Cape Coast
Coast, castles and rainforest canopy
Home to Kakum National Park and a coastline layered with difficult history.
See it
Central.
Real places in this region, photographed by the people who were there. Every photo is credited. Tap one to see it large. Got a better one? Share it.
Photo credits & licences
- Cape Coast Castle, Central Region. Jasmine Sackey-Addo · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kakum National Park canopy walkway, Central Region. Philip Nalangan · CC BY 4.0
- Cape Coast Castle by day. Kwameghana(Bright Kwame Ayisi) · CC BY 4.0
- Cape Coast Castle's cannons facing the sea. Rjruiziii · CC BY-SA 3.0
- The canopy walkway at Kakum. Jones Anlimah · CC BY-SA 4.0
- The outer walls of Elmina Castle. David Stanley (on Flickr) · CC BY 2.0
- Cape Coast from Fort Victoria. Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Boats coming in from fishing, Elmina. Isaac Ayensu · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Elmina harbour. travelinsider · CC BY 2.0
- Elmina harbour. Francisco Anzola · CC BY 2.0
- Kakum's canopy walkway through the treetops. daSupremo · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Boats at Elmina harbour. Benggriff · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Crossing Kakum's canopy walkway. Jones Anlimah · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Elmina Castle. Damien Halleux Radermecker · CC BY-SA 2.0
- The lake at Hans Cottage Botel. Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Last Bath memorial at Assin Manso. Caupolicaningles · CC BY-SA 4.0
Worth the trip.
Places in this region people keep coming back to. Not a ranking — a starting point.
Jasmine Sackey-Addo · CC BY-SA 4.0Cape Coast Castle
A UNESCO World Heritage site, and a place of difficult, necessary history.
Philip Nalangan · CC BY 4.0Kakum National Park
Rainforest, and a canopy walkway strung between the trees.
Damien Halleux Radermecker · CC BY-SA 2.0Elmina Castle
Begun in 1482, the oldest European-built structure in sub-Saharan Africa.
Caupolicaningles · CC BY-SA 4.0Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River
The last bathing place before the coast, now a site of return.
Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0Hans Cottage Botel
Crocodiles and birdlife a short drive from Cape Coast.
Festivals in
Central.
Festivals and cultural events kept here, in calendar order. Many dates move from year to year, so each festival’s page has what we know about when.
- Early Jan
Edina Bronya
Elmina’s own “Christmas”, born of its Dutch years, with rites at the Benya Lagoon and chiefs in palanquins.
Usually the first Thursday of JanuaryElmina
- 1 Jan
Winneba Masquerade
Five masquerade clubs in masks and costumes march and dance for the prize on New Year’s Day.
1 JanuaryWinneba
- 1st wknd May
Aboakyer
Two Asafo companies race to catch a live bushbuck with sticks and bare hands, an offering to the god Penkye Otu.
Usually the first weekend of MayWinneba
- Early Jul
Bakatue
Elmina opens the Benya lagoon: the chief casts a net three times, then come the regatta and a durbar at the castle.
The first Tuesday of July, with a durbar that SaturdayElmina
- 1st Sat Sep
Fetu Afahye
Cape Coast’s week of cleansing and thanksgiving, with Asafo companies, state umbrellas and a grand procession.
The first week of September, peaking on the first SaturdayCape Coast
People say
these are nice.
Places added by people reading this site.
Nothing here yet for this region. Be the first to put us on to somewhere good.
You give us the lead.
We’ll do the digging.