Nzulezu- The Village On Water

As we set off early in the morning and took the first STC bus from Accra to Takoradi, we continued our journey to a small town called Beyin in the coastal belt of Ghana. Nzulezu is specifically located on a small lake called Tandani near Beyin in the western region of Ghana. At Beyin, we went to the tourist information centre, where we were briefed about the tourist potential of the place. The gate fee for cruising on the lake to the village was bodily displayed on the notice board; that is GH¢5 for foreign tourist and Gh¢3 for local visitors of ten persons or more. Since we were only five in number, we paid Gh¢3 each for the tour services to the village. We were also given a life jacket and were accompanied by two tour guides who rode with us on a small canoe to the village. The cruising on the lake was very exciting and fearful but since we were wearing life jacket we were not scared. The small boat was moving very slowly until we got to the village in about thirty minutes time. We were warmly welcomed by the the village folks with a lot of smiles in a friendly manner. At Nzulezu, I really enjoyed the rich natural environment, the warm attitude of the people and the cool breeze from the lake, on which sited many traditional wooden houses built by the villagers to withstand the gentle waves of the lake. This is a place where the people live their entire life, do their chores in these wooden structures. The architectural design of these wooden houses actually portrays the skills and expertise of the villagers in line with their cultural values and norms. The houses were round-shaped, built so close to each other for easy accessibility to each other’s compound. Most of the villagers use the local solar lantern which was given to them by a prominent government official. Their main means of transport are the small canoes which are used by both women and children to the nearby village school. It was a fantastic experience to interact with them who find their entire life on the lake very comfortable. It is also worth it making that long journey from Accra to Nzulezu, the village on water. We passed the night in one of the wooden houses which were reserved for visitors or tourist near the chief’s palace. We carried some food in our luggage and so we did eat any food at the village. Because we knew we were going to pass the night there and return to the city the following day. The night was very quiet and the only noise I head was the sound of a bird. In our first evening it was hard to tear ourselves away from our compound and we walked in groups to experience the night life while we combed the entire village in less than thirty minutes. There was no light in the village except some few people who were using the solar lamps which were very powerful. Surprisingly, we located a drinking spot and video centre where most of the people go to entertain themselves. These centers were operating with small portable generators sets. We felt as if we retreated from the modern world, and had dropped off to sleep; the only sound to be heard was the tapping of the rain on the wooden planks and the severe wind that has blown with the rain. We had a sound sleep in a mosquito treated net which was provided to us by one of the elders in the village. In the next morning we were met by the busy schedule of these hard working men who were preparing to go to fishing, while the women also prepared vigorously to go to the market centers for their trading activities. The women and their bravely paddle these small canoes on their own, without the help of any elderly person. It was a fantastic experience to visit Nzulezu . For enquiries and Bookings, Contact FKF Horizon Consult on +233 24 3566 315