Stilt Silt Village Ghana Vr Tours

2CC2+5WX, Nzulenzu, Ghana

Nzulezo is a village built entirely on stilts on Lake Amansuri. It is constructed out of wood and raffia with one central walkway and two dozen houses on either side. The only way to get there is to travel 5km on the lake in a local canoe. The most striking feature that catches the eye at nzulezo are the wooden accommodation facilities hanging some five feet above the lake level. Visitors to the village are welcomed by the NZULEZO STILT VILLAGE TOUR MANAGEMENT.

Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -2.5970069 / Link Gps -2.5972168 / Link Gps -2.5974698

Gps Coordinates / 5.0200804,-2.5970069 / 5.0202106,-2.5972168 / 5.0203746,-2.5974698

Some 360 kilometers (224 miles) west of the capital Accra lies the village of Nzulezo. More than 500 others live in Nzulezo where all of life's daily chores from the preparation of meals to children going to school take place on water. John Arthur, a 60-year-old community elder, says the first inhabitants of the Nzulezo migrated from Mali in the 15th century after a war with the Mande people of West Africa over their fertile land and gold.

Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -2.5976679 / Link Gps -2.5978422 / Link Gps -2.5978947

Gps Coordinates / 5.0205483,-2.5976679 / 5.0207711,-2.5978422 / 5.0208391,-2.5978947

In 2000 Ghana nominated Nzulezo to be added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage sites, saying the village was a perfect symbiosis of man and nature. No harm is done to the sensitive ecosystem. The Amansuri Wetlands, where the lake is situated, have an impressive range of flora and fauna. Countless rare bird species live here as well as monkeys, crocodiles and turtles. According to legend, the ancestors of Nzulezo’s inhabitants were from the ancient Ghana Empire in today’s Mali. In the 15th century, after a war fought with the Mande people over their fertile land and gold, they had to flee. Their god, it was said, appeared as a snail and led them to today’s Ghana. But they were repeatedly forced to move on by other ethnic groups or by slave traders.

Link Gps Location Gps / Link Gps -2.5979913 / Link Gps -2.5981291 / Link Gps -2.5987932

Gps Coordinates / 5.0209492,-2.5979913 / 5.0211012,-2.5981291 / 5.0215829,-2.5987932

Teachers are provided by the government, most are university graduates who are sent to Nzulezo to widen their experience. But few stay long, they find life in the village too boring. For this reason, some village residents are now being trained as teachers. "They are familiar with life here and don’t disappear from one day to the next," says Nana Ette, son of the village chief. Akyaa is making peanut paste for the midday meal. Behind her is smoke from the fire where mashed cassava will be cooked later. Since the wooden platforms are not fireproof, the women use traditional clay ovens to cook, like the ones used on the mainland. Toilet facilities in the swampland are built on a solid clay floor. Excrement is used as compost.

Link Location Gps -2.5987882

Gps Coordinates / 5.0215567,-2.5987882

The villagers live from and with the water of the lake. The many fish provide them with their main source of protein. Boys learn at an early age how to repair and store the nets and how to build dams. "No food for lazy men" is a Ghanaian proverb that sums up the life of the fishermen here. Nzulezo is known beyond Ghana’s borders for its particularly tasty variety of the local gin Akpeteshi . All over the Amansuri Wetlands, small distilleries like this can be found. Palm wine from the raffia palm is distilled until the clear gin, which has a high alcohol content, remains. A liter (2.1 US pints) is sold for just under five euros ($5.5).

Aerial View Of Stilt Silt Village Ghana Vr Tours

Nzulezo depends on tourism. Many people take a day trip to the stilt village and then spend the night in the more comfortable beach resorts in Beyin. Anyone wanting to live like the villagers can stay at the “Home Stay” guest house. The village does not have a hospital, patients are taken to the next doctor by motorboat. Since the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic in December 2013, few foreign tourists now make their way to the stilt village. The local economy suffers as a result. Tourism has declined throughout the country, says Atta Mensa Kasapa, even though “Ghana was not affected by the virus.” He hopes tourism will soon pick up again and visitors will come and buy his carved wooden boats.