I know that by the title you’re expecting photos of hippos, so I’m sorry to admit that you won’t find that in this post. I headed to Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary in northern Ghana with high hopes for epic hippo photos.
Instead, you’re about to hear about how exhilaration one day can turn to boredom the next in the life a travel journalist. How can one become bored by the sight of hippos playing in the river a couple dozen meters away from them? Well, one way is to have a massive elephant only a half dozen meters from you the day before.
It’s a hard life, I know, living in a world where watching hippos in the river can bore you, but sometimes when your life gets too good it’s hard to appreciate a moment which had given you a buzz of excitement just a couple weeks before.
I had just spent time at a place in Burkina Faso called Tengrela Lake where I saw my first hippos. It was an experience that was beyond exciting. It was like that moment in losing one’s virginity which you think “wow, this is really happening. After imagining it for so long, this is actually happening.”
It was an experience so intoxicating that when I heard of the presence of hippos near the northwestern city of Wa, Ghana I slogged my way all the way across the country to go and see them. But unlike the first time which was exciting, a rush and a powerful moment in which I really felt an intimate moment between myself and my wild partner, this felt a little bit dull and superficial. I’d be lying if my visit to the Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary, which is funded by my hometown Calgary Zoo, didn’t leave me a little bit bored.
As I sat in the boat with the guide watching the hippos bathe themselves off in the distance, I took a few photos but I’d be lying if the back of my mind kept wondering when the guide was finally going to take us away.
The truth is that I feel horrible about my apathy. I know how many people would have done just about anything for that experience; I felt like a man dating a world-famous supermodel he just didn’t really love.
At the end of the day, maybe hippos are just a little bit boring during the day. They really just float around keeping cool all day don’t they? Or maybe after two weeks of being chased by elephants, watching bush buck and kob dancing through the forest, and laughing at the attitude of playful baboons, I’ve just become spoiled.
Like anything in life, too much of a good thing causes you to forget how special it is. Unfortunately for me, life has been good for far too long and part of me worries that I’m at risk of losing the pink shade in my rose-coloured glasses. Part of me wonders if I’ve had too much good, and now I’m starting to desire danger, the next natural step.
Or maybe… hippos are just boring.
Visiting Wechiau Hippo Sanctuary in Ghana
First, you’ll have to get yourself to the town of Wa, Ghana. From there, you’ll be able to find the office where they take people to the sanctuary. It’s pretty informal, but they will take care of you. There is accommodation available too, but it’s not great. Things like guided trips to see the hippos and accommodation can be organized upon arrival. There’s no need to book ahead.