Kumasi travel guide

Kumasi is the capital of the [[Ashanti Region]] of [[Ghana]] and the historic centre of the [[Asante]] people. It is a major commercial and cultural centre, known for its markets, traditional crafts, museums and historic sites. Kumasi is also a gateway to attractions and heritage sites in the surrounding Ashanti Region.

Understand

Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti Region of Ghana and the historic centre of the Asante people. It is one of Ghana's major cities and an important commercial and cultural centre. The city lies in the forested interior of southern Ghana and is known for its markets, traditional crafts, museums and strong connections to Asante history and culture.

Kumasi was established in the late 17th century under Osei Tutu I, the first Asantehene, with the guidance of the priest Okomfo Anokye. It later became the capital of the Asante Kingdom, which developed into one of the most powerful states in West Africa. The city remained an important political and cultural centre during the colonial period and continues to be the seat of the Asantehene and an important centre of Asante traditional life.

Much of Kumasi's historical importance is connected with the Asante Kingdom. The Manhyia Palace area, museums and traditional sites provide an introduction to the history of the Asante state. The Asante Traditional Buildings, found in and around Kumasi, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The surviving buildings are traditional shrines constructed using materials including timber, bamboo and mud plaster, and their decorative motifs include symbolic Adinkra designs. They are among the last surviving examples of the traditional architectural style of the Asante Kingdom.

Kumasi was affected by the Anglo-Asante wars of the 19th century. British forces invaded and partly destroyed the city in 1874 and returned during later conflicts. In 1896, the Asantehene Prempeh I was deposed and exiled. The 1900 War of the Golden Stool, associated with Yaa Asantewaa and other Asante leaders, was the final major uprising against British colonial rule. These events form an important part of the city's history.

People and language

Kumasi is predominantly Akan in cultural and linguistic terms, and Asante Twi is the main local language. English is Ghana's official language and is widely used in education, government, business and tourism. Visitors can generally use English in hotels, restaurants, shops and other places serving tourists.

The city is culturally diverse and attracts people from many parts of Ghana and other countries. Its markets and commercial districts can therefore be busy and multilingual.

Population and urban area

The boundaries of Kumasi's metropolitan administration have changed over time as surrounding areas have become separate municipal authorities. The 2021 Population and Housing Census recorded 443,981 people in Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, all classified as urban. This figure should not be confused with estimates for the wider Kumasi built-up area, which extends beyond the KMA administrative boundary.

Climate

Kumasi has a warm, humid tropical climate with rainfall throughout much of the year. The city experiences wetter periods as well as relatively drier periods, and heavy rain can occur during the wet season. Temperatures remain warm year-round, although conditions can vary with rainfall and cloud cover.

Travelers should be prepared for sudden rain, particularly during the wetter months. Light clothing is generally suitable for the warm climate, while an umbrella or lightweight rain jacket is useful.

Culture

Asante culture remains an important part of everyday life in Kumasi. Traditional authority, festivals, music, drumming, textiles, goldwork, woodcarving and Adinkra symbolism are prominent features of the region's cultural heritage.

The city is an important centre for traditional crafts. Visitors can find locally produced textiles, including kente, as well as Adinkra cloth, woodcarvings, jewellery and other crafts. Traditional festivals and ceremonies may take place at different times of the year, although dates and access for visitors vary.

Kumasi is also home to major cultural institutions including the Manhyia Palace Museum, which displays royal regalia, photographs, furniture, drums, palanquins and other objects connected with Asante history.

Orientation

The central commercial area includes Adum, while Kejetia and the surrounding Central Market area form one of the city's busiest commercial districts. Bantama, Suame, Nhyiaeso, Asokwa, Oforikrom and the KNUST area are other important parts of the metropolitan area.

Kumasi is a large and busy city, and distances that appear short on a map can take considerably longer to travel during periods of heavy traffic. Visitors staying near the central commercial area will generally find many shops, markets, restaurants and transport connections within easy reach.

Respect

Traditional and religious sites should be treated respectfully. Ask before photographing people, ceremonies or sacred places, and follow instructions from guides, custodians and local authorities. Visitors attending traditional events should dress appropriately and should not enter restricted areas without permission.

Get in

Kumasi is a cosmopolitan city with a good road network and one can travel on local buses which ply predetermined routes or charter/hire taxis to take one to his preferred destination.

By plane

Flights from Accra to Kumasi are about 45 minutes long, limited on luggage allowance. Small planes, yet short trip.

By bus

To travel by road to Kumasi from Accra you will need to allow 6 hours travel time. The STC bus service does not seem to be running anymore, or very sporadically; however private bus companies like VIP Jeoun (a Korean company) have taken over this route. Price is 120 cedis for a very comfortable and luxury bus (every row contains three seats; two on one side and one on the other), or 100 cedis for regular touring bus (4 seats in each row).

To travel by road

Get around

The tro-tro station in the city centre offers the widest range of destinations. The disadvantage of this tro-tro station is that it is extremely chaotic and that it is right in the city centre: getting out of the city is often problematic due to a plethora of traffic jams. If you can't find your tro-tro, ask one of the tro-tro mates or one of the ticket sellers. The destinations are posted on signs above the bus station.

Another alternative is to catch a tro-tro from the ring road instead. This saves you the hassle of navigating through the Kumasi traffic jams.

By car

Car rental in Kumasi is available at about US$75–100 per day.

See

Ghana Armed Forces Museum (Photo: jbdodane, CC BY 2.0)

• Kumasi Zoological Garden (Kumasi Zoo), ☏ +233 24 534 2317. 09:00-17:00. All of the animals from the former Accra Zoo were transferred here.
• Kejetia Market, Kejetia Road, ☏ +233 24 607 6903. Largest market in West Africa, with subsections selling clothes, fabrics, home goods, and most anything else including hot meals. The new enclosed market centre is laid out in grids, but the surrounding streets are more crowded and lined with vendors. Can be loud and overwhelming or a rewarding, local experience; use your own judgement.
• Okomfo Anokye Sword Site, Stewart Ave, on grounds of Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, ☏ +233 27 747 3288. 09:00-17:00. The legendary site of the foundation of the Ashanti Empire in Kumasi in 1701, where the 'immovable' sword driven into the ground by Okomfo Anokye remains.
• St. Peter's Cathedral, Roman Hill, ☏ +233 24 576 6518. A Kumasi landmark, next to the Kejetia Market, built in 1913.
• Wesley Methodist Cathedral, 5 Denkyemenaso Rd (in the centre of Adum, 2 blocks S of Kejetia Market), ☏ +233 24 583 8016. Mon–Sat 08:30–17:30. This cathedral has been a long-standing feature in Adum. It is said that the missionaries who came to plant the church were killed by lions, and that the statue of a man standing on a lion in front of the church is testament of victory over that or something like that.
• Rattray Park, Victoria Opoku Ware Street, Nhyiaeso Kumasi (close to Golden Bean Hotel), ☏ +233 20 6018820. 08:00-23:00. Rattray park is one of Kumasi's premier recreational parks, developed by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and opened in 2015 as part of efforts to restore Kumasi's reputation as the Garden City of West Africa. The park is named after Captain Robert Sutherland Rattray, a Scottish anthropologist and colonial administrator who documented the history and customs of the Ashanti Kingdom. The park offers beautifully landscaped gardens, paved walking paths, an artificial lake, a children's playground, restaurants and cafes. It's a popular destination for picnics, photographs, exercise, and leisure.
• Knust Botanical Garden. 07:00-17:00. The Knust Botanical Garden is a peaceful green space on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi. he Garden has a wide variety of indigenous and exotic trees, flowering plants, medicinal species, and ornamental vegetation, making it an important ecological resource for students, researchers, and visitors alike. Beyond its academic role, the garden has become a popular recreational destination for residents and tourists seeking a quiet escape from the city's bustle.

Museums

Manhyia Palace Museum (Photo: Dan Sloan, CC BY-SA 2.0)

Ghana Armed Forces Museum (Photo: Noahalorwu, CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Manhyia Palace Museum, ☏ +233 27 883 4354. Daily 09:00–17:00. Built in 1925 by the British as the residence of King Asantehene Prempeh I, this museum is also a palace. Walking through the museum, you will learn about the function of each room when it was used by the kings, as well as seeing artwork and artefacts from the Asante kings.
• Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, ☏ +233 5122822. Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00; Sat Sun 10:00–16:00. Features artefacts and personal belongings of former Asante kings including a reproduction of the golden stool.
• Ghana Armed Forces Museum (Kumasi Fort), 22 Steward Ave, ☏ +233 5123103. Tue–Sat 09:00–17:00. The museum buildings is housed in the Kumasi Fort, built by the British in 1896 after they destroyed the Asante Fort that used to stand here. The museum predominantly features information and artefacts related to the British-Asante War, but also includes many artefacts from World War I, World War II, and information about modern Ghanaian military history. Tour guides are friendly and very knowledgeable. Highly recommended.
• Nurom Hat Museum, Nurom Hotel, Suame. A collection of some 2,000 hats from around the world belonging to Chief Nana Kofi Gyemfi II at the top of the Nurom Hotel, but it may no longer be open.

Do

Shores of Lake Bosumtwi (Photo: Amuzujoe, CC BY-SA 4.0)

• A tour of the Palace grounds explains the history of the Ashanti people and the significance of the Ashanti cultural history.
• Lake Bosumtwi (take Lake Rd SW for about 35 km from Kumasi, may take about 1 hour). This is the only natural lake in Ghana and interestingly created by a meteor impact. It has very lush and green surroundings, being 8 km in diameter and 82 metres (270 ft) deep, although the water quality itself may not be that clean. It is a sacred lake, as Ashanti believe it is where departed souls come to bid farewell to goddess Asase Ya. It can be reached by tro-tro or private taxis. The private taxi price should be about 50 cedis (September 2013). Lodging available at Paradise Resort. Do not go to the tourist information center "Jakad" in Abono, the town you will most likely be dropped off at, it is just a guy trying to extract 200 cedis through a community donation scam (December 2023).
• Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary (30-45 minutes NW of Kumasi: go west on Sunyani Rd, then NW on IPT Rd to Owabi), ☏ +233 30 240 1210. Mon–Fri 08:00–16:00. Sanctuary with about 161 bird species, and butterflies, antelope, bushbuck, bushpig, and monkeys. The only inland Ramsar site in Ghana. Guided walks can be arranged at the visitor centre. The Bamboo Temple is very pretty and worthwhile. It can be reached by tro-tro to Esaase or Owabi tro-tro stops. From the Esasie tro-tro stop it is a walk of about 1–2 km, or else get a private taxi. May want to call to confirm price/location. GH₵6; guided walk available.

Adae Kese Festival

The Adae Kese Festival is a very important, albeit rare, celebration of the Ashantis. It is held in a large open space in Kumasi. The festival is normally well attended and embraced by Ashantis from all walks of life. The Adae Kese celebrations are magnified forms of Sunday Adae festivals, celebrated every six weeks in accordance with the Akan calendar which is based on a cycle of 42 days and nine months in a year. Invariably, the last Akwasidae festival is set aside for the celebration of Adae Kese. The public celebrations take the form of a colourful durbar of chiefs and queen mothers presided over by the Asantehene. It involves the display of cherished regalia and paraphernalia accompanied by traditional drumming and dancing as well as firing of musketry amidst pomp and pageantry.

The Adae festival is a continuous demonstration of faith in the vision and heritage of the Asante Kingdom, which has existed since the introduction of the Golden Stool in 1700. The festival is also to commemorate and re-enforce the independence of the Ashanti people and an occasion to re-affirm each state's loyalty to the confederacy instituted in the aftermath of the Ashanti war of independence fought against the Denkyeras between 1697–1699. It provides a platform for the King to meet and share his thoughts with his sub-chiefs and subjects and also reward deserving ones.

Buy

• Kejetia Market. Kente fabric strips, glass beads, Ashanti sandals, batik – pretty much everything under the sun.
• Ntonso Adinkra Village, ☏ +233 54 345 4505. Mon–Sat 06:00–17:00. This is a craft workshop where you can take tours but also especially buy authentic Ghanaian products like adrinka clothing and kente cloth.
• Kejetia Market (Kumasi Central Market) (right in the centre of the central business district). 6:00am- 7:00pm. This market stands as the largest single marketplace in West Africa. It have over 12 hectares, the massive commercial hub houses upwards of about 10,000 stores and stalls, bringing thousands of traders and visitors daily. A lot of items and goods such as traditional Items, fashion and footwear, electronics and home goods, fresh produce and Foodstuffs can all be found in the market.
• Asafo market (Nkrumah Market) (located at west of the Asafo Interchange). 6:30am- 5:30pm. This is one of the major commercial trading centres of Ghana. Originally named Nkrumah Market, it serves as a place for local foodstuff, textiles, and household goods. It has undergone redevelopment by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

Eat

The Noble House Hotel serves excellent Indian and Chinese food. Prices are higher than the average Ghanaian restaurant: expect to pay GH₵30–40 for a curry, some rice and a drink. Noble House has the same owners as the Heritage Restaurant in Osu, Accra. Other options with local cuisine include: African Pot and Grill and Mukyia Delight Cafe & Restaurant.

• Maame Serwaa Chop Bar. Serves fufu with fish soup and you eat it with yours hands. Of course only Ghanaians eat here. You eat alfresco in a quiet road.
• Friends Gardens, 4500 New Bekwai Rd, ☏ +233 32 219 4214. Tasty local African dishes.
• Moti Mahal, Top Martins Complex, ☏ +233 32 202 9698. Daily 12:00–15:00, 18:30–23:00. Indian cuisine.
• Ike's Cafe and Grill, Ghana National Cultural Centre, ☏ +233 50 311 3110. Local and intercontinental. Good but not cheap.

Drink

Vic Baboo's (Prempeh II Rd) is not the most atmospheric place in town, but it had an impressive cocktail menu. It is a place to meet backpackers, expats and volunteers. The menu features a variety of different Indian, Chinese, Continental, and fast food dishes. The lassi and milkshakes are especially good, staff are friendly and it has a homely atmosphere.

Sleep

Budget

• TUMI Hostel, Four junction. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. An atmospheric, well-furnished, hostel, where you can usually meet many other travellers. The price includes breakfast, and dinner is another $6. The hostel funds the TUMI Foundation for women's empowerment; clothes and accessories can be bought on location. $12.

Mid-range

• Mikaddo City Inn, Mikaddo Plaza, Adum (on 4th Floor) (2 blocks S of Kejetia Market on Apimpua Rd), ☏ +233 54 844 6012. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 12:00. Contemporary lodging with Wi-Fi, laundry, breakfast, a/c, parking in the craziness of Kumasi centre. ~US$37.
• Vienna City Kumasi (Roses Guest House), No. 4 Harper Rd (S of the centre, near Rattray Park and Royal Golf Club), ☏ +233 32 202 3500. Sort of outlying hotel location with laundry, restaurant, pub (smoky), casino, billiards, Wi-Fi. Gated. US$43.
• Four Villages Inn, ☏ +233 32 202 2682.

Splurge

• Lancaster Kumasi City, Rain Tree Street, Lesley Opoku-Ware Drive (3 km from Kejetia Mkt; near junction of Harper Rd and Victoria Opuku-Ware Rd), ☏ +233 24 434 0220. Full amenities: Wi-Fi, a/c, pool, bar, restaurant, buffet breakfast, gym, room service, airport shuttle, security cameras, conference room, tennis courts. Pool and grounds and dining room are very nice. ~US$110.
• Royal Lamerta Hotel, ☏ +233 32 204 1200.

Stay safe

There are safe guides in hotels. Be mindful of pickpockets at the Kejetia Market.

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