SHAI HILLS RESOURCE RESERVE

Shai hills Resource Reserve is situated in Doryumu in the Dangme West districtt with Dodowa as the district capital and north of Accra. It is made up of largely of savanna covered plains. The reserve is about 17kilometres from Accra. It covers an area size of 52 square kilometres and is made up of 5 hills with the highest at 290metres.

MAP OF SHAI HILLS RESOURCE RESERVE

The reserve consists of striking and attractive range of rocky hills set in the middle of expansive and open grassland plain. The reserve is fenced to prevent animals from staying out. There are beautiful scenic views across the Accra plain from the top. There are close to 31 mammals, 13 reptiles and 175 bird species. The baboon troop at the entrance can be amazing, but be cautious because they love to snatch your attended personal belongings.

The reserves wildlife is best viewed very early in the morning. One can travel through the park in a 4x4 vehicle or on foot with an armed escort from 6:00am to 5:00pm. Game viewing, hiking and bird watching are some of the activities that go on at the reserve. Kob, antelope, guineafowls, baboons and francolins are among the wildlife that can be found at the Shai.

In addition, one could also enjoy the pleasure of visiting Obonu tem and Se yo caves on the Hioweyo and Sayu hills (the Shai people’s ancestral caves).  These caves were used by the Shai Kings until the end of the 19^th century as defensive caves in times of war due to the abundance of great stone rocks, a tunnel -like opening and over hangs. Nearby is the Dodowa village, where a refreshing forest hike to a fetish shrine and the 250ft Tsenku waterfalls is possible.

A memorable day can be spent walking through the cool dry evergreen forest to the caves. It is opened to all at anytime throughout the year but becomes a bit uncomfortable and difficult during the rainy season.

OSU OXFORD STREET

Accra’s Oxford Street is widely considered as the city’s most globalised. The name Oxford Street is partly a creative and a fantastic projection of popular desire. Rather, it lies in the neighbourhood called Osu RE and is part of a much longer road,
Located about 3 kilometres east of the central business district, Osu is a district in Central Accra, Ghana, known for its busy commercial, restaurant and nightlife activity. It is bounded to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, west is the Independence Avenue, Ring Road separating it from the northern district of Labone Outstanding to its establishment as a settlement to the south is the Danish Colonial Fort of Christiansborg in the 17th century. Osu offers a mix of houses dating from the early 20th century thus both low-rise apartment blocks and detached houses to modern office towers.

Location of Osu Oxford Street

The main thoroughfare, Cantonments Road also known as Oxford Street features large supermarkets and appliance shops, and is renowned for its food joints and lively night life.

Oxford Street is a popular hangout especially on the weekends and holidays. It is a hot spot for lovers and a great place to entertain the whole family on special occasions. If you like clubbing or drinking there are loads of places to choose from(Citizen KofiEntertainment Center, Cave Lounge, Tantra night club, Baze Lounge and Bar, Don'sPlace, Ryan's Irish Pub & Restaurant, Makumba night club, PiccadillyCasino, Venus Cocktail Bar, Duplex, Calabash night club) Depending on the style of  music atmosphere and crowd you prefer. Osu has something for everyone.

 

As you enter the Street from the north end, you are immediately struck by how crowded it looks, with both vehicles and people, many large commercial buildings, and a abundance of huge billboards advertising everything from telecommunication networks (MTN, TIGO, VODAFONE, AIRTEL) to airlines, (Emirates, Starbow, City link).You are also confronted by a range of features exclusive from high streets everywhere in the world and yet with a decidedly mixed local character. Electronic goods stores(CompuGhana, Somoviosion,Infotech) abound, so do jewellery stores, boutiques (Monte-Carlo), along with the offices of major cell phone companies (Samsung), Koala and Lara Mart is also on Oxford Street, while the huge edifice to American fast food retailing that is KFC opened recently to add a further international dimension to the food offerings on the Street.  Several large Chinese restaurants (Tsing Tao, Noble Chinese Restaurant, Peking Restaurant, and Dynasty) and other high-end restaurants (Papaye, Bella Roma, Frankies, Mr. Biggs, Moonsoon, Osu Food Court, Container, Xigis, Osu Blue Gate), hotels (Penta Hotel, Okera Inn) internet cafes, forex bureau, and a large and luscious Italian-themed ice cream parlour make this commercial stretch a visitor’s dream and the local dispossessed’s a mouth-watering nightmare. The oxford street is also known for organising shows and events especially at night such as street carnivals, naming ceremonies, beauty pageants and others.

The oxford street also provide a wide of African fashion, arts and accessories ranging from bags, shoes, jewelry, paintings, sculptures, dresses, artefacts and so on.

The Osu-Oxford Street attracts people from all spheres of life. From rich to the poor, citizens to foreigners, young and old. Oxford Street is a bustling place packed with nightlife and excellent shopping by day and has something to offer everyone. Oxford Street is a great street to come to and will be even greater during festive occasions. Towards the end of every year, there is a big carnival and is opened to all.

THE BLACK STAR SQUARE

The Black Star Square formally known as the Independence Square is the second largest square in the world after the Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. It is a public square in Accra. The Black Star Gate, Independence Arch, The Liberation Day Monument, and the Memorial to an unknown soldier, are all part of the Independence Square. Close to it is the Accra Sports Stadium, The Asomdwe park (the final resting place of the Late President Prof. John Evans Atta Mills) and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The square has a capacity of over thirty thousand seats for spectators (30,000) thousand seats for customers

The Independence Arch which is part of the Black Star Square contains monuments to Ghana’s independence struggle, the Black Star Gate and the Liberation Day Monuments.

The largest and much participated national spectacle and display of colours takes place in the  Black Star Square on independence day. On this day, each of the government services is represented in full ceremonial dress, that is the Armed Forces, Airforce,  Navy, Police, Firemen and selected schools and colleges parade in front of the President and invited world leaders as well as over thirty thousand (30.000) spectators every 6^th march.

The Liberation Day Monument is also a monument in Accra located at the Black Star Square. It stands in honour of several veterans of the Burma Campaign, during the Second World War where they fought for the British Empire.  After returning to Ghana, some military men protested peacefully and were on their way to the Christiansburg Castle, the former seat of the government when they were eventually shot to death.

Every tourist or visitor is at liberty to take pictures of buildings but might not be permitted for close up shots of the Independence Arch with the exception of those with official permission.