The Tengzuk shrine is in the Talensi Traditional area in the Upper East region of Ghana.
The community is home for most visitors especially during December, January, and February not because of the merry moment but because the temperature in the community is friendly during the period. The community is blessed with eco-tourism sites that make the place worth visiting.
With my love for travels and the stories I had heard about the rocks and the shrines built out of the rocks in the area, I made a visit to the community.
We hopped on our motorbike from Bolgatanga to Tongo which is 13KM and 10 minutes ride depending on the pace of the driver or rider. In Tongo, we were greeted by the sight of rocks telling us we will have a ride of a lifetime. We made it to the Tengzuk shrine which is almost 5 minutes ride from Tongo.
In Tengzuk, we met the chief who welcomed us into his palace and was grateful we had heard of the eco-tourism sites in his community.
From his palace, we met Ernest who was our tour guide for our ‘hiking’ of the Hills to Tengzuk. Frankly speaking, I never knew age was catching up with me as climbing the hills was very difficult but after three minutes we made it to the mysterious shrine which receives people all over the world. However, we were made to take off our shirts and shoes at a point in the journey.
The rocky hills have beautiful and captivating shapes perching precariously on the top of one another but climbing it to the shrine could be likened to hiking the Afajato mountain in the Volta region of Ghana.
The shrine works with the blood of an animal on the request of the gods. However, it does not kill human and will not work against the well-being of any individual.
After an interaction with the priest and other people, we had to make it back to the palace.
Climbing the Tongo Hills to the Mysterious Tengzuk shrine is fun. Non-Ghanaian adults pay 20 whiles Non-Ghanaian volunteers pay 15 cedis. Ghanaian adults pay 10 cedis whiles students pay 6 cedis. For the best visit, you should visit this eco-tourism site during the wet season in the Upper East region.
source:Offei-Akoto Ayeh
