After an extraordinary couple of days exploring the Ashanti capital, Kumasi, I headed further into the interior of Ghana for an epic road trip to the country’s biggest wildlife refuge! Come with me as I go on a 7-hour Ghana street food road trip adventure on my way from Kumasi to Mole National Park!
I couldn’t wait to get to Mole National Park. It’s located in the northern region of Ghana and is the best place in the country to spot wildlife. I started my day at 6 a.m. with my guide Isaac and driver Ben from Jolinaiko Eco Tours. It took us about 45 minutes to get out of Kumasi. The traffic in Ghana is really rough, even early in the morning. One thing I noticed is that the air in Kumasi is very dusty!
As we drove north, it got chillier as we passed forests and small villages. After a while, we came across a street food vendor in the town of Abofour selling my favorite Ghanaian dish, waakye!
Waakye is rice and beans with spring onions, lettuce, chicken, and more. It was topped with a delicious and pasty black pepper sauce and reminded me of arroz con frijoles or Central American rice and beans. It was really spicy and full of phenomenal flavor.
The fried chicken was crispy and juicy. It was lightly fried and perfectly cooked. The pepper sauce was so good that I asked for some more. I loved it. It was a great way to start my day for only $2 USD for me and Isaac!
Then, I washed my hands and we hit the road again. My mouth was on fire after that black pepper sauce! Soon, we passed through Techiman, the capital of the Bono East Region. This region is known for its cashew production. There were lots of tuk-tuks and a variety of high-rise and low-rise buildings.
After 15 minutes, we had passed through the city. Then, we stopped by the side of the road to check out a cashew farm. We didn’t eat any of the cashews; instead, we ate some of the fruit. It was both sweet and sour and full of juice!
We continued along a rural road linking lots of small villages. We were reaching the drier area of Ghana, where you’ll find savannah environments. Soon, we stopped again at a neighborhood where vendors sell spices, fish, and yams.
They had an endless supply of yams! We bought three for 10 cedis. I wanted to stay longer, but I needed to get to the national park by 3 p.m. to make it in time for the last game drive of the day. The women there were so nice and kept asking me to stay!
Then, after a quick drive, we stopped again to buy some roasted yam for 1 cedi per piece. I also saw some roasted plantains!
In the savannah, you’ll see lots of massive termite mounds. I saw some really big ones as we drove. Along the way, I tried the roasted yam as we crossed the Black Volta River and into the Savannah Region. It was super hot—95 degrees.
I noticed lots of mosques here, so this is a Muslim-mostly area. We passed by some hut villages and made it to a village where they process shea butter. They soak and roast the nuts from the shea fruit. It’s a long process, but the end result is the shea butter, which you can eat and use as a cosmetic product!
I put some shea butter on my arms and my head. I really liked it but you can’t buy any there. With 26 km left until we reached the park, we stopped for lunch at an open-air eatery.
I got some jollof rice, which contains red sauce, cabbage, and noodles, and was cooked in a stew! They also make porridge, fufu, and more there. The jollof had tons of flavor, and the cabbage added a nice crunch and freshness. I also had some delicious fried chicken with it, which was perfect! It was crispy and tender without being so fried that it gets hard.
With 30 minutes to go, we were finally close to Mole National Park, the best place to see wildlife in Ghana. I’d be staying at Zaina Lodge, one of only two accommodation options in the park. It offers tons of game drives and is the first luxury resort in West Africa!
What an awesome Ghana street food road trip to Mole National Park! Huge thanks to my friends at Jolinaiko Eco Tours for making it possible.
I hope you liked coming with me on my Ghana street food road trip from Kumasi to Mole National Park. If you did, please give this video a thumbs up and leave a comment below. Also, please subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification bell so you don’t miss any of my travel/food adventures around the world!
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