Over a million years ago an asteroid punched Lake Bosumtwi into Ghana. Almost perfectly circular and surrounded by densely forested hills it is the largest natural freshwater lake in the country. Only 35 km from the urban bustle of Kumasi, Lake Bosumtwi is a peaceful haven surrounded by sleepy rural communities who make a living fishing and farming. Life is concentrated around the shores and one uneven dirt road skirts the circumference linking the villages. There are very few cars which makes walking the main mode of transport except for the occasional bicycle that wobbles past.
After our time at The Green Ranch we stayed at Cocoa Village. A lodge of picturesque bungalows and dorms with private terraces that overlook the sloping lawn and are mere meters from the gently lapping water. The sense of tranquillity here cannot be matched, especially when having a breakfast of tea and ground paste (peanut butter) as the morning sun rises over the unspoilt beauty of the surroundings. This was a truly relaxing place to stay and we could not speak more highly of it or the new manager Akossia.
The lake has many moods and it has been impossible to choose our favourite. One major contender though has to be when a storm is brewing. Dark clouds rush over the surrounding hills and gather ominously above the waters as if sent by a mighty force. The lake reflects the dangerous mood of the sky as it transforms into liquid mercury. People start taking cover as heavy drops signal the beginning of the battle overhead and the downpour that is to come. Watching the forks and flashes of lightening is the local cinema and it’s easy to be absorbed for hours (especially as the storm usually means lights out!). Another favourite demeanour is when a renaissance sky casts all the hills into the lake making it a perfect time for swimming amongst the reflected clouds. You could take photographs here all day long as the shifting light changes the character of the surroundings continuously from dawn to dusk.
The villages around Lake Bosumtwi are built within the miss mash of cocoa, plantain and banana farms that sustain them. Life here is very rural and nothing goes unnoticed, walking from village to village we were asked by everyone we met where we were going and what we were doing, soon becoming a part of village gossip. Living conditions here are very basic, each village relies on a central pump for water and not all homes have a bulb in them. The houses are crumbling mud brick buildings and the closeness of the dwellings means that there is little privacy. The amount and variety of provisions available in the village shops indicates just how cut off it is.
In the village nearest Abono, the closest ‘big’ town on the junction that turns into the lake, there is a fridge in the shop and the shelves are packed. In the second a light bulb illuminates a smaller variety of goods and in the third village the shop is pretty bare with what they do sell lit up by torch light (they did however stock our favourite wafers! oh Lausanne!). Most people live and work with the sun so after it has set there are only a few hours of village activity before people settle down to bed around nine. This way of life is infectious and it often saw us tucked up in bed with a book and a packet of wafers by ten!
Being an obroni (white person) never ceases to be a point of amazement to the many children who live here. Walking the villages we were often escorted by dozens of them, shouting obroni and “give me my money” they can be both sweet and annoying in equal measure! The younger ones are still very unsure and a funny face can sometimes provoke tears!
Fishing on the lake is a livelihood for many and except the introduction of hand held squares of plastic for paddles (replacing the calabash) techniques seem to have gone unchanged for many generations. Men sit straight legged on buoyant lengths of wood casting and checking nets away from the shore whilst boys skip naked in the shallows collecting what has been caught in the nets there. I/Harry helped collect some of the small fish they catch here, it was not as easy as it looks, although tiny they have very sharp fins!
There is not a lot to do by the sleepy lake but that is definitely part of the appeal. Enjoying the magnificent views, swimming daily in the silky smooth waters and falling in with village life was a perfect recipe for contentment. The surrounding hills make Lake Bosumtwi feel like an isolated haven, protected from the outside world. It could be a lake at the top of mount Olympus, it is however not far off the beaten track at all. Easily one of our favourite places in Ghana we already miss our daily dips!
