Traveling in Ghana
Breaking new ground in West Africa
We would love to take you with us on our journey through Ghana. On our travels, we have had the opportunity to get to know many parts of the world and foreign cultures. However, our trip to Ghana was a completely new experience and an immersion into a world that we could not have imagined …
Our Ghana Travel
Why Ghana?
Why Ghana? And where is Ghana? These were usually the first unspoken questions we were confronted with when we told people about our destination. After our trip through South Africa and Swaziland, we developed a desire to get to know the real, authentic, deep Africa. So we ruled out the more touristy south and north, as well as the safari countries in the east. That left West Africa, many parts of which were subject to travel warnings. This narrowed our choices down to Senegal, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Gabon, from which we chose Ghana and Togo. You can find the current travel warnings on the website of the Foreign Office in your country.
Interesting facts about Ghana
First of all, it is important to be aware that, unlike many other countries, Ghana has few tourist attractions. You should also not expect a high level of comfort when traveling to Ghana. Although there are plenty of hotels, the standard is significantly lower than what we are used to in Europe.
On the other hand, you get to experience an absolutely authentic country far removed from everything we are used to. During our three-week trip, we hardly saw any other white people, and when we did, they were development aid workers. We didn’t see any vacationers or backpackers.
On our trip, we were the first white people many children had ever seen. Many children, but also adults, just wanted to touch us, but some children also ran away crying. Speaking of children: there are plenty of them in Ghana. On average, a woman gives birth to 4.9 children and the average life expectancy is around 19 years. Our trip was more about getting to know the culture and people.
Ghana has many different national languages, but English is the official language, which is also spoken by most Ghanaians. Communication is therefore relatively easy and it is very easy to strike up a conversation with people.
The people in Ghana are extremely warm and welcoming, and we felt at home from the very first minute. However, you shouldn’t expect a feel-good vacation in Ghana. You will also be confronted with a lot of poverty. Basically, there is nothing to buy in Ghana that is not absolutely necessary for survival, with one exception: smartphones.
But there is one thing you should always keep in mind in Ghana: Ghanaians do not like to be photographed without being asked. You should always ask for their permission first.
Ghana and his markets
Shopping in Ghana also takes some getting used to. There are no shops as we know them. Everything is bought directly from the street at the markets. There are plenty of these. So there is no need for extensive planning, unless you are really far away from civilization. Kumasi, Ghana’s second largest city, is home to the largest market in West Africa. A visit here is a must on any trip to Ghana.
Stay connected in Ghana
Compared to the rest of the infrastructure, Ghana’s communications network is well developed almost everywhere. We used an e-SIM from Airalo and had access to the World Wide Web everywhere, albeit not always with the best quality. But of course, it makes travel planning much easier.
How poor is Ghana?
First, we should answer the question of what “being poor” really means. In our opinion, we in the West live with many unnecessary things that do not really enrich our lives. But everyone must answer this question for themselves. Compared to our second destination, Togo, Ghana still seemed relatively prosperous to us. Although “prosperous” is certainly the wrong term here. As already described, there is no luxury in Ghana. The more rural the regions were, the greater the poverty was felt. However, our feeling was that people are happy with what they have. Education is particularly important to Ghanaians. It is also clearly pointed out that begging children should not be given money. They should not get the feeling that they can achieve more by begging than through education. Efforts are also made to make it clear to young girls that they should not have children until they are 18 and should not allow themselves to be persuaded by boys of the same age to have sexual intercourse in exchange for small gifts of money.
Costs of a vacation in Ghana
A vacation in Ghana is relatively expensive. In particular, the costs incurred before even arriving in the country amounted to around €1,300 per person for us, including vaccinations, medication, flights, and visas. Once in the country, we needed around another €400 for 8 days. It should be mentioned here that we are low-budget travelers. Below is a list of the costs you can expect in Ghana.
- Flight: 1,000.00 (cheaper depending on the time of year)
- Visa: 110.00
Medication: 150.00 (including malaria prophylaxis) - Hotels: $15.00 to $40.00 for a double room
- Transportation: short distances $1.00 – $2.00, longer distances up to $12.00 (public transportation only, private transportation is of course more expensive)
- Meals: $6.00 (simple restaurants)
- Tours and activities: $5.00 – $10.00
Best time to travel
In Ghana, there is no distinction between summer, fall, winter, and spring, but rather between the dry season (November to April) and the rainy season (May to October). There is also a short dry season in August. Generally speaking, the northern regions are warmer than the southern regions. The climate is tropical all year round. We were in Ghana at the end of July and beginning of August. With temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius and mostly overcast skies, it was much more pleasant than we had imagined. Most of the time, we were able to sleep well without air conditioning, just with a fan. There were a few rainy days, but they weren’t really a bother. If we visit West Africa again, and we will probably choose Sierra Leone, we will definitely choose the same time of year.
Backpack or suitcase
Definitely a backpack. Ideally, not too big, as you sometimes have to cover quite long distances. We used 42-liter backpacks for our trip. Of course, we had to be economical with our luggage.
Transportation in Ghana
Since we wanted to experience Ghana as authentically as possible, we only used public transportation. In Ghana, this means taxis in cities, minibuses or large VIP buses for long distances, and so-called tro-tros for medium distances. Since basically all Ghanaians use public transportation, it was relatively easy to get from A to B. All you need is a little patience, as the vehicles usually only leave when they are full. And full means overcrowded! You also have to get used to the travel times in Ghana, and the data from Google Maps is way off.
Taxis can be ordered in larger cities via Uber, Bolt, or even cheaper via the Yango app. Of course, it is also possible to hail taxis on the street, but these are usually a little more expensive.
Tro Tro’s are minibuses with little comfort. There is not much room to stretch your legs. The condition of the vehicles, whether taxis or Tro Tro’s, is often very, very poor. For example, the speedometers rarely work. However, we enjoyed our trips with the Tro Tro’s.
Minibuses, often called Ford buses, are the slightly more comfortable version of Tro Tro’s and can also be used for longer journeys.
The large VIP buses are reliable and comfortable. However, in our experience, they are significantly slower than the minibuses.
Ghana and his beaches
The beaches in Ghana are beautiful. Except that they are unfortunately completely littered with trash, and swimming is extremely dangerous due to the strong currents. During our entire stay, we didn’t see anyone swimming in the sea. You also have to constantly watch where you step, as people simply relieve themselves (both small and large) on the beach.
Ghana and waste
Unfortunately, trash is also a major problem in the rest of Ghana. There does not seem to be a functioning waste disposal system, and trash cans are practically non-existent. Everything is simply thrown away wherever you happen to be. This was also a completely new experience for us. We have never seen anything on this scale before on our travels.
Funerals in Ghana
We learned about the way people in Ghana deal with the deceased in a cruel way. During a taxi ride through Accra, we were suddenly overtaken by several motorcyclists carrying shotguns, who fired shots into the air right next to us. When our taxi driver stepped on the gas, we thought things were getting serious. He then explained to us that funerals in Ghana are celebrated over several days and that people are happy that the deceased is going to a better place. Ghanaians carefully choose their coffins while they are still alive. It was an interesting experience for us, even though we were deeply shocked.
Our travel planning
While there are plenty of blogs, travel guides, and similar resources available for many countries around the world, travel literature for Ghana is rather sparse. We pored over the available sources and even ordered a travel guide by Philipp Briggs. However, our questions remained unanswered until we arrived. This is another reason why Ghana may not be the most suitable country for a first backpacking trip.
vaccinations
The starting point for our travel preparations was to refresh all our travel vaccinations. A yellow fever vaccination is mandatory. Without it, you cannot enter Ghana or Togo. A list of all recommended vaccinations can be found on the website of the Tropical Institute. The greatest health risk comes from mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever, etc. Sufficient insect repellent with a high DEET content should therefore be included in your luggage. There is a high risk of malaria throughout the country all year round. It is therefore mandatory to take malaria tablets with you. Whether these are taken prophylactically or as emergency medicine must be clarified by each individual with their doctor. We have decided to take them prophylactically.
Flights
We booked our flights on Swoodoo. They offer quite affordable flights, especially in fall and spring. Unfortunately, we were traveling in July and August, so our flights were a bit more expensive. We ended up booking a flight with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul to Accra.
Visa
A visa is required to enter Ghana for most countries of the world. You have to apply the visa in advance at your country’s embassy. Applications must first be submitted online before passports are sent to the embassies by post. To apply online, you will need to have already booked your flight and hotel in Ghana. You will also need to provide the name of a host. We provided the name of our hotel and this was accepted. Our online application ultimately took about 5 hours. It took about a week before we had our passports back in our hands. But make sure you allow enough time. Including postage, a visa for Ghana costs EUR 110.00. Unfortunately, there is no visa on arrival in Ghana.
travel itinerary
Once the vaccinations, visas, and flight bookings were taken care of, we got down to the detailed planning. We rarely plan too much in advance on our trips. We only decide on a rough itinerary. We are also interested in transport options, i.e., how to get from A to B, and hotel booking options. Booking.com, for example, is not available everywhere, so we mostly booked directly on site. We hardly met any other hotel guests during our entire trip. Since we also visited Togo on our trip, we concentrated on the southern part of Ghana and tried to avoid overly long journeys. Our destinations were Accra, Cape Coast and Elmina, Kumasi and its villages, Akosombo, Mafi-Adidome and Keta, before continuing on to Togo.
Since we like to visit many different regions on our vacations and are always on the move, 9 days were enough for us to visit southern Ghana. However, if you prefer to take it a little easier, you should plan on 14 days. If you also want to visit the northern regions, you should plan on three weeks.
Let's go!
Day 1: Arrival in Ghana
At 10:30 sharp, we board the plane in Munich and fly via Istanbul to Accra, where we land at 9:15 p.m. local time with tonsillitis and a fever of 39 degrees Celsius. Of course, it’s the perfect time to be sick… Once we arrive at the airport, we have no problems entering the country thanks to our visas and yellow fever certificates. However, we get a nasty surprise at baggage claim. Our luggage has not reached Ghana, nor has the luggage of at least 100 other passengers. Later, I read online that this is the rule rather than the exception for Turkish Airlines arrivals in Accra. So we join the hopeless chaos at the counter to complete the formalities. Our luggage finally arrived 1 and 2 days later, respectively. We then reached our hotel in Accra quickly and easily via Bolt.
Day 2 in Accra
While I was recovering from my sore throat at the hotel, Dalma set off to visit the various sights in Accra. These definitely include downtown Accra and the adjacent beach, including Jamestown with its lighthouse. However, as there are generally few sights to see in Ghana and we were more interested in the country, its people, and its culture anyway, we didn’t mind. Towards evening, we found a restaurant near the hotel. We mainly ate chicken and rice, but of course we also tried the national dish, “fufu.” In the evening, we were able to pick up at least one of our pieces of luggage at the airport.
Day 3 in Accra
Now that I was slowly getting back into shape thanks to antibiotics and one of our bags was still missing, we stayed in Accra for another night. Generally speaking, one day in Accra is enough. Together, we explored the various markets in Accra and strolled along the beach. Anyone expecting a paradise beach will unfortunately be disappointed. The beaches were full of trash and feces, and unfortunately, much more is simply disposed of in the ocean in Ghana.
It was wonderful that we came into close contact with Ghanaians on almost every street corner. Of course, we stood out simply because of our skin color and were often approached by Ghanaians, who were at least as interested in us as we were in them. Our next destination was Jamestown with its famous lighthouse. Here, we were able to immerse ourselves in the history of slavery in West Africa for the first time. In the 1850s, forts and prisons were built in many places along the coast, where slaves were held until they were shipped to America or Europe. A cruel thought… Local guides are very worthwhile here. Fortunately, our last piece of luggage with all our medication also arrived in Accra that evening.
Day 4 in Cape Coast
We left the hotel early in the morning and headed for Kaneshie VIP Station. We were lucky because the bus was already full and we managed to get the last two seats. So we thought we would make the short journey to Cape Coast early. After all, it was only 137 kilometers. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. Our journey took a full six hours and was mostly on sandy roads full of potholes. Eventually, we arrived and checked into our hotel. Then we set off for (almost) the only tourist attraction in Ghana, Cape Coast Castle. Cape Coast Castle is an old slave castle where slaves were held captive until they were shipped out.
The castle is located directly on a fishing port, where there was a lot of hustle and bustle. Many fishermen arrived or left the port with their small fishing boats. It was also nice to see the solidarity within the groups. In general, life in Ghana takes place outdoors. Here, too, we were immediately included and allowed to actively participate. We then made a short detour to nearby Elmina, which is barely more than 10 kilometers from Cape Coast and also houses a slave castle.
Day 5 in Kumasi
Early in the morning, we made our way to the bus station in Cape Coast and took a Ford bus for about 5 hours to Ghana’s second largest city, Kumasi. Once there, we learned never to get into a vehicle without agreeing on the price first. Our tricycle driver wanted about 10 times the usual price. However, the hotel we checked into served its purpose. In the afternoon, we set off for the largest market in West Africa. However, as it was a Sunday, it was a little smaller than usual. Nevertheless, it was overwhelming. In Kumasi, you could also sense that poverty was much greater than along the coast of Ghana. On the other hand, we had the impression that the people were even more welcoming.
Day 6 in Kumasi's villages
Since we wanted to experience Ghana as authentically as possible, a trip to remote villages was a must. Kumasi offers a great opportunity for this, as the so-called tro-tros depart in practically all directions and at any time. We strolled from one place to the next and felt like we were entering another world. And again, everywhere we went, we were warmly welcomed by the Ghanaians and integrated into their groups.
Towards evening, we decided to return to Accra. Contrary to all recommendations not to travel at night, we took a VIP bus from Kusami back to Accra, expecting to arrive there around 10:00 p.m. Of course, we were way off the mark again and didn’t reach Accra until around 2:00 a.m. Finding a decent taxi from Kaneshie Bus Station to our booked hotel in the middle of the night was not that easy. And the area around the bus station in Accra was not very inviting at that time of night. Dead tired, we fell into bed.
Day 7 in Akosombo
Early in the morning, we made our way back to the bus station in Accra, where buses headed east. After about three hours and somewhat queasy stomachs, we arrived in Atimpoku and, after a short taxi ride, in Akosombo. This town is located on the largest reservoir in West Africa and is also well guarded by the military. Here, we were immersed in another world. Far away from the trash, we were surrounded by beautiful rolling hills and forests. The standard of living here was also much higher than what we were used to in Kumasi. We explored the village and got to know the market ladies. On our hike to the next village, we got to know a completely different side of Ghana. A trip to Hohoe to see the Wli Waterfalls would probably also be worthwhile. However, we decided against it because we were only a stone’s throw away from it on our onward journey in Togo.
Day 8 to Mafi Adidome and on to Keta
Slowly getting a little tired, we continued our journey on various tro-tros through numerous villages and made a stop in Mafi Adidome. This wasn’t originally planned, but it was a very worthwhile break. On the way there, we met a teacher who also served as our guide on a boat trip on the Volta River. Here we learned a lot about the daily life of the Ghanaians, and the landscape was also very charming.
After our stopover, we continued on to Keta. Keta is surrounded by a lake on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, and it is beautiful. The only difficulty was finding our accommodation, and we learned that accommodations are not always where Google Maps thinks they are. But we got help here too. We stayed at the A&Y Wild Camp, four walls built right on the sandy beach. The floor in our little hut was sand, and we showered from buckets of water.
Day 9 in Keta
Keta was definitely the most beautiful place we saw in Ghana. The beaches were much less littered and beautiful. Only the strong currents prevented us from swimming in the sea. This made participating in the fishermen’s lives all the more interesting. Here, too, the strong cohesion within the groups was evident. We also got a tour from a pig farmer, a fisherman who bred pigs on the side.
Here, too, there is an old Slavic castle in ruins, which is beautiful to look at. A walk along the beaches is definitely worth seeing. After our program so far, we were able to relax a little here.
Day 10 and our onward journey to Togo
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Ghana, even though it is definitely far from a relaxing vacation. We got to know the country, the people, and the way of life of the Ghanaians very well and can definitely recommend a trip there for adventure seekers. Due to the fact that there are hardly any other backpackers in Ghana, you can experience Africa up close. We would perhaps recommend it less as a first big trip. If you are interested and we have been able to give you an insight into “deep” Africa, you are welcome to read our travel report in Togo.
About us
Dalma & Markus
Born in Hungary and Austria respectively, we live in the Salzburg region in the heart of the Alps. Dalma is a self-employed physiotherapist, while Markus works for an online marketing agency in the summer and as a self-employed ski guide in Lech/Zürs am Arlberg in the winter. Outside of work, we use every spare moment to get to know the world a little better. Our travels have taken us to every continent in the world. The more exotic the destination, the more we love it. Feel free to contact us via our social media channels.