"The Village with the Oldest Building in Ghana" Larabanga by atufft

Larabanga Travel Guide: 16 reviews and 99 photos

Larabanga is Near Mole National Park

Visitors to Mole National Park might as well spend a few hours in the village of Larabanga, as it is located on the road leading to the park entrance. The old rusty buses that ply these dirt highways make a stop here. When we visited, it was prior to sunrise as we had left Mole and were heading toward Wa in the Upper West region of Ghana. However, the bus leaving Mole was destine east for Tamale, not Wa, so we chose to eat breakfast and wander around town, as we waited for another bus heading west.

We walked with the Imam's son and his friends

Imam's Son, center, and his friends

Since Larabanga is a very small town, it wasn't long before the Imam's son and his friends found us. He was eager to show us the old mosque. We walked through the village, past homes with smoking fires, and I was able to shoot these wonderful sunrise shots. Later, we returned to the crossroads and ate breakfast.

Waiting for the bus, we enjoyed the people

Cooking on Main Street in Larabanga

The wait for the bus was about four hours, a short time in this part of the country. But, it seemed like an eternity as we weren't guaranteed that the bus would arrive, and the accomodations in Larabanga were below our usual standards. So, the Imam's son took me around to meet his blind father, and we played with the children. Eventually, the bus did arrive.

Pros and Cons

Pros:The great mud mosque and Larabanga hospitality
Cons:One can get stranded here for days
In a nutshell:Larabanga is a must stop, for a variety of reasons.

Last visit to Larabanga: Jul 2004
Intro Updated Mar 25, 2007
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Reviews (7)

Bus for Wa Transportation (1)

We shared a taxi from the bus station in Tamale to Mole National Park, but after leaving the park, the women returned to... more travel advice

Larabanga Animals Still Asleep - Larabanga

Wander Among The Homes and Animals Things to Do (4)

The path to the mosque involved passing through the private residential area of town. There were a number of interesting... more travel advice

Visit the Imam of the Mosque Things to Do (4)

The Imam's son invited us to walk to his father's house to meet him. The old man was comfortably seated, but blind. The... more travel advice

Breakfast in Larabanga Restaurants (1)

At the crossroads in Larabanga, there's a place were breakfast can be bought very cheaply. The food is safe and... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
Rooftop Sleeping

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Comments (5)

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monina_c Jul 3, 2007 at 12:30 AM

Good afternoon Alan. And I thought we had the worst prison system!
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kenHuocj May 18, 2007 at 5:46 AM

superb insights, waiting for my daughters report from Tamale - she's there with EWB ;-)))
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nickandchris Apr 18, 2007 at 9:40 AM

Such a different way of life. Wonderful atmospheric, true life photos.
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leonik Apr 14, 2007 at 11:57 PM

a bizarre practice of chaining the prisoners out in the open... i thought the bottom half of the prisoner's body's eaten away until i got a closer look... too much zombie flicks.
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Vulindlela Mar 25, 2007 at 9:27 PM

Great pictures Alan!