Mole National Park is Ghana's largest and oldest wildlife reserve — about 4,840 km² of savannah woodland in the West Gonja District of the Savannah Region, roughly 150 km west of Tamale and a short drive from the town of Damongo. **The land and its history.** Mole sits on a high, rolling escarpment that drops sharply to the Mole River and the flat plains below. The reserve was first gazetted as a game reserve in 1958 — the year after independence — largely on the initiative of Ghana's first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who wanted a protected wilderness in the north. It was upgraded to full national park status in 1971 under the Wildlife Reserves Regulations, and today it is managed by the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission. The famous viewing point is the escarpment edge beside the old motel, where you look down over a natural waterhole that draws animals in the dry season. **The wildlife.** Mole is best known for its elephants — one of the largest remaining populations in Ghana, though the numbers have declined over the decades from poaching and human-wildlife conflict. You will also find buffalo, roan and kob antelope, hartebeest, waterbuck, warthog, baboons, green monkeys, and the occasional lion (rarely seen, but present). The birdlife is superb: over 300 recorded species, including the violet turaco, Pel's fishing owl, various hornbills, kingfishers, and the striking red-throated bee-eater. The dry season — roughly November to April — is the best time to visit, because the animals concentrate around the remaining waterholes and the grass is short, making them easier to spot. The rains from May to October turn the park lush and green but scatter the game. **Practical visiting.** The main base is the Mole Motel, perched right on the escarpment with the classic view over the waterhole — you can often watch elephants from the terrace without leaving your seat. Walking safaris with an armed ranger are the signature experience (you get genuinely close to elephants on foot), alongside game drives and birding walks. Getting there is usually by road from Tamale (about 3–4 hours) or by light aircraft to the airstrip near Damongo. Bring cash, as ATMs are scarce, and expect basic but comfortable accommodation. **A note on the name.** "Mole" is pronounced *MO-lay*, after the Mole River that runs through the reserve — not the English word for the burrowing animal. It is one of Ghana's true natural treasures, and the closest thing the country has to the classic African savannah safari. As the Akan say, *"Abofuo nyinaa nni kwae mu"* — not every animal lives in the forest; the north's open savannah holds its own wonders, and Mole is the finest of them.