Somanya

Somanya is in the Ashanti-Kwahu region of southern Ghana. The capital city of the Yilo Krobo Municipal District in the Ghana's Eastern Region, it is about 50 km (30 mi) from the northern edge of Accra. It is the largest city in a rural farming area.

Understand

Somanya is surrounded by a collection of smaller suburbs and villages, with about 90,000 people in the area. Most of the surrounding area is dedicated to farming.

Somanya is fairly warm and humid year round. The temperatures are pretty stable, with the highest on average in March, at around 28 °C. At 25 °C on average, August is the coldest month of the year. It has two rainy seasons each year, the first happening in May and June, and the second during September and October.

Multiple local languages are spoken in the area, with Dangme being common.

The Kloyosikplemi festival happens every November, on the Krobo Mountain, which is just south of Somanya.

There is a much smaller town called New Somanya just south of the city Somanya proper. That's where the University of Environment and Sustainable Development is.

Get in

From outside Ghana, you can get to this town through Kotoka International Airport which will land you in Accra. Then you can go by bus to the town. You can get a public bus transport called Tro Tro at the Madina station. The Accra airport is about 65 km south of Somanya, and you should plan for a trip by car to take at least two hours. Once away from the airport, you can take the N4 highway 51 km to Adukrom, and then the R21 to Somanya. Alternatively, you can take Liberation Road to the N4 about 10 km to the R40, and follow that to Somanya.

Koforidua, which is the largest city in the Eastern Region, is about 50 km west of Somanya. The drive will usually take more than one hour.

There are buses that serve Somanya.

See

University of Environment and Sustainable Development

• 1 University of Environment and Sustainable Development (off R40 south of Somanya proper), ☏ +233 200955020. This is a public university founded in 2020. It has a serene environment with new, state-of-the-art facilities beautifully designed with smart features. (updated May 2024)

Buy

• Somanya is known for producing high-quality beads, which were used by traditional rulers and queens.

Sleep

• 1 Odo So Royal Hotel, EA-0326-8592, New Powmu, Tema, Akosombo Road (Akosombo, some 30 km north of Somanya), ☏ +233 24 298 0453. Check-in: 2PM. https://www.booking.com/hotel/gh/odo-so-royal.html. (updated May 2024)

Go next

• Lake Volta is north of Somanya.
• Krobo Odumase hosts the Dipo womanhood rites each March or April.
• Boti-Okwenya is home to the Boti Falls, a waterfall with two streams of water. It also has a three-edged palm tree with a stone breast.