Exploring The Osudoku Mountains -- Tema Hiking and Fitness Club.

On March 6, 2019, the Tema Hiking and Fitness Club, social group of hiking enthusiasts undertook a hiking trip to the Osudoku Mountains. The event was to explore the ancestral home of the people of Osudoku, promote corporate and individual endurance, fitness and wellness through peer inspiration and caring. The group also used the occasion to create lasting memories and relationships.
The Osudoku Mountain is located in Shai-Osudoku District in the South-Eastern part of Ghana. The Assembly in collaboration with stakeholders provides the enabling environment for the equitable provision of services towards the total development of the district.

The district occupies a total of 968.36 square kilometres land size representing 29.84% of the entire land space of the Greater Accra Region. The Districts shares boundaries with seven other districts comprising North Tongu, Yilo and Manya Krobo, Akuapem North, Kpone Katamanso, Ningo-Prampram and Ada West. The population of the districts is estimated at 62,131 - 30,258 males and 31,873 females. Demographically, persons aged between 15-16 constitute the majority of people in the Districts (56.7%)

The land is punctuated with a few prominent inselbergs, made up of the Yongua (427m) and the Shai (289m) Hills. The rocky hills with the large boulders provide immense potential for stone quarrying which is already a major pre-occupation in the district but also good opportunity for hiking and mountain climbing.
The Akwapem Mountain in the north western parts of the Districts presents a striking relief feature of outstanding natural beauty. The eastern foothills of the mountain have fairly deep but well-drained fertile soils. The Districts also has a 22km stretch of the Volta River passing through it.

Though not fully tapped, the tourism sector constitutes one of the most promising sectors of the local economy. Not only does the sector’s vast potential has the capacity to reduce poverty but can also create wealth for the people of the Districts and by extension, our mother land, Ghana as a whole.
Some of the prominent tourist sites in the Districts are, the Proverbial and Historical Dodowa Forest, Chenku Waterfall, Shai Hills Resource Reserve, Guggisberg Memorial Hall, the Frederikssted Plantation, the Tokpo Baobab Forest, Mount Yongua of Asutsuare and the Osudoku Mountains and Ancestral home.

On average, members spent about an hour and half to reach the summit of the mountain. The long and winding uphill climb with spectacular views of the adjoining plains and scenery made the hiking exciting. Most of the climbers considered the descend much more daunting than the climbing. This is due to the exhaustion that characterised the ascend.

A week before the trip, members of the club who signed up for the trip were given tips including gear and what to carry. For instance, members were advised to ensure they wore the proper hiking shoes to safeguard the rocky mountains.
Cultural and traditional practices do not allow access to the mountain on Saturdays. According to the indigenes, the Mountains are sacred grounds of their ancestors and therefore protected from visitors on Saturdays.

The next hiking trip of the Tema Hiking and Fitness Club is on Wednesday, May 01, 2019. This time the club will explore the ancestral home of the people of Manya Jorpanya on the Shai Hills.

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