Kumasi
The Asante capital in the forest belt, where the king still holds court at Manhyia and Kejetia Market spreads over more than ten thousand stalls.
- Arrival
- Prempeh I International · KMS
- To the city
- About 4 km from the centre
- Private jets
- At KMS in daylight, with customs
- Best time
- November to February · August
The city
Seat of the Asantehene.
Osei Tutu made Kumasi the capital of the Ashanti Empire in the late seventeenth century, and the Asantehene still lives here. British troops burned part of the city in 1874 and took it in 1896, the year Fort Kumasi was built; the fort is a museum today. Manhyia Palace, from 1925, is open to visitors, and the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum keeps royal regalia and a copy of the Golden Stool.
The city lies in the forest some 200 km inland from Accra, at about 250 metres. Its old name, the Garden City, goes back to a town plan of 1945. Kejetia Market is where the city trades, and the carvers work at Ahwiaa.
- Manhyia Palace Museum The 1925 palace of the Asantehene, now shown to visitors.
- Kejetia Market More than ten thousand stores and stalls in the middle of the city.
- Prempeh II Jubilee Museum Asante regalia and a reproduction of the Golden Stool, in the Centre for National Culture.
Arriving
An airport on the edge of town.
Kumasi Airport became Prempeh I International in 2024, when a new terminal for about a million passengers a year was opened. It lies four kilometres from the centre, and its runway is 2,320 metres long.
- Abidjan 45 min
- Lagos 1 h 05
- Nice 5 h 45
- Geneva 6 h 05
- Paris 6 h 25 long-range jet
When to go
November to February, and August.
Two rainy seasons, from March to July and again in September and October, with a short lull in August. February is the hottest month at 34 °C. December and January are the driest months, with about 15 to 26 mm of rain.
- 32° J 15
- 34° F 64
- 33° M 135
- 32° A 130
- 32° M 173
- 30° J 210
- 28° J 155
- 28° A 91
- 29° S 167
- 30° O 157
- 31° N 73
- 31° D 26
Where to stay
One rated hotel, in the gardens of Ridge.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Elsewhere in Ghana
More reasons to come.
Flying to Kumasi?
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