Accra’s zoo is inside Achimota Forest, the reserve at Achimota, and it is run by the Forestry Commission, not a private company. It is small, cheap and shaded - an hour or two with children, or a walk in a large forest inside the city - and it is not a safari park.

What is there

When it reopened in December 2022 the zoo held 108 animals: lions, monkeys and other primates, antelopes, crocodiles, snakes and birds. Most of the animals were moved to the forest from Accra’s earlier zoo.

The 2022 closure

In August 2022 an intruder got into the lion enclosure and was killed, and the Forestry Commission closed the zoo. It reopened in December 2022 with CCTV cameras, especially at the lions, and a third perimeter fence. Stay on the paths and behind the barriers, and keep children within reach at the enclosures.

Getting in

  • Where: the main entrance is opposite the Achimota branch office of the Forestry Commission. Ask for “Achimota Forest” or “the zoo”; most drivers know it.
  • Getting there: by ride-hailing or taxi, or by trotro to Achimota and a short ride from the station.
  • What it costs: the Forestry Commission does not publish its fees online. Bring cash in small notes for the gate, and ask the price of a guide before you agree to one.
  • When: go in the morning. It is cooler, and the animals are more active before the midday heat. Opening hours are not published either, so a call to the Forestry Commission before a long trip is worth it.

Bring water and insect repellent. The forest paths are uneven; wear shoes, not slippers, if you plan to walk beyond the zoo.

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