Kakum National Park, National park in Central Region, Ghana

Kakum is a national park in the Central Region of Ghana that covers roughly 375 square kilometers (145 square miles) of dense rainforest vegetation. Visitors find several marked walking paths here, a suspended bridge structure among treetops, and observation platforms that allow views over the green canopy.

Local communities requested protection for this forest area in the late 1980s after it had been managed as a reserve since the 1930s. The government officially granted the area national park status in 1992 and began building visitor facilities in the following years.

The name Kakum comes from the local language and refers to the river that flows through the protected area. People from neighboring villages work as guides and rangers, and income from tourism supports their communities directly.

Paths through the forest can be wet and slippery, so sturdy footwear is advisable. Morning hours often offer better chances to see animals, as they are more active then and temperatures remain comfortable.

The canopy walkway is one of only three such structures in Africa, and it was built at the initiative of local people rather than the state wildlife department. It links seven treetops, and from the rope-and-vine mesh floor visitors look down on unbroken forest, not water or valleys.