Road to Mole National Park (Ghana)
 

Hello,

Just a quick word about my recent experience on the ugly roads that lead to Mole National Park in Ghana (from the main highway). The +-90km that links Fufulsu and Damongo on the way to Mole National Park was a very painful experience for me. It was heavy washboard and rocks all the way with sandy pits on both sides. It was hot and tiring. Perhaps a more experienced rider would have just flown above the washboard at a crazy speed, but I couldn't do it, so it took me about 3 hours.

Instead, I would recommend the road from the South, through Buipe. The map indicated a smaller road (as opposed to the one through Fufulsu, which I thought might even be paved), which it was, but which was also much more fun. It was rough and bumpy, but mostly a "lots of fun" kinda rough and almost no washboard (few cars and buses go there, as opposed to the "main" road through Fufulsu). But that one also took me about 3 hours... :) Mind you, I am traveling on a Yamaha YBR125...

The Damongo - Laparanga stretch is also bad, but there's no way around it.

Voil

Yip, there hasn't been much rain for months now and the temperatures are rising towards 40 each day, so the roads are getting very washboardy (just spent two months in Ghana).

Considering the importance of Mole to Ghana's tourism industry you would think they would manage to seal the road, but then it is easy to think a lot of things of others countries. I came down from Wa (great border crossing at Hamale) and left via the eastern route - both terrible in a Land Rover.

Slowly slowly and drink loads to help keep the concentration up....

I'm in Kara (Togo) right now and soon heading for Pendjari park in Benin. I'm hoping the roads leading there will be a little sweeter than the ones for Mole...

BTW, the heat here is really something : last week, in Lomé, a weather board read "10h29 AM, 39°C" (102 Fahrenheit)... and Kara is even farther up north. Aiks!

hi guys

we are planning to spend 3-4 weeks in ghana later this year.
just a question about the weather
does it get cold at night as in the desert or does it remain warm all night
just trying to sort out what gear to bring ie; sleeping bags/tent
any other bits of helpful info would be great
thanks for any help you can give

peter

Lifes journey is not to arrive in a well preserved body
but rather to slide in sideways totally worn out shouting "holy shit"
what a ride

Pendjari is very hot - 40 degrees when I left a few weeks ago. Sealed roads in Benin are pretty good. In the park the main route (from the south) in is washboarding for 50km, but the pistes aren't too bad after that. Nice enough place - ask really nicely at the hotel, explain that your on a long trip etc, and they might let you camp (they did for me anyway).

During the cold season Ghana is quite cold at night in the north (ie: Wa, Mole), but once you get south to Kumasi it is extremely humid and unpleasant for sleeping at night. Without a fan it is a slow torture at night at times.

It's Washboard sure enough!
 

Rode from the tar road to Mole a few days ago on a 1200 GS.

It's not very nice, but there's no question that speed makes it better! Had a look at GPS tracklog afterwards - the 40 miles from the tar road west to Damongo (where I stopped both times) took me 1:15 on the way there, and I hated it, but on the way back I hammered it in 48 minutes and loved it, didn't stop once :funmeteryes:

Although badly corrugated, there aren't really any potholes except one sandy gully 1-2 metres wide crossing square across the piste, towards Damongo which I didn't see coming and hit with a bang on the way back...

Is mostly hot and humid even during the night.

Ah yeah, I remember that thing ... came out of nowhere! Virtually no sand on the Mole road except that one large sand pond and it was pretty deep. By the time I realized what it was there was nothing to do but gun on thru ... pretty fun but it does it wake you up! :eek3: