Mole National Park

Mole, pronounced mole-E or molay, is a large natural wildlife park with no fences.

Mole Park is large, covering 4,575 sq km so finding any particular animal or group of animals is not practical, instead you stay near the main waterhole and see what comes to you. It has Lions, leopards, hyenas and many other predators as well as elephants, and baboons, red monkey, green monkeys and a variety of deer like animals, it is said to have 94 species present.

Here you can walk with a guide who caries a rifle, and are at least in theory amongst the wildlife. You have the option of a morning, and some say also an evening, walk and if you have a jeep like vehicle you can also drive around a part of the park in the late afternoon again with an armed guide. The motel is not fenced completely from the park so Warthogs and other animals can and do visit the motel area.

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Mole is home to 93 mammalian species, 33 reptiles, 9 amphibians and an estimated 300 birds species. The mammals include some 600 elephants, 2,000 roam antelopes, 3,000 hartebeests, 4,000 waterbucks, 5,000 buffalo and some 6,000 warthogs. Uncounted lions, leopards, hyenas and various primates can also be seen in Mole. A total of 600km of game protection and viewing roads have been developed within the park.

Details	Stig Nygaard

On my visit there was a  delay in getting going for the early morning walk while they found more guides. It was apparently the wrong time of year to see elephants when I visited at the end of November, January to June being the best months, and lions only normally hunted at night so are rarely seen. I saw lions footprints while walking around the park. The walk around is not too strenuous, you do go over rough ground, through thick vegetation, and balance over a stream on a fallen branch. The climb, at the end, back up to the level of the motel is however quite strenuous, and long drawn out. I saw baboons up close, green monkeys nearby and a range of deer/antelope type creatures. I also saw Warthogs around the motel. So I saw some animals but unfortunately I had not planned to also have the time to stay for the afternoon drive, and although a pleasant place its a long way to go unless you make the most of it. Wiki Travel says the most recent sighting of a lion was in 2004. While visiting, there was a group of birdwatchers who were delighted with their species count.

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Mole Motel has a range of different priced accommodation, but all very reasonably priced. The air conditioned chalet I had, had a double bed, fridge, other furniture, and ensuite facilities, plus a balcony with one of the world's best views, allowing you to see miles across the waterholes. It has a pool, and bar/restaurant. There is a viewing platform on the edge of the hillside, with a similar and slightly better view of the waterholes than the balconies.

The Viewing Platform

Getting to Mole National Park is an experience in its own right, there are 80km of mud tracks, very bad in places, and passing by many mud hut villages. Not far from the park is the village of Larabanga, with the oldest mosque in Ghana, Larabanga Mosque and the Mystery Stone , past this runs the road that goes on to the Hippo Sanctuary.

We have a fuller and more varied set of photographs in the Mole National Park Photo Gallery

Location: Mole National Park Park, Northern Ghana Map Reference: Country/region: Ghana Map Link: Aerial photo: Getting there: Access: Website: http://www.touringghana.com/ecotourism/mole.asp Other Useful Websites: Wikitravel http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1391/ http://www.ghanawildlifesociety.org/eco/mole.html Now slightly dated report written in 2000 http://www.travelafricamag.com/content/view/373/46/ Email: Address: Postcode: Telephone: Opening Times: Charges: Nearby Locations: Other Location Pages: Mole National Park Photo Gallery Notes:     Page Ref: mole_park Classification: Wildlife Date Updated: 01/2009

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