On the hunt for adventure at LAKE BOSOMTWE

Whether you believe it was formed by a crash-landing meteorite or the wishes of a water goddess, Lake Bosomtwe is a magical place. Adventurer Selorm Ernest Sosu meets the people who call it home.

I have heard many stories about Lake Bosomtwe so I took a trip to Banso and Appau – two of the sacred, ancient towns that surround the lake – to satisfy my curiosity.

My journey started in Kumasi and continued through Bekwai to Muruntuo. From here I set out on foot. Few motorists take this undulating road, which rises in height before descending to the lake and ending at Banso.

Descending from the hills on foot for a walk of about 25 minutes reveals beautiful views of Lake Bosomtwe. It is the largest natural lake in West Africa and is filled mainly by rainwater. During the rainy season, three main water bodies serve as sources: the river Ebor, lying between the town of Abono and Adwarfu; Abriwa, located between Banwuso and Appau and the third, Kantakyi, located between Agyaman and Bruokwa.

Lake legend

How the lake got here is still unclear. Many geologist and researchers from all over the world have visited this beautiful natural lake surrounded by green vegetation and mountains in an effort to discover its origins.

Lake Bosomtwe’s surrounding looks like a crater, suggesting it may have been caused by an explosion or the impact of a meteorite.

My interaction with some elders in the community revealed that the lake is seen as a very sacred place to the Ashanti people who live in the area. It was considered taboo to use a regular dugout canoe or for any form of metal or iron to touch the surface of the lake and today fishermen on the lake, which is filled with tropical tilapia, use a very unusual type of boat.

The craft are little more than a plank of wood, which the fishermen sit on top of while using plates or just their hands as makeshift oars to propel themselves. However, these days there are a couple of modern boats that traverse the lake.

The water level of the lake continues to rise, meaning over the years lakeside villages have had to keep moving up the hillside. Visitors will notice that many of the villages are named with numerical suffixes that reveal how many times they have had to relocate on higher ground. More clues to the rising water levels are the numerous tree trunks growing in the lake, some of them more than 300 years old. When it was smaller, Lake Bosomtwe used to have 30 villages surrounding it, but now there are just 23 with the rest swallowed up by water.

Each village has its own fetish grove or shrine and rituals are performed during the intense rainfall of the wet season to appeal to the gods to protect them. Some of the people here are converted Christians, though many continue to seek traditional help in bad times or against diseases.

SACRED PLACE - Lake Bosomtwe

Origin story

Among the most interesting of the traditional beliefs among these welcoming communities concerns the origins of Lake Bosomtwe itself. The name ‘’Bosomtwe means ‘Antelope God’ and it is said that the lake was discovered by an Ashanti hunter who, in 1648, was chasing an antelope that disappeared into the lake.

The hunter was named Akora Bompe and he was a native of Kokofu Asaaman, one of the earliest Ashanti settlements. He and his dog, Daakyi (future), were on the trail of game.

It was a strange day to choose to hunt. It was Akwasidae, the scared 40th day on the Ashanti traditional calendar, when nobody is supposed to go hunting, but instead attends a festival to honour the gods of the land. Suddenly an antelope jumpedout from the trees and Bompe killedit. Bompe had a good eye and theantelope was in close range so thehunter was amazed when the animalcontinued to run away. Bompe andDaakyi decided to chase the injuredantelope through the rainforest bytracing its dripping blood. When theyfinally found the antelope, it was lyingby a small pond which was not up toknee level. There were lots of tilapiafish in the water.

NATURAL BEAUTY - The lake at dawn

Bosomtwe means ‘Antelope God’ and it is said that the lake was discovered by an Ashanti hunter

Growing lake

Daakyi took advantage to feast on thetilapia while Bompe watched in astonishment.Bompe waited out to theantelope, but saw it disappear underthe water. It was as if this body ofwater wanted to save the animal’s life.The hunter never got the antelope. Bompe went back and narrated hisstory to the chief of the town.

Knowing that he was guilty ofworking on Akwasidae, Bompetwisted the story to suggest thatsince the antelope was woundedand jumped into that shallow pondand disappeared, the antelope musthave been a water god. The hunter’sadventure gave the place its name.

This story suggests at that timethe lake level was very low. It certainlyisn’t now – with a surface area ofaround 25sq km and 90 metres deepin places. Only two people havesuccessfully swum across the lake.The most recent crossing was in 2016and took four and a half hours.

Exploring this huge lake and itscommunities on foot is a fascinatingexperience. I’d love to take you withme some time.

Selorm Ernest Sosu

Selorm Ernest Sosu is a blogger, photographer, hiker, backpack traveller and a tour guide who has travelled around Ghana 69 times (at last count) in bringing to light his country’s remotest and most rewarding corners. You can find out about his latest adventures on Instagram at detraveling_fotografa and even join him on packaged trips he organises and leads. For details, call +233 244 411 375.