Skip to Content

Routes : Africa : Ghana : Eastern Region : Buruku Rock

Buruku Rock

RSS FeedClick on "Routes" to subscribe to a RSS feed of all new routes added to this category. Click on "Ascents" for a RSS feed of all new ascents recorded in this category. Routes | Ascents

Climbing Sections:


About Buruku Rock:

Buruku rock is a 200 foot tall sandstone pillar that sits on the top of a mountain between Kwahu Tafo and Adowso (where the ferry crosses Lake Volta to access Donkokorum). The first sighting of the rock as you approach from Kwahu Tafo is a strikingly thin looking pillar. The face that you see is the South Face which may be only 40-50 feet wide. This look is decieving however, because the east and west faces of the rock are both over 300 feet wide. The hill that the rock sits on top of drops off very steeply from the east and west faces and so even though most climbs can be done in two or three pitches the exposure gives a true big-wall feel. From the top you are perched over 1000 feet above the volta and you will have spectacular Panaramic Views. The top of the rock is probably most easily accessed on the North face with routes that are probably as easy as 5.5 or 5.6. Most of the climbing is on decent quality rock, but sections of the rock are soft in contrast to the very solid high quality sandstone just 15 miles east near the villages of Asubone and Nketepa. If you are visiting Ghana though, Buruku rock is a must do. A unique experience and fantastic views.
Nearest town or city: Kwahu Tafo Ghana
Directions: Buruku Rock can be easily found about 120 km northwest of Accra. This trip would be around 2.5 hours, but due to ongoing road construction on the Accra Kumasi Highway it takes more like four hours in a bus. From Circle Station (Kwame Nkrumah Circle) take a bus to Nkawkaw. One will be leaving the station nearly every 20 minutes on normal days. The fair as of now (June 2011) is 7 ghana cedis. About 4-5 U.S. dollars. Once in Nkawkaw station you can board a line taxi Kwahu Tafo or a bus(headed to Donkokorum). You need to continue on about 3 miles past Kwahu Tafo and towards Adowso before you will see the south face of the rock on your left. The best approach is to keep going on the road and drop near a small thatch taxi stop half a mile from the rock's Eastern Face. Follow the trail from the stop until you reach a few mud huts where you will meet some friendly farmers. The don't speak much Engish. (If you want to greet them in their local language (Twi) you can ask how are you doing Wo honte seng? which I have spelled phonetically. You can tell them you are going to climb the mountain- Yeh behforo bepow no). You will probably be tempted to head straight to the rock which you can see and know is less than 1/2 a mile from you. This can be done, but a better/ easier route is to actually head left from the hut trying to stay on the cow paths and get on top of the ridge where it is less steep. Once on top you can follow cow paths on the ridge straight north towards the South Face of the Rock. It will likely take you between 30-50 minutes to reach the rock, even though it is very close. I have been living(since 2010) and will be living about 20 km away until Sept 2012 if you are looking for a climbing partner. My place is listed on Couchsurfing if you need a spot to crash. I've got a trad rack and an extra harness. Hopefully we'll get some sport routes up soon.
Latitude, Longitude: 6.71456, -0.54794
Access Issues: This pillar is worshiped by some of the locals. None of them really seem to care whether you climb here or not. Ghanaians are very superstitious and many believe that a spirit lives on top of the rock that will kill you if you don't pour libations as you approach do this if you like. I never have and have been going here often for the past year. Be friendly to the locals. There aren't many but they are nice. Ghanians are not nearly as possessive about their land as other Western countries are so if you try to ask for permission to climb there they will likely not understand you. They also won't really understand why you want to spend you day climbing a rock that doesn't have anything on top, but they have become accustomed to Obronis (whites) hiking past. I only know of two huts where people live beneath the mountain. Both contain nice people and if they have recently tapped on of the palms they might offer you some fresh palm wine.
Camping: Yes
When to Climb:
Quantity of Climbs: Month

Topo Images

No route specified