Mole National Park
Mole National Park
4.5
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Duration: More than 3 hours
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4.5
168 reviews
Excellent
85
Very good
54
Average
26
Poor
3
Terrible
0
Marsha D
3 contributions
Sept 2019 • Friends
We visited Mole Park in Sept 2019. Overall it was a great experience to see the animals and nature at its best! But be warned of the many HIDDEN CHARGES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you breathe the air, they charge you! The people are NOT allergy-aware because nuts is high on their diet! Someone in the team had a near-fatal allergic reaction. Much aggravation before they admitted the ingredients. Solution is just to bring your own food if you have food allergies. The price of the food for a very very rural area is simply extortion, and believe me, the food is not great, so don’t have any great expectations.
The Mole Motel is a separate entity. Hidden charges again. No running water at night so get ready to flush the toilet with the bucket, or even to bathe at whatever time of the day. This doesn’t reflect the price they charge to stay in the motel.
I will visit this interesting place again but next time, we will stay in a hotel in another village eg Kimpala or Larabanga where the prices are far more realistic and the hotels are equipped with the basics and are far more accommodating, and then drive up to Mole on a separate day, visiting the mud hut villages on the way; so interesting.
Best way of transport from Accra is to drive there with your own Ghanaian tour guide because the flights are very expensive and there is no guarantee when you get to the North, to catch a bus or taxi there because the journey by plane is not as straight forward as advertised. That in itself is a near 3 hour journey. So basically, after the flight you have to catch a bus (if available) and or a taxi (hidden charges again). Long story short- this is not not a one day journey!
The Mole Motel is a separate entity. Hidden charges again. No running water at night so get ready to flush the toilet with the bucket, or even to bathe at whatever time of the day. This doesn’t reflect the price they charge to stay in the motel.
I will visit this interesting place again but next time, we will stay in a hotel in another village eg Kimpala or Larabanga where the prices are far more realistic and the hotels are equipped with the basics and are far more accommodating, and then drive up to Mole on a separate day, visiting the mud hut villages on the way; so interesting.
Best way of transport from Accra is to drive there with your own Ghanaian tour guide because the flights are very expensive and there is no guarantee when you get to the North, to catch a bus or taxi there because the journey by plane is not as straight forward as advertised. That in itself is a near 3 hour journey. So basically, after the flight you have to catch a bus (if available) and or a taxi (hidden charges again). Long story short- this is not not a one day journey!
Written 15 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SoldbyElanza
Houston, TX70 contributions
July 2024 • Friends
I had an amazing time at Mole National Park. We saw Big Beautiful elephants up close. The park rangers did a great job with our Safaris and gave us so much information. The resort itself is more like a camp. The restaurant does not have a large variety for breakfast, but be careful when storing food in your room (it is the jungle) and the baboons do roam around freely. We had a Blast!
Written 31 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
neiljf
Bath, UK130 contributions
Jan 2023
I went on three safaris over two days in Mole National Park with the park rangers: a walking safari at 7 am and two jeep safaris at 11 am and 3.45 pm. It isn't necessary to book. Each safari lasted about two hours. The rangers made it clear that they couldn't guarantee what we'd see; but on all three occasions we saw elephants. I am not good at measuring distances, but on a couple of occasions we were less than 20 metres away from them. We saw them feeding on several occasions. Once we saw six elephants relaxing and playing in a nearby watering hole. Amazing experiences.
We also had a few glimpses of various varieties of antelope: bushbuck, kob and waterbuck. These encounters were more fleeting, though a family of bushbuck hang around Mole Motel feeding, so I saw quite a lot of them.
Strongly recommended.
We also had a few glimpses of various varieties of antelope: bushbuck, kob and waterbuck. These encounters were more fleeting, though a family of bushbuck hang around Mole Motel feeding, so I saw quite a lot of them.
Strongly recommended.
Written 22 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carolyn S
Philadelphia, PA49 contributions
Apr 2023
We had a great experience at Mole National Park! There is a lot of wildlife throughout the park. The guides were knowledgeable and excited about teaching us about the animals we encountered on safari. We saw Elephants, warthogs, baboons, Antelope (Kob), Buffalo, Water Buck, bushbuck, Patas monkey, velvet monkey, many different birds that I am not as knowledgeable about...I loved the colorful kingfishers. The safaris were very reasonably priced through the park.
Written 11 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
molly
Sidmouth, UK14 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
It is a nice relaxing place. We did 3 safaris and saw some elephants with a few other smaller animals. The mole motel was ok but the wait time for food was very long. The thing that made it worth it was the pool overlooking the safari track.
There are cheaper and probably actually nicer places to stay in the local area as well.
If you go to Mole then make sure to visit Mognori Eco Village which is a 15 minute drive away from Mole. It is an incredible experience!!
There are cheaper and probably actually nicer places to stay in the local area as well.
If you go to Mole then make sure to visit Mognori Eco Village which is a 15 minute drive away from Mole. It is an incredible experience!!
Written 19 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Touristasaurus
Westwood, NJ430 contributions
Oct 2021
West Africa is not the number 1 place to see tons of wild animals. But if you are going to Ghana and want to see wild animals this is the place to go. They offer car safaris and also on foot. You can use your own car as long as a ranger goes with you. The rangers all communicate and help each other find animals. I went in the rainy season and still saw elephants, monkeys, genet, crocodile, birds, warthogs.
Written 28 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert T
Ontario, Canada29 contributions
Jan 2020
January was a great time to visit the park. Five out of the six days we were there, we saw wild animals. The only animal we did not observe, was the Cape buffalo. We had the fortune of seeing elephants every day, both on driving safaris and walking safaris. The landscape is beautiful and rugged.
Our guides were professional and deeply cared about the park. Their knowledge was like google when it came to identify birds, insects and animals. They possessed a broad knowledge of the wildlife, their habits, behaviour etc.
Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed their experience at the park and we will definitely plan on returning again soon!
Our guides were professional and deeply cared about the park. Their knowledge was like google when it came to identify birds, insects and animals. They possessed a broad knowledge of the wildlife, their habits, behaviour etc.
Our whole family thoroughly enjoyed their experience at the park and we will definitely plan on returning again soon!
Written 18 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
teddy508
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam64 contributions
Feb 2022
The park has limited wildlife but the elephants are beautiful. You can get up close to them as they cool down in the water holes. There are some nice birds in the park and it is worth taking a ranger who knows a lot about birds on a walking bird tour. It was very hot during February.
Written 26 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer M
The Netherlands84 contributions
Jan 2020
My hubz and I stayed at the Zaina Eco Lodge and had an early morning safari an an afternoon safari. It was amazing. We saw elephants. ❤If you love luxury, Zaina Lodge is the place. The infinity pool was absolutely amazing. You can spot elephants there drinking water and feeding. So amazing.
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MallieX
Houston, TX195 contributions
July 2012 • Friends
Because this is a long review, here is a quick summary:
- Go! Dry season is best for spotting elephants, but you can get lucky in the early rainy season too.
- Ask for Osman to be your guide. This will greatly improve your experience!
- Spend 2 days to do both the walking and driving safaris.
- Expect a bit of frustration in getting things organized.
- Don’t expect detailed information/explanations from the park rangers.
- Be flexible and patient.
The park itself is fantastic! It is beautiful and full of 600 elephants, monkeys, baboons, several types of antelopes, wart hogs, and birds galore. There are also lions, leopards and hyenas that move at night and are rarely, if ever, seen. The possibility for adventure and excitement is definitely there.
The problem is that the organization and operation of the safaris is poor and can be annoying if you are a conscientious guest who wants a full experience with sightings and explanations.
The morning safari is supposed to start at 7am and the guests are requested to arrive at 6:45am, but most guests are late (much to the annoyance of the head park ranger) so the safaris don’t actually start until 7:30am or so. Guests have the option to walk about 3km or drive. The cost for the safari at the time of our visit was 3 cedis per hour per person and safaris are usually 2 hours. For a driving safari, there was an additional 50 cedi per hour fee paid to the driver and that cost can be split among the passengers. The vehicles were supposedly owned by the local townspeople and were outfitted with some uncomfortable looking benches on the roof of the trucks. In our case, we had come on a private tour and had our own 4x4 and driver so we were assigned a guard with a gun that rode with in the car with us for the safari.
We were frustrated being on our private tour because our driver/guide did not coordinate with the park guides so several different people told us different things about if we should walk or drive. When we dressed for driving, we were told we would walk and vice versa. There was definitely a lack of communication among the park rangers and our group.
We were in the park a total of 4 days, although 2 days would have been sufficient. The first 2 days, we were assigned a guard that was not very good. He did spent most of the rides texting and not looking for animals. He didn’t provide any information without being asked and only answered our questions with minimal details, if any. Also our driver drove too fast to really be able to spot much (and I assume that is the case also on the shared vehicles).
The really annoying thing about the safaris is that at the start they told us that the groups usually take different routes, but if anyone spots an elephant, they will call to alert the others so we can all go and view them. However, this never happened. On the first day we were lucky enough to see an elephant because there was a shared car behind us that went very fast and as they passed us, they told us they thought there was an elephant ahead. So we followed them and found one. They went on further and found additional elephants but no one called us to let us know. The second day, two elephants were near the hotel and the walking safari group found them. No one called to let us know. Luckily we asked our guard to call as we neared the end of the trip and he found out that the elephants were still in the nearby village so we went quickly and caught them just before they headed back into the savannah.
A nice thing about the driving safari, is that if you find an elephant, they will usually stop the car and let you off/out to get better pictures. They will also lead you off the road and into the bush to get a bit closer, but still at a safe distance. If you are on a private tour like we were, as opposed to the shared vehicle, the guides seem to take you further into the bush and let you spend more time following the elephants.
It is important to note, that the best time to visit the park is the dry season when there are a few main watering holes for the animals so it is easier to predict their locations. We went during the start of the rainy season and were fortunate to see the elephants. With the rain, the savannah becomes green and lush which gives the animals plenty of camouflage and makes observing them challenging. During the rainy season there is no guarantee that you will see elephants.
On the 3rd day of our stay, we were rewarded with a walking safari with the park guide named Osman. He was great!! He was very educated in all things park-related and clearly was passionate about it. We saw fewer animals that morning, but he told us a lot of information and stories about each animal we saw. He identified local plants and explained the traditional uses for each one. That was what we had been wanting the whole time and we really enjoyed it! If you go, be sure to ask for Osman and be willing to pay extra for him to be your guide.
So in summary, the park can be great! Just remember that this is Africa and things don’t work like they do in the US. Be prepared for a bit of confusion and guides that are generally aloof and not very informative. If you expect that and just go with the flow, Mole can be a great experience and one of the highlights of Ghana for you.
P.S. The only place to eat or stay in the park is the Mole Motel (which is not so nice - see my separate review of it). Staying there can allow you to see plenty baboons, monkeys and warthogs, all with their babies.
- Go! Dry season is best for spotting elephants, but you can get lucky in the early rainy season too.
- Ask for Osman to be your guide. This will greatly improve your experience!
- Spend 2 days to do both the walking and driving safaris.
- Expect a bit of frustration in getting things organized.
- Don’t expect detailed information/explanations from the park rangers.
- Be flexible and patient.
The park itself is fantastic! It is beautiful and full of 600 elephants, monkeys, baboons, several types of antelopes, wart hogs, and birds galore. There are also lions, leopards and hyenas that move at night and are rarely, if ever, seen. The possibility for adventure and excitement is definitely there.
The problem is that the organization and operation of the safaris is poor and can be annoying if you are a conscientious guest who wants a full experience with sightings and explanations.
The morning safari is supposed to start at 7am and the guests are requested to arrive at 6:45am, but most guests are late (much to the annoyance of the head park ranger) so the safaris don’t actually start until 7:30am or so. Guests have the option to walk about 3km or drive. The cost for the safari at the time of our visit was 3 cedis per hour per person and safaris are usually 2 hours. For a driving safari, there was an additional 50 cedi per hour fee paid to the driver and that cost can be split among the passengers. The vehicles were supposedly owned by the local townspeople and were outfitted with some uncomfortable looking benches on the roof of the trucks. In our case, we had come on a private tour and had our own 4x4 and driver so we were assigned a guard with a gun that rode with in the car with us for the safari.
We were frustrated being on our private tour because our driver/guide did not coordinate with the park guides so several different people told us different things about if we should walk or drive. When we dressed for driving, we were told we would walk and vice versa. There was definitely a lack of communication among the park rangers and our group.
We were in the park a total of 4 days, although 2 days would have been sufficient. The first 2 days, we were assigned a guard that was not very good. He did spent most of the rides texting and not looking for animals. He didn’t provide any information without being asked and only answered our questions with minimal details, if any. Also our driver drove too fast to really be able to spot much (and I assume that is the case also on the shared vehicles).
The really annoying thing about the safaris is that at the start they told us that the groups usually take different routes, but if anyone spots an elephant, they will call to alert the others so we can all go and view them. However, this never happened. On the first day we were lucky enough to see an elephant because there was a shared car behind us that went very fast and as they passed us, they told us they thought there was an elephant ahead. So we followed them and found one. They went on further and found additional elephants but no one called us to let us know. The second day, two elephants were near the hotel and the walking safari group found them. No one called to let us know. Luckily we asked our guard to call as we neared the end of the trip and he found out that the elephants were still in the nearby village so we went quickly and caught them just before they headed back into the savannah.
A nice thing about the driving safari, is that if you find an elephant, they will usually stop the car and let you off/out to get better pictures. They will also lead you off the road and into the bush to get a bit closer, but still at a safe distance. If you are on a private tour like we were, as opposed to the shared vehicle, the guides seem to take you further into the bush and let you spend more time following the elephants.
It is important to note, that the best time to visit the park is the dry season when there are a few main watering holes for the animals so it is easier to predict their locations. We went during the start of the rainy season and were fortunate to see the elephants. With the rain, the savannah becomes green and lush which gives the animals plenty of camouflage and makes observing them challenging. During the rainy season there is no guarantee that you will see elephants.
On the 3rd day of our stay, we were rewarded with a walking safari with the park guide named Osman. He was great!! He was very educated in all things park-related and clearly was passionate about it. We saw fewer animals that morning, but he told us a lot of information and stories about each animal we saw. He identified local plants and explained the traditional uses for each one. That was what we had been wanting the whole time and we really enjoyed it! If you go, be sure to ask for Osman and be willing to pay extra for him to be your guide.
So in summary, the park can be great! Just remember that this is Africa and things don’t work like they do in the US. Be prepared for a bit of confusion and guides that are generally aloof and not very informative. If you expect that and just go with the flow, Mole can be a great experience and one of the highlights of Ghana for you.
P.S. The only place to eat or stay in the park is the Mole Motel (which is not so nice - see my separate review of it). Staying there can allow you to see plenty baboons, monkeys and warthogs, all with their babies.
Written 27 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. We will visit Mole in november. My question is if in this time there are elephants?
Written 20 July 2019
Is there public transport to Mole from Tamale airport please? We will be flying up from Accra and would like to get to Mole on the dams day. Is this possible?
Thank you
Written 20 June 2019
Yes, however I advise asking your driver to pick you back up with negotiating a price. They’ll be drivers at Mole but will charge extremely high rates because there the only drivers on the park (they work with the park). We caught a bus from bus station in Accra to Tamale, found a driver in Tamale to transport us to and from.
Written 21 June 2019
Hi Louisa,
How did you arrange for the travel who did book the flight with
Written 6 September 2018
Bonjour, auriez-vous un numéro de guide pour la visite du parc svp?
Merci par avance.
Written 10 August 2018
Bonjour
Il y a un office des guides situé juste avant d'arriver au Mole Motel. Les guides sont toujours présents et les visites sont privées ou groupées...
Bon safari
Written 11 August 2018
From Accra it will take you about 12 hours to get to Tamale, which is the biggest city in the North. From there you will be approached by some drivers who will bring you straight to the park but charge way to much - DON'T GO WITH THEM
So from tamale you take tro tro or shared taxi to Damongo and from there you ask for a taxi to Larabanga/ Mole Nationalpark
Written 21 May 2017
«my family is traveling to Cape Coast Dec 2015 we are interested in the safari day and night tour with over night accommodation, is their a tour agency that we could contact to book with
Written 9 September 2015
How far is Mole NP from Accra (kilometres and hours). Thanks.
Written 27 May 2015
Hi, Mole is really quite far from Accra despite the good road betweeen Accra and the Northern region. I think its something like 700km probably a day's drive to get there if you have a car. If you're using public transport its a 12 hour bus ride from Accra to Tamale (the big city of the north) & from Tamale you can easily get to Mole & Labarangathe next day.
Written 28 May 2015
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