We are astonished to see the jogger. He quickly runs up the mountain. Justice, a member of team Moon&Star guesthouse who took us to the Prayer mountain, smiles at us. “In addition to prayer, we also use this mountain as an exercise. I do it regularly myself.” Besides pilgrims, the Abesua or Atwia Mountain attracts everyday visitors and tourists. It’s a steep climb to the top, but when you get there, the fresh air and the magnificent view make it all worth it.

The Prayer Mountain lives up to its name. During the journey up we pass one church after the other. Every church belongs to a camp and there are no fewer than ten camps scattered throughout the mountain. Each camp, similar to a community, has a unique identity. Some people live on the camps, while others hold a market. Everywhere you go on the Prayer mountain you hear people singing and praying. Sometimes the sounds come from the bush, other times from the path or from inside a building. We pass many covenant seed boxes in various places. Christians place their gift in the hope that their prayers will be answered.

The history of the Prayer Mountain goes back a few centuries to a legendary visit by Abraham Osei-Assibey, the then pastor of the Methodist Church in Atwia. He visited the mountain to pray to God and he faithfully repeated this ritual for some time. This changed the village in such a good way that the mountain was called Prayer Mountain. Since then, this mountain has been high on everyone’s list, from pilgrims from Ghana to Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

The mountain requires a bit of fitness, but the stairs help particularly well when you go up. Once the stairs have been climbed, the climb is over. There we can walk around the different camps and we even visit a church service for a while. During the walk we meet many greeting people who kindly say “akwaaba” (welcome). We pass houses, beautiful tropical plants and flowers and lush yam and plantain fields. Exotic birds fly in and out and a caterpillar or millicent regularly passes us. Once arrived at the edge of the mountain, the view is breathtaking and it reaches out to villages, so we take our time to take it all in. When we have our journey back to the taxi we feel enlightened and we are happy that Moon&Star took us to the Prayer mountain

Want to go?

Moon&Star guesthouse will gladly take you to the Prayer Mountain. You climb the mountain with someone who knows the area very well. Ask all your questions and learn more about this special mountain!

To come up, each visitor pays 2 cedi. For the thirsty climbers, there are different places to get water and even something to eat if the trek strikes. Let us know your travel route and we will help you on your way!

If you want to know more about the things you can do while staying at Moon&Star guesthouse, please read our blog