Horseback Riding Around Lake Bosumtwi

Last weekend was absolutely incredible! I took so many pictures of the lake I am having a hard time picking my favorites but I will do my best.

I left Accra last Friday, flew back to Kumasi, then took a taxi directly to Lake Bosumtwi to stay at The Green Ranch and go horseback riding!

The guest house and horse

The Green Ranch is run by a French expat, Elodie, her Ghanaian husband, Kojo and their sweet 20 month old baby Simeon. (No, the baby doesn't actually help run the place but he is part of the package...an adorable one at that who likes to steal your cup or bottle opener or napkin and throw it across the deck while giggling away) The ranch has only two staff besides Elodie and Kojo, Efua, who helps with the cooking/cleaning/babysitting and Kofi who manages the horses, the garden and security. They have 9 horses of which 5 are ride-able (others are too young/not yet trained). There are only two guest rooms so it is a very cozy place. It is not meant to be a guest house or restaurant (she serves delicious vegetarian food for her guests only) but a place for horse-lovers to stay so they can enjoy horseback riding. However, they are getting a reputation for serving delicious food so twice during my stay I witnessed Elodie agreeing to serve food to non-guests that came from a nearby guest house. She's too sweet to say no.

Friday night the other guests were three young women from Belgium who are in Ghana volunteering at various sites in Tamale. A nice couple from Sweden who had been riding that afternoon also stayed for dinner (even though they weren't guests), which consisted of a cucumber/avocado salad and then couscous and vegetarian stew - so delicious! We stayed up for a few hours chatting about various things that traveler chat about, drank beer/wine and watched the the lightening from across the lake.

View from my deck

Elodie and Simeon on the upper deck

Cucumber and avocado salad with delicious bread

Efua and Simeon

On Saturday, Elodie and I set out for "The Big Loop" around-the-lake horseback ride. We rode along the lake, up into the mountains overlooking the lake,  through cocoa and corn fields, and through 22 villages. About an hour and a half of the morning was spent walking the horses through a less developed part of the jungle-y area. It was definitely tough at times hiking on foot while leading a very large animal behind you, who is trying to eat everything in its path, while scrambling down eroded hillsides and through deforested fields filled with piles of logs and branches. There were some sections where we got to trot and canter, which were of course my favorite, but most of the day was walking. It was so peaceful to be out in nature on a horse with the beautiful lake as a setting that I didn't mind the slow pace at all!

Beginning of our 9 hour journey

During the walking/bush walking portion of the day

Resting for lunch

Celebrating the completion of the long 9 hour journey around the
lake with an ice cold beer on the upper deck!

After the ride Elodie and I enjoyed a delicious beer in celebration and then she prepared brown/red rice and beans with veggies. Simple but extremely filling and delicious. The other guests that night were an English woman and Dutch man both working in Accra. Another lovely night of drinking beer/wine and talking about worldly things. I was dreading having to leave the next day!

I seriously considered staying longer but Elodie had both rooms booked for Sunday night and I couldn't really avoid going back to Kumasi. As a compromise I extended my stay until about 4pm. I was feeling a bit tired from our long ride, and had a bit of traveler's stomach so just spent the morning lounging and reading. I packed up my stuff from the room so they could prepare for the new guests but kept my things in the main house. Kofi showed me the trail down to the lake where there is a little secluded rocky beach and I spent part of my afternoon swimming and lounging in peace by the water. Elodie then prepared a delicious fresh salad for lunch and we just hung out until my taxi arrived. I couldn't have asked for a better last weekend in Ghana.

Sunday spent swimming and relaxing by the lake

These goats came as a package deal when she bought one of her horses.