Parks & Wildlife
Aburi Botanical Gardens is an easy escape from the Accra heat
Eastern Region
Aburi Botanical Gardens, Eastern Region
Sixty-four hectares of colonial-era gardens on the Akuapem ridge, forty minutes above the capital.
Laid out in 1890 on the site of a sanatorium, Aburi Botanical Gardens sits at 370 metres on the Akuapem ridge where the air is noticeably cooler than Accra below. The great avenue of royal palms is the signature view.
The collection includes ancient silk cotton and ficus specimens, medicinal plant beds and a small nursery selling seedlings. A decommissioned military helicopter, long a curiosity, stands near the main lawn.
The road up from Accra passes the woodcarvers of Aburi market, one of the best places in the country to buy handmade stools, masks and drums.
What to see
- The royal palm avenue and the great lawn
- Medicinal and economic plant collections
- The Aburi woodcarvers market on the approach road
- Cool ridge-top views back over Accra
Getting there
- Drive north from Accra through Madina and up the Aburi road.
- Trotros to Aburi leave from the 37 station in Accra throughout the day.
Get directions
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Visitor tips
- Bring a picnic, the lawns are open to visitors.
- Weekends are busy with families from Accra.
