Lobi Dance Celebration
Not being an extremely rustic traveller myself, I will admit that the limited amenities offered at their lodge were initially hard to accept. Extreme heat, pit toilets and bucket showers were, at first, hard adjustments but you quickly fall into the local rhythm and begin to truly appreciate the local way of life. The rooms were comfortable and offered single beds, a fan, electricity and a mosquito net. After an excruciatingly warm night under the mosquito net, I risked sleeping without it and had zero issues with bugs in my room.
Their new dining hall was a welcome meeting place where we enjoyed traditional meals prepared by local women we hired to cook for us during our extended stay. Otherwise, short-term guests have the option of purchasing ingredients and cooking a meal with their guide in the evening – another activity that looked like a lot of fun!
This small community has so much to offer and I am so disappointed that Lonely Planet has essentially brushed them off. The staff and tour guides have big dreams and a lot of ambition and I look forward to hearing more about their constant improvements. My time at the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary was probably the most authentic cultural and natural travel experience I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of and is absolutely worth the “effort” for those seeking a truly authentic adventure! Thank-you to Issakhu, Agba and the communities involved for sharing your lives and homes with us.
I was so fortunate to be able to accompany my university professor (who has established a long-term relationship with the community and the WCHS) as her research assistant and we spent 7 nights at their new WCHS Lodge in the village of Talawona. I understand that our experience there might be a bit different due to the nature of our presence but I was blown away by all that this beautiful community has to offer:
• Bird Walk
• Plant Walk
• Cultural Lobi Compound Tour
• Hippo Safari on the Black Volta River in authentic, traditional fishing canoes (they’re safe, I promise!)
• Wechiau community tour (plan to be there for a Market Day!)
• Wechiau Women’s Shea Co-operative Factory Tour
• Lobi Dance Celebration
Not being an extremely rustic traveller myself, I will admit that the limited amenities offered at their lodge were initially hard to accept. Extreme heat, pit toilets and bucket showers were, at first, hard adjustments but you quickly fall into the local rhythm and begin to truly appreciate the local way of life. The rooms were comfortable and offered single beds, a fan, electricity and a mosquito net. After an excruciatingly warm night under the mosquito net, I risked sleeping without it and had zero issues with bugs in my room.
Their new dining hall was a welcome meeting place where we enjoyed traditional meals prepared by local women we hired to cook for us during our extended stay. Otherwise, short-term guests have the option of purchasing ingredients and cooking a meal with their guide in the evening – another activity that looked like a lot of fun!
This small community has so much to offer and I am so disappointed that Lonely Planet has essentially brushed them off. The staff and tour guides have big dreams and a lot of ambition and I look forward to hearing more about their constant improvements. My time at the Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary was probably the most authentic cultural and natural travel experience I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of and is absolutely worth the “effort” for those seeking a truly authentic adventure! Thank-you to Issakhu, Agba and the communities involved for sharing your lives and homes with us.
Written 6 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charles K
12 contributions
Dec 2017 • Couples
Although the hippos were submersed when we visited (except for ears and noses), the trip was well worth it. The guide was good and the trip in a traditional canoe very interesting. The supplemental trips to a xylophone house, traditional compound, and Shea Butter factory were really interesting. Highly recommend.
Written 1 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hrói
Reykjavik, Iceland51 contributions
Nov 2013 • Solo
4 1/2 star!
Came there when it was turning black and insisted on staying at the hippo hide (a platform in the jungle where you sleep on a mattress under a mosq. net). The motorcycleride to the lodge was an adventure itself; dodging birds and venomous snakes. The stay at the hippo hide was excellent and I absolutely recommend it for everyone. Were woken up at 6 for the ride and we had to search the river almost to 4 hours to finally find them, only for the persistence of guide. The hippos were in the river and we mostly saw their ears and eyes, though some stood out of the water for a couple of seconds. They have a min safety distance of 20 meters so we had to keep our distance, but still amazing to see them there swimming and playing.
Have to bring you own provisions and the cooking site does not offer much. Compared to other Ghanian tourist attraction, the total cost (entrance fee, transportation fee, accommodation, ride fee) was a bit high, but nothing compared to a visit like this would cost in a more developed country. A must visit!
Recommend it for everyone, and you have to stay at the hippo hide.
Came there when it was turning black and insisted on staying at the hippo hide (a platform in the jungle where you sleep on a mattress under a mosq. net). The motorcycleride to the lodge was an adventure itself; dodging birds and venomous snakes. The stay at the hippo hide was excellent and I absolutely recommend it for everyone. Were woken up at 6 for the ride and we had to search the river almost to 4 hours to finally find them, only for the persistence of guide. The hippos were in the river and we mostly saw their ears and eyes, though some stood out of the water for a couple of seconds. They have a min safety distance of 20 meters so we had to keep our distance, but still amazing to see them there swimming and playing.
Have to bring you own provisions and the cooking site does not offer much. Compared to other Ghanian tourist attraction, the total cost (entrance fee, transportation fee, accommodation, ride fee) was a bit high, but nothing compared to a visit like this would cost in a more developed country. A must visit!
Recommend it for everyone, and you have to stay at the hippo hide.
Written 4 December 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicholas H
Bristol, UK65 contributions
Jul 2013 • Friends
I'd give 3 1/2 as a mark if that were an option. Getting paddled onto the river and getting to see hippos so close was amazing and very inexpensive. The let down was the lack of information given by our guide about the hippos or anything else we might see, and the lack of information from him about what options we had, like when best to see the hippos and when. I'd advise to get there late afternoon for the boat ride, and take plenty of provisions and entertainment for yourselves if you do choose to stay - rooms are literally mattresses under nets, no power, no food provided.
Having said that, it is very hard to not recommend a visit.
Having said that, it is very hard to not recommend a visit.
Written 4 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steubexile
Cleveland37 contributions
Feb 2011 • Couples
This review is a bit dated, as we visited the sanctuary in March of 2009. It was a very memorable, unique and positive experience. This is certainly not a destination for anyone looking for any semblance of luxury - our accomodations consisted of an open air sleeping platform under a Baobao tree or the roof of a mud-walled structure (we opted, outdoor toilet and meal prepared from goods purchased at the local village (the store building was kind of a cross between a lean-to and a shed). While the living conditions were primitive by developed world standards, the people we encountered were friendly and welcoming. The living conditions combined elements of the last three millenia - literally. It was really quite amazing to see living conditions that would have been recognizable to those living 2000+ years ago combined with many elements oft he modern world, and to see the transformation taking place as the result of new communication technologies. Even more amazing, though, was to ride in a pirogue on the Black Volta river to observe hippos in their natural habitat - nothing between you and the hippo but a little stretch of water and the boatmen's good sense to not get too close. A truly unforgettable experience.
Written 27 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael K
Melbourne, Australia722 contributions
Apr 2019 • Family
Getting to the Hippo Sanctuary takes commitment. We drove from our hotel at the Mole National Park and it was a three-and-half-hour drive in both directions. As you head north the quality of the roads deteriorate dramatically, from a fully sealed road to want amounts to not much more than a goat track when you reach the Black Volta where hippos live. That said, the effort is well worth it.
It is an amazing to see these huge creatures in the wild and it is an amazing sensation to be out on the Black Volta (the border between Ghana and Burkina Faso) a thousand miles from home. There is an incredible sense of isolation and adventure to be out on the river searching for the hippos.
We travelled with a guide and a driver who organised our access to the sanctuary at the Wechiau Community Centre. The centre is not really much to speak about but it does provide access to the river and hippos. The centre will also organise a local guide and someone to paddle your canoe.
Our local guide said they had fewer than 1000 tourists in the last year. So they need outside support if they are going to sustain this worthwhile project. I travelled there with my 14 year old daughter and other than the usual stares we felt welcome and completely safe.
It is an amazing to see these huge creatures in the wild and it is an amazing sensation to be out on the Black Volta (the border between Ghana and Burkina Faso) a thousand miles from home. There is an incredible sense of isolation and adventure to be out on the river searching for the hippos.
We travelled with a guide and a driver who organised our access to the sanctuary at the Wechiau Community Centre. The centre is not really much to speak about but it does provide access to the river and hippos. The centre will also organise a local guide and someone to paddle your canoe.
Our local guide said they had fewer than 1000 tourists in the last year. So they need outside support if they are going to sustain this worthwhile project. I travelled there with my 14 year old daughter and other than the usual stares we felt welcome and completely safe.
Written 1 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
schlegal1
Rural Virginian965 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
We loved our short trip spotting hippos on the Black Volta. It's a wonderful community effort. Our guide was friendly and an excellent spotter. He also had appropriate concerns for everyone's safety.
We also visited a typical Lobi village so that was educational as well.
We also visited a typical Lobi village so that was educational as well.
Written 8 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OliviaLuong
Toronto, Canada19 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
I was with a group of young people and was doing volunteer work in Wa, Ghana. On a whim, we decided to visit the hippo sanctuary. The trip took almost 2 hours on a tro tro from Wa. A tro tro is like a minivan, except that it was in poor shape. After we arrived at the office, the sky opened up. After a 30 min wait for the rain to stop, we were put on an ATV to travel to the river bank. The river bank was very slippery and some of us slipped. We were then put on 3 leaky wooden canoes and set off to 'find' hippos. Young muscular Ghanaian peddled. We were not disappointed and found 2 hippos in the water. The return trip to the river bank took much longer as we travelled upstream. The scenery was amazing--beautiful, serene and breathtaking.
We arrived at the office in early evening. The office very nicely arranged a tro tro to take us back to Wa. An experience not to be forgotten!
We arrived at the office in early evening. The office very nicely arranged a tro tro to take us back to Wa. An experience not to be forgotten!
Written 23 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What is the current cost of accommodation, entrance and transportation? Are there guides and do we need to pay more for them?
Written 10 March 2018
The Sanctuary entrance fee is GH₵15, accomodation at the lodge is GH₵10 for Ghanaians and GH₵20 for Non-Ghanaians, though there is an option of doing a homestay or camping. There are guides and the most of the tours cost GH₵10 for Ghanaians per hour /GH₵ 15 per hour for Non-Ghanaians.
Written 1 June 2018
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