Naa Gbewaa Palace : Gbewaa Palace is the seat of the Yaa Naa of the Kingdom of Dagbon. Located at Nayilifong along the Yendi-Saboba road in Yendi. Gbewaa Palace was named after patriarch of the Mole-Dagbani people.

This is a very interesting place to visit in northern Ghana. The Kingdom of Dagbon is considered one of the powerful in Ghana and has remarkable history with indigenous and distinctive traditions and cultures. It is going to be an exciting experience to visit the Naa Gbewaa Palace live the traditions of the Dagbon people.

Tourists are very welcome. If one is fortunate he/she will experience a live exhibition of traditions or a festival.

Saakpoli Enslavement Site: Is a 17th century slave site located 28 miles from Tamale. The site has a chief who oversees the day to day activities of the town, his palace like many other buildings in the village, has thatched grass roof with the structure made from clay.

This site is popular as a result of the dug drinking wells for slaves. The wells are very unique from those in Salaga, they are small and meant only for drinking as those in Salaga are bigger and meant for bathing. The site is also known for the Baobab tree where slaves were chained to.

Most of the artefacts used during those times are now at the University of Ghana museum. They are earthenware – pots for foods, weighing cowries and smoking pipes.

This is a great site to visit, in order to learn the history of the unspoken slave trade in Northern Ghana.

Mole National Park: Mole National Park Is Ghana’s largest wildlife refuge. The park is located in the Savanna Region of Ghana on savannah and riparian ecosystems at an elevation of 150 m, with a sharp escarpment forming the southern boundary of the park. The park’s entrance is reached through the nearby town of Larabanga.

The Lovi and Mole Rivers are ephemeral rivers flowing through the park, leaving only drinking holes during the long dry season. This region of Ghana receives over 100 mm per year of rainfall. The park’s land were set aside as a wildlife refuge in 1958.

The park is home to 93 mammal species; elephant, hippos, buffalo, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys, reptiles, hyenas, lions, leopards, birds. It is the only place in Ghana where you can experience elephants in the wild. Because of the lack of predators safaris can be done on foot – a unique experience that is quite different from the vehicle safaris in southern and eastern Africa.

Larabanga Historic Mosque: Is a mosque built in the Sudanese architectural style in the village of Larabanga, Ghana. It is the oldest in West Africa, and has been referred to as the “Mecca of West Africa”.

The mosque has an old Quran, believed by the locals to have been given as a gift from heaven in 1650 to Yidan Barimah Bramah, the Imam at the time. The mosque, built using West African adobe, has two tall towers in the pyramidal shape, one for mihrab which faces towards Mecca forming the façade on the east and the other as a minanet in the northeast corner.

These are buttressed by the twelve bulbous shaped structures, which are fitted with timber elements. The mosque is situated about 15 km north of Damongo, and 4 km south of the Mole National Park.

Gambaga Escarpment: The Gambaga scarp is a line of cliffs that run along the northern border of Ghana’s North East Region. These cliffs run nearly 100km from Walewale to the Ghana-Togo border at Tusugu.

They are composed of horizontal layers of sandstone and rising over 300 meters high in some places. At Gingana Mountain, the plateau causes the southbound white Volta to turn west and follow the western half of the scarp until it finally turns south again at Kpasinkpe.

All along the escarpment, there are many opportunities for hiking and bouldering. It is a favourite tourist destination in the region with its epic viewpoint and cool overhangs. At the escarpment near Nakpanduri there are also some hidden structures along the cliff face.

Prehistoric rock paintings and carvings have been found along the cliffs most notably at Tusugu, Gingana, and Kpatiringa. There are wildlife along the scarp.

Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary: Is a unique community-based project, protecting and preserving the wildlife and the environment of a 40km stretch of the Black Volta River in Ghana’s Upper West Region.

The river is home to one of the two remaining hippopotamus populations in Ghana, and was created into a Sanctuary by the local chiefs in 1999. Since, then, the project has had marked success in providing Ghanaian and International tourists with a unique and unusual eco-travel experience.

Mognori Cultural Village: Sitting right on the edge of Mole National Park (about 10km east of the park's visitor centre), the village of Mognori has become a flourishing ecotourism venture. Villagers here offer various activities: canoe safaris on the river, where you'll see monkeys, birds and crocodiles; village tours, on which you'll learn about shea butter production and traditional medicine; and drumming and dancing performances.

Homestays can also be arranged. To get here, you can get a taxi or motorbike taxi from Damongo or Larabanga. Mole Motel offers return trips by 4WD and also hire bikes if you want to come under your own steam.

Ancient Rock Art at Gingana, Kpatiritinga, Jilik, and Tusugu : This beautiful point along the Gambaga Scarp looks out over the White Volta River and is the site of ancient rock carvings and paintings.

Gingana is hands-down the most scenic view point along the Gambaga Scarp. From the top, you can seen the majestic White Volta River flowing down from the north and making a dramatic turn west as it approaches the cliffs. At sunset, the cliff face glows orange as the light hits the sandstone.

Below the cliffs, lies acres of nearly untouched natural forest full of wildlife. Massive boulders and rock outcrops are scattered all along the Escarpment at Gingana Mountain. One can spend hours climbing over and around these behemoths of nature.

These rock paintings are of simple shapes and lines and appear to have been made with red ochre. As with other rock paintings in the North East Region, their “canvas” is completely sheltered from wind, rain, and sun which has allowed them to be preserved for centuries.

The most recent discovery at Gingana along the Gambaga Scarp has been rock carvings atop a boulder near the cliff’s edge. The boulder is a massive and over 3 meters tall so the radiating circles carved atop cannot be seen from ground level.

Nayiri Palace In Nalerigu: The chief’s palace in Nalerigu, the traditional seat of the overlord of Mamprugu is a center of cultural activities in the region. It is the Mamprusi’s tradition to abandon the palace after the passing of the NaYiri.

The chieftaincy then moves to the other “gate” (a bit like a family clan) and when their NaYiri is enskinned they will restore their gate’s palace.

The current NaYiri is from Naa Sheriga’s gate. One can see the ruins of the Naa B???u’s palace on the northeast side of the bus station across from the Central Mosque.

The NaYiri Palace is easy to find in the center of Nalerigu, just southeast of the bus station.
While anyone can see the palace from outside, one does not simply enter the palace. In fact, even bicycles and motorcycles are prohibited from crossing in front of the palace (to do so will incur a fine).
To visit the Overlord, one must find a local representative (usually a chief or court elder) to setup a visit to the king and escort them in. A gift or “kola” for the chief is expected as well as for your guide.

Najeringa historic slave wall in Nalerigu: The Nalerigu Defence Wall is the remains of the Naa Jaringa Walls, which lie under a grove of trees. The wall is located in the village of Nalerigu in the East Mamprusi District, about 120 km south-east of Bolgatanga, about 156 km from Tamale and 8 km past Gambaga, in the Northern Region of Ghana.

This wall was built in the 16th century by Naa Jaringa (named after the African viper), a powerful chief of the Mamprusi ethnic group. The Defence Wall initially surrounded the entire village, but now only a few ruins remain.

The slave route, between Ouagadogou in Burkina Faso and Djenne in Mali, passed close by. The wall was erected for two reasons: firstly, to protect inhabitants from slave raiders, and secondly, to ensure that Naa Jaringa’s name would always be remembered.
According to local tradition, the wall was built with stones, mud, honey and milk.

Zayaa Mosque in Wulugu: The Zayaa mosque as lots of people call it is located at Wulugu, 14km from Walewale in the West Mamprusi district. It is one of the 20th Century buildings in the country built from mud.

It is peculiar in that it is an uncommon storeyed traditional design of historical and military interest. The building is a combination of two structures. A mosque and a house. The Sheik lived in the house whiles his wives and children lived at a separate building but closer to it.

The Zayaa building has 45rooms with two floors. The well in the house can be accessed from any floor, either from the first or second floor.

Ancient Koma Figuries in Yikpabongo: Yikpabongo is a fairly remote village in the western half of the Region’s most western district Mamprugu Moagduri. In a predominantly Mamprusi area, this village and a few others are populated by the Koma who speak an entirely different language.

When digging pits for clay to build their homes, the people of Yikpabongo and other nearby villages occasionally dug up clay statuettes in the ground. Some were of people others of animals, occasionally even a person riding an animal! The locals dubbed them kronkronbua which means “Olden Days Children” in Koma.

In the 1960s, some Mossi traders passing through saw these and took some of them with them. They later came back and asked for more, saying they were for their children to play with.

It turns out, they recognized these as antiquities that had value and were swindling the locals.
In the 1980s, word reached a Ghanaian archaeologist and he went to this remote site to excavate in 1985. He was amazed at both the quality and quantity of what he found.

It wasn’t until over two decades later that a larger expedition was organized and funded. They began excavating mounds around the community and unearthed dozens of fascinating artefacts ranging from figurines to decorated clay discs.

Buyuori Cave in Yikpabongo: The cave is found on the western side of a massive rock outcrop about a four kilometre hike north of the village. When viewed from above one can see that it has been formed by the cracking and collapse of a large section of rock.

As many as fifteen people can comfortably fit inside and its ceiling is 9 feet at its highest point.
There is speculation that the cave was used as a hiding place during the time of slave raiders in Northern Ghana. However, this has not been confirmed with any solid evidence.

The cave is sometimes occupied by honey bees and upon entering you can see evidence of the soot on the ceiling and walls.One must also be very cautious as the cave is inhabited by some very large snakes as evidenced by their tracks on the ground and the large shed skins lying around.