Aburi Botanical Gardens
Today we visited the Aburi Botanical Gardens. This park was started in the 1890’s by the British as a place to get away from the tropical climate. They are situated in the hills North of Accra, where the temperature is cooler and there are no mosquitoes. The gardens contain specimens of plants from across the British Empire. Today the park is open to the public. In recent years the gardens have experienced increased use due to citizens increased access to cars. It is still a major tourism area. Ghanaians also celebrate special occasions and hold weddings in the park.
Cheap Fruit
On our way to the park we stopped by the side of the road to buy some fruit from women who were selling oranges, bananas and pineapples. The bargain of the day was paying two cedis for four pineapples. A cedi is equal to a dollar, so we payed fifty cents a pineapple. We also bought some bananas, which were very tasty.
At the Gardens
In the park we saw and learned about a wide variety of plants including, palm, cocoa, cinnamon, star fruit, and lavender trees. An especially interesting tree we saw was a parasitic vine that climbs the host tree before slowly strangling it. Once the host has died its trunk rots leaving a hollow parasitic tree. Several group members climbed inside the tree using gaps in its walls as handholds. Another plant we saw was jatropha, a plant that is used to produce inedible oil for biodiesel.
Today offered exciting insight to the flora and fauna of Ghana and other parts of Africa. It was very interesting visiting the spice garden at the botanical center and seeing how many of the spices many of us use on a daily basis are grown and harvested. We were very lucky to have with us two knowledgeable tour guides, Charles and Dr. Manu. Charles is a friend of Dr. Manu who is traveling with us for the entire trip and was influential in helping to plan our outings. With each day passing we learn more and more about the people and agriculture of Ghana, and thankfully the trip has only just begun!
Click Here to view a map of our day.
