Wli Falls are the great natural spectacle of eastern Ghana and the highest waterfall in all of West Africa. Hidden in an amphitheatre of forest by the border with Togo, the water plunges from the top of a cliff in a white curtain about 80 metres high. It ends in a natural pool where you can swim under the falling spray. The local name, Agumatsa, means 'let me flow', which captures the calm power of the falls well.
The walk to the foot of the Lower Falls is a pleasure in itself. A flat trail follows the Agumatsa stream, crossing it again and again over small wooden bridges, among huge trees, colourful butterflies and the song of hundreds of bird species, all within the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary. And there's a guaranteed surprise: the cliffs framing the falls are home to a gigantic colony of fruit bats, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, that fill the air as evening falls.
This guide explains how to get the most out of a visit to Wli. It covers the difference between the Lower Falls (easy) and the Upper Falls (for keen hikers), when to go depending on the water flow, what admission and the compulsory guide cost, and how to get there from Accra or Hohoe. It also shows how to combine the visit with other treasures of the Volta Region, such as the Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary and the Afadja mountains. A must for nature lovers.
Wli Falls are protected within the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary, an area of forest and mountains managed together with the community of Wli village. The falls are formed by the Agumatsa stream as it plunges over the escarpment of the Agumatsa-Afadja range, near the border with Togo. They are an example of community-based conservation: the village looks after the sanctuary, provides the compulsory guides and lives off the tourism drawn by West Africa's highest waterfall and its famous colony of fruit bats.
Read the full history ↓Ghana's green, mountainous east: land of the Ewe people, with the highest waterfall in West Africa, the vast Lake Volta and the sacred monkeys of Tafi Atome.
Read the history of Volta Region: mountains and waterfalls →No exact prices: a scale from $ (budget) to $$$$$ (luxury), with 2-3 options per category.
Origins, formation and what the sources say.
Wli Falls are fed by the Agumatsa stream, which flows down from the mountains in the east of the Volta Region, very close to the border with Togo. This is rugged country, dominated by the Agumatsa-Afadja range, the same range that is home to Mount Afadja (Afadjato), the highest peak in Ghana. These are ancient mountains, folded and eroded over millions of years and now covered in rainforest, a sharp contrast with the dry savannah found across the rest of the country.
The falls form where the Agumatsa stream reaches the edge of a great escarpment and plunges over a rock cliff about 80 metres high. Some measurements give even greater heights when they count the full system of drops. That makes it the tallest waterfall in Ghana and in all of West Africa. Over time the water has carved a natural amphitheatre into the rock. At its base lies a wide pool, surrounded by sheer walls covered in vegetation.
There are actually two falls: the lower falls, which are easier to reach, and the upper falls, hidden higher up the mountain. The local name for the whole site is Agumatsa, which in the Ewe language is usually translated as 'let me flow' or 'allow me to run', a lovely way of describing the water's endless flow over the cliff.
The falls are protected within the Agumatsa Wildlife Sanctuary, a natural area covering the stretch of forest and mountain around the stream and the waterfall. The sanctuary preserves a patch of rainforest with remarkable biodiversity. More than 200 bird species and around 400 butterfly species have been recorded here, along with monkeys, small mammals and lush plant life made up of tall trees, lianas and ferns.
The sanctuary's most famous residents are, without a doubt, the colony of fruit bats living on the cliffs that frame the waterfall. They number in the hundreds of thousands. By day they hang in clusters from the rock walls and the trees, and at dusk they take off in clouds that can darken the sky, a natural spectacle that amazes everyone who sees it. These bats also play a key ecological role by dispersing seeds and pollinating the forest.
The trail to the lower falls runs through this forest and crosses the Agumatsa stream about ten times on small wooden bridges, so the walk takes you right through the heart of the sanctuary. With its record-breaking waterfall, a forest full of life and a unique bat colony, Agumatsa is one of the most valuable and most visited natural areas in Ghana.
At the entrance to the sanctuary is the village of Wli, an Ewe community whose life has become closely tied to the falls. Unlike a park run only by the state, tourism here largely follows a community model. The people of Wli run the visitor centre, collect the admission fee and provide the guides who must accompany every hike. They also offer accommodation, food and crafts to travellers.
Under this model, at least part of the tourism income stays in the community and pays both for conserving the sanctuary and for improvements to the village. The local guides know every corner of the trail and every tree and bird along it. Their explanations and stories make the visit richer, and they make sure visitors explore the sanctuary safely and with respect for nature.
Wli has become one of Ghana's best-established ecotourism destinations and the symbol of the Volta Region, an area of mountains, waterfalls, monasteries, monkey sanctuaries and traditional villages. Protecting the tallest waterfall in West Africa and its forest now depends largely on that balance between tourism and community continuing to work.
Wli Falls are not a stand-alone attraction. They are the jewel of one of Ghana's most beautiful and most visited regions. The Volta Region lies between Lake Volta and the border with Togo, and its landscape is very different from the rest of the country, with green mountains, waterfalls, valleys and a strong Ewe cultural identity. Several of eastern Ghana's biggest tourist draws are just a few kilometres from Wli.
Nearby is Mount Afadja (Afadjato), the highest peak in Ghana and a classic hiking climb. There is also the Tafi Atome monkey sanctuary, where sacred mona monkeys come up to eat from your hand. The area also has villages known for kente weaving and glass beads, and further west lie the vast Lake Volta and the Akosombo Dam. That is why Wli is usually visited as part of a trip of several days around the region.
From Accra, about 280 km away, a trip to the Volta Region has become one of the favourite weekend getaways for Ghanaians and foreigners alike, and Wli Falls are almost always the highlight. Record-breaking nature, biodiversity, adventure and culture come together in this mountainous corner, which shows that Ghana is much more than its historic coastline and its cities. It is also a country of mountains and water.
