Kumasi Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Kumasi

Kumasi is the second largest city in Ghana and serves as the capital of both the Ashanti Region and the Kumasi Metropolitan district. Situated in a rainforest setting approximately 200 kilometers from the national capital of Accra, the city lies near Lake Bosomtwe at an elevation ranging between 250 and 300 meters above sea level. Historically dubbed "The Garden City" following mid-twentieth-century planning proposals and an abundance of local greenery, Kumasi is also widely known by the nickname "Oseikrom."

The settlement was established in the 1680s by Asantehene Osei Kofi Tutu I as the capital of the Ashanti Empire. Its name originates from a Twi phrase meaning "under the kum tree," linked to traditional accounts of its founding. Kumasi remains the seat of the Asantehene and holds deep cultural reverence, serving as the legendary site where Okomfo Anokye received the sacred Golden Stool. Following a British takeover in 1896, the urban area expanded rapidly through transport developments like roads and railways, later becoming the regional capital when Ghana attained independence in 1957.

As the principal center of Asante heritage, Kumasi hosts major cultural landmarks and commercial spaces. It is home to West Africa's largest market, the Kejetia Market, which features over 10,000 stalls and shops. Visitors can explore Fort Kumasi—a structure built in 1896 that now operates as a museum—as well as the Nurom Hat Museum and the site of the Okomfo Anokye Sword. Prominent cultural locations include the 1925 Manhyia Palace museum and the Centre for National Culture, which houses Asante regalia within the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum. The city is also celebrated for traditional kente textile weaving and its native Twi-language film sector, known as Kumawood.

Kumasi experiences a tropical savanna climate defined by two wet periods: a primary rainy season running from March to July and a secondary season from September to November. Average monthly high temperatures reach around 31 °C (88 °F), while minimum temperatures hover near 22 °C (72 °F). Beyond its heritage, the city serves as a major economic hub processing half of Ghana's timber, and it hosts important public institutions such as Wesley College of Education and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.