Aburi (E/R)-Ghana, May 8, GNA – The Aburi Botanical Garden, in the Eastern Region, was a hive of activity as revellers from all over Ghana flocked there to appreciate the beauty of the location on holidays, national events, and weekends.
Families, churches, schools, businesses, friends, and individuals made up the majority of the revellers that visited the location in groups.
A visit to the Botanical Gardens by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office over the weekend revealed that each group, upon arrival, would scan the area and select a suitable location to settle as a group.
It was a combination of fun, games, garden manoeuvring, love conversation nooks, and racing around by the kids, while some turned the location into a temporary sanctuary, praying and singing praises, and groups of young people were taken around by tour guards because they were on a learning trip.
Other activities that drew people’ attention included a football match between groups, target shooting, and aerobics, while picture takers used the day to pose in various places of the garden for the cameras.
In the midst of the chaos, a church sought refuge in a peaceful location to conduct a deliverance ceremony, while a number of foreigners were also observed placing themselves at one of the platforms, playing and absorbing their music, and some smoking shisha in public.
The aroma of khebabs being grilled in the garden mingled with other meals sold at the numerous eateries on the site. For wine enthusiasts, the natural palm wine was on sale, with a 1.5 litre bottle of the fresh drink costing only GHs25.00.
According to information provided to the Ghana News Agency by the Gardens, the Aburi Botanical Garden was established in March 1890 and covers 64.8 hectares of land. It is home to a variety of plant species, including the palm that spans in a parallel line from the garden’s entrance, providing visitors with a regal red-carpet greeting.
Among the plant species in the garden are the silk cotton tree, which has reached the end of its lifespan and has fallen off, frankincense, shea butter, bamboo, cedar tree, nutmeg, teak, and Brazil nut.
The strangler ficus tree, also known as the hollow tree, had massive holes in its trunks and provided revellers with a unique experience as they entered the trunk through one hole and exited through another.
A dead tree has been turned into a stunning sculpture with humans and animals etched on every section of it, illustrating the survival of the fittest.
It also has adinkra symbols, such as the sankofa, which depicts the value of learning from past experiences by displaying a bird with its head backwards and an egg in its mouth.
Mr. Kingsley Appiah, an architect, told the GNA that his group opted to visit the garden as part of the day’s celebration, adding that it was an opportunity for them to experience the beauty and riches Ghana has to offer.
Mr. Appiah stated that having such a happy day allowed the workers relax and rejuvenate after a year of hard labour, and that the Aburi garden provided the ambient and cooling impact for that due to the vegetation and landscape of the site.
Mr. Richard Omari, also known as ‘Alhaji Konkonsah,’ a media personnel, said he had paid multiple visits to the Aburi Gardens and that, while the location was wonderful, more needed to be added to attract more people.
Mr. Omari stated that, aside from going to see the various species of trees in the garden, the managers have not added anything else to the place, stating that some of the trees were gradually approaching the end of their lifespan, and if not checked, there would be nothing to keep people’s interest in it after a first visit.
He advised that different levels of swimming pools and summer huts be constructed to provide alternative enjoyable activities for guests, as well as that adequate and appealing guesthouses be built to entice people to stay overnight to view the nightlife in the garden.
He also advised that the retired helicopter that was rotting away be repaired rather than letting it rust and eventually being cut into scraps.
According to him, the Ghana Tourism Authority and other organisations were not doing anything because there was so much they could do with the gate fees they were collecting from visitors.
The Aburi Botanical Garden is another amusement location recommended by Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office to local and international travellers.
