The Central Region is located on the Atlantic shores of Ghana sharing boundaries with the Western, Ashanti, Eastern and Greater Accra Regions. Its regional capital, Cape Coast, the seat of the British Colonial Administration until 1877, is some 144km from Accra. It has a population of 2.9 million.

The Central Region has earned several accolades like “the heartbeat of Ghana’s tourism”, because of its pivotal in the development of the tourism in Ghana, as well as its endowment of beaches, forts and castles, festivals, forest reserves and events.

The Central Region is home to the historical towns of Cape Coast, Elmina and Assin Manso. The Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and Fort St. Jago in Elmina are rated World Heritage Sites by the United Nations agency UNESCO. These sites have gained importance due to their gateway for early European influence and slave trading. Elmina Castle, built in 1482 is said to be the oldest European building outside of Europe.

Also in the Central Region are Kromantse and Abandze, twin fishing villages and important trading centres to which the late Louis Armstrong traced his ancestry.

The Central Region is pregnant with history. A visit to a town like Assin Manso on the Cape Coast-Kumasi Road, will afford the opportunity to see the slave river, which provided the slaves a final opportunity to bath, before they journeyed on to one of the castles to wait for a ship which could take as long as three months to transport them to places like Europe and the Americas.

The region’s culture is depicted through its many exciting festivals which are held throughout the year.

These include “Bakatue”, the opening of Benya Lagoon into the sea, marking the beginning of the fishing season for the people of Elmina. “Aboakyer” or game hunting is a festival of the people of Winneba, and is celebrated on the first Saturday in May each year. “Fetu Afahye” is celebrated by the people of Cape Coast in the first week of September. The people of Saltpond celebrate “Odambea” on the last Saturday in August.

The Central Region also hosts several international events, such as Emancipation Day and PANAFEST.

For ecotourism, the British Airways’ award-winning Kakum National Park has been designed to meet all tastes. Its canopy-walk, the first in Africa, provides an unforgettable jungle’ experience amidst tropical vegetation and wildlife. Follow the adventure by sampling the many palm fringed beaches warmed by the African sunshine, where the surf ranges from gentle rollers to sizeable breakers.