Stayed here for two nights in August 2011. We missed the bus so hired a taxi and arrived quite late. Thankfully, the staff provided a late dinner even without the 3-hour pre-order. All the other meals went smoothly since we ordered in advance.

We stayed in a private AC room and it really exceeded my expectations, given all the negative review. And the price was super reasonable for Ghana, around $30.

The walking safari was stellar! Get the rubber boots since you'll be tromping in the mud. We saw soooo many elephants, including babies bathing. We also took a day tour to the oldest mosque and boat trip. Definitely recommend the tours! Why would you travel all the way to Mole National Park and then sit around the pool?

This is the best option for staying in the park (it is the only hotel). Camping is an option, but I can definitely recommend this hotel. In the states, it would be a "1" or "2" rated hotel, but in Ghana --- definitely better than I expected.

I had no issues while I was here, so I do not understand the less than satisfactory ratings, but here goes:

THE TRIP TO MOLE: 150km from Tamale; about half on a bumpy dirt/sand road; total travel time 3-4 hours; not as bad as people make it out to be. I took the bus back from Mole to Tamale...no issues at all.

ARRIVING AT MOLE: Entrance fee was a little pricey; but then it is the best park in Ghana, and in the end, definitely worth it.

RESTAURANT: Two food options; the restaurant run by the hotel, or the cantina run for the locals. The restaurant food was very good; the food at the cantina was half the price, but still good. Plan for 10-15 cedi per meal at the restaurant and 5 cedi per meal at the cantina. Sodas and beers available at both locations. There is also a small snack store / gift store at the park headquarters where you can buy packaged food items (for instance cookies). No issues with food quality or hygiene.

RESERVING FOOD: The system here is to reserve your food three hours before lunch and three hours before dinner. No exceptions (though you can get some food the night you arrive if you ask around and are not picky). Since I had a private room, the breakfast was included in the room rental. Again, food quality was good; service was good. While I was here, I ate spaghetti, beans & rice, guinea fowl, chicken, salad,.....everything was good.

SWIMMING POOL: Clean; excellent

WILDLIFE AT THE HOTEL: Babboons raid the camp from 11am to 2pm everyday and take anything not nailed down. While I was there, the babboons stole someone's backpack with passport, someone's shoes (while they were in the pool), and lots of food items, including my lunch. The staff was very accomodating and chased down the babboons and retrieved the backpack and the stolen shoes. There are also warthogs on the hotel grounds, but they are less of a problem.

ROOM RESERVATIONS: There are two types of rooms --- private (some with AC; some with fans; some with neither), and shared rooms. You can reserve the private rooms, but the shared rooms are first-come, first-serve. A three-person private room with fan was 57 cedi per night; the shared rooms were 5 cedi per night. It is my understanding that no one is ever turned away; more mattresses are just added to the shared room. The shared room that I inspected had 4 bunk beds (sleeping 8 people). Understand, that the bus often arrives at midnight and leaves promptly at 4am. There is alot of foot traffic in-and-out of the shared rooms throughout the night (I was next door to the "female" dorm....which brings me to another point....men and women are separated in the shared rooms...but again, alot of foot traffic).

Their email address is motel.mole@yahoo.com; very prompt about responding to room reservations.

BLANKETS: I was there in December 2011. It can be chilly in the early morning. BRING A BLANKET!!!!! They do not provide blankets (I used my sleeping bag)

SHOWER: As others have mentioned; buckets of water are left for you to take a shower. After the morning hike, I would take a shower next to the pool, and then swim a couple of laps. In the evening, I would use my bucket of water for a quick rinse. Some rooms closer to the water tower had running water; you may want to ask to be near the water tower.

INSECTS: Yes, but not as big a problem as some mentioned. I never saw a scorpion, but another guest did (see comment below)

LAUNDRY SERVICE: Yes...1 cedi per item. I used them for my socks as my white socks were red from the fine dust that is everywhere. Good service, but one guest commented that they also got a scorpion with their laundry.

ROOM SERVICE: Daily room service (clean room; sheets; refill water buckets)

PAYING AT THE END: They say that foreign currency is accepted and that credit cards are accepted. THEY ARE NOT!!!!! Have plenty of cedi with you!!!! You will pay for your room, laundry, food, hikes, jeep safaris, canoe trips, trips to town, trips to other villages (they also like to be tipped)....etc...


see separate review of park for hiking, etc.....

OK, so it's also the only view in town, but what a view. With the correct expectations (it is in back-woods Ghana, after all) this is a very nice place. Clean, polite staff, INCREDIBLE walking safari options. Only drawback is the food. But if you pick-and-choose wisely, you can find some good items on the menu. Also be prepared for a long bumpy ride to the park, but again, it's worth it for the one-of-a-kind location.

I visited Mole NP as part of a country wide trip in October 2011. My brother and I were on a custom tour, the primary aim being bird watching. I spent many years as a Game Ranger in southern Africa, so I was not all that interested in the mammals. I specifically asked to avoid Elephant by all means possible - I have a healthy dislike for the damn things.

First thing to note : you are going to travel for 90km (at least 3.5 hours over a very bumpy dirt road - known to the locals as the "death road".

From what we could gather, we had the best of the rooms with fans and aircon. The rooms were clean enough and the beds served their purpose. Showers have been disabled and replaced by buckets of water for showering. Decent size swimming pool keeps one cool during the heat of the afternoon.

If you are coming in the wet season - you are going to get very heavily bitten by Horse Flies. It is not pleasant and there is nothing you can do about it. They bite through clothing, even double shirts. Insect spray is of no use. So don't volunteer to sit on the roof of the 4x4. Game viewing is rubbish in the wet season anyway. During the dry season this is not a problem and as a bonus the game viewing is excellent.

Baboons are a pest. Do not feed the things, it may seem cute and fun, but they only end up getting killed after a while. The Rangers have to eliminate persistent problem animals thanks to no-one other than you, the tourist.

Staff are friendly and efficient if you can be bothered to smile and be friendly to them. The customer may be important in America and whining and moaning may help there - it doesn't work in Africa. Remember where you are, 30km from the nearest habitable town - why would the staff be concerned about you. This is Africa, and it works on "African Time."

Make what you like of the whining and moaning reviews - do note with interest, that all the poorly scored reviews and experiences are as told by Americans. If you are European, ignore that tosh, you'll love Ghana and Mole NP.

For the people complaining about not seeing any animals - it's really simple, don't visit during the wet season.