Aburi Botanical Gardens sits in the Eastern Region, about 30–40 minutes' drive north-east of Accra up the Akwapim Ridge — a cool, green mountain escape that has been Ghana's most beloved garden since 1890. **Where it is and how to reach it.** The gardens lie at Aburi, in the Akuapem South District, on the old Accra–Koforidua road. From Accra you climb through Nsawam and the ridge towns of the Akuapem Mountains; the road winds up past Dodowa and Amanfrom before reaching Aburi town. The elevation — roughly 400–500 metres above sea level — is exactly why it's cool up there, several degrees below the humid Accra plain. That cool air is the whole point: colonial officials, and generations of Ghanaians since, have gone up to Aburi to escape the coastal heat. **History.** The garden was established in 1890 by the British colonial administration, making it one of the oldest botanical gardens in West Africa. It began as a sanatorium and experimental garden — a place to test which crops could thrive in Ghana's climate. Cocoa, that most Ghanaian of crops, has strong links to the Eastern Region and the Aburi ridge; the garden played a role in the botanical experimentation that shaped Ghana's agricultural economy. It was also the site of the famous **Aburi Accord of January 1967**, the meeting between Lt. Gen. Joseph Ankrah's National Liberation Council and Lt. Col. Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu of Eastern Nigeria, an attempt to hold Nigeria together on the eve of the Biafran War. That history gives the garden a weight beyond its flowers. **What you'll find there.** The gardens cover about 64 hectares of rolling lawns, tree-lined avenues and forest. Highlights include: - A famous **avenue of royal palms** and towering silk-cotton and mahogany trees, some over a century old. - A **canopy walkway** through the treetops — one of the earliest in Ghana and a favourite with visitors. - The **rock garden**, orchid collections, and a wide range of tropical and subtropical species — ferns, palms, spice trees, and medicinal plants. - A **palm court** and open lawns used for picnics, weddings, and school trips. - Resident wildlife — birds, butterflies, and the occasional monkey in the surrounding forest. **Practical notes.** There's a modest entry fee for adults and a lower one for children and students; the gardens are open daily, roughly 8am to 5pm. Weekends and holidays get busy with families and church groups. Bring a light jacket or wrap — the ridge can be genuinely chilly and misty in the morning. There's a small restaurant/refreshment spot on site, and Aburi town itself is famous for its **craft market and wood carvings**, plus the roadside pineapple and plantain sellers along the ridge. **Getting there.** By car or trotro from Accra's Tudu or Nsawam stations toward Koforidua/Aburi; the trip is roughly 45 km. Many people combine it with a stop at the Aburi craft market or continue on to Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital. A fitting Akan thought: *"Dua korɔ gye mframa"* — a single tree withstands the wind. Aburi's old trees have stood through colonial rule, the Aburi Accord, and every season since 1890, and they're still the coolest place on the Accra road.