aTRAVELdirectory	| CONTACT |

Ghana Tourism - Travel to Ghana

        

Ghana is in Africa.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 By plane 6.2 By train 6.3 By car 6.4 By Bus 6.5 By Taxi/Tro-Tro 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 External links

Regions in Ghana

• Brong-Ahafo
• Central
• Eastern
• Greater_Accra
• Northern
• Upper_East
• Upper_West
• Volta
• Western
• Ashanti

Cities in Ghana

• Accra -- Capital
• Kumasi -- Regional capital
• Takoradi -- Coastal town
• Tamale -- Regional capital of Northern Refion

Other destinations - Travel to Ghana

• Mole National Park -- Good for wildlife
• Kakum National Park -- Rainforest with Canopy walk

Understand Ghana Tourism

Ghana is a very friendly country, ideal for first time travellers to Africa, the people are generally very helpful and welcoming. While their laidback attitude and lack of organised tourist sights/trips can be a little annoying to begin with, before you have been there for very long you realise that it is one of the delights of this country.

Get into Ghana

Travel to Ghana By Plane

All International flights are Kotoka International airport at Accra, it is very central and there are always lots of taxis available, a taxi ride anywhere in the city shouldn't cost more than 25,000 cedis (Mar 04). British Airways and Ghana Airways fly from London Heathrow.

Travel to Ghana By Train

No International train services

Travel to Ghana By car

Travel to Ghana By Bus

Ghana's national bus company STC run services to/from capital cities of some nearby countries.

Travel to Ghana By Boat

Get around in Ghana

Ghana Tourism By plane

There are scheduled domestic flights 3 - 4 times a week between Accra, Kumasi and Tamale in the North.

Ghana Tourism By Train

There is rail links between Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi. The train is slow, but can be better than road between Takoradi and Kumasi.

Ghana Tourism By Car

Roads are variable. In Accra most are fairly good. Significant improvements are being made on the main road between Accra and Kumasi. Most of the roads outside Accra apart from the major ones are dirt tracks. The road between Techiman and Bole is particularly bad and should be avoided if possible. For travel on most roads in the North of the country a 4x4 is required, a saloon car will cope with some of them in the dry season but is not recommended

Travel to Ghana By Bus

STC is the main coach company. They operate long distance domestic and international services. Probably the safest way to travel long distance, and are also pretty quick compared to other options, although even on these services breakdowns are reasonably frequent. STC operate between Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Cape Coast and other main cities. 'Express' or 'Air-conditioned' services are quicker and a lot more comfortable than the ordinary services and are now available on the Accra-Kumasi, Accra-Tamale, Accra-Bolgatanga routes.

Several other companies also operate bus services between the major towns, these include OSA and Kingdom Travel, their service is marginally more reliable than tro-tros but there isn't much in it.

By Taxi/Tro-Tro

A 'Tro-tro' is a term that covers almost any sort of vehicle that has been adapted to fit in as many people as possible. They along with 'shared' taxis will run along fixed routes and have fixed fares, and will rarely run with less than capacity [so be prepared to wait]. They are inexpensive, but have a questionable safety record and frequently breakdown. Although they generally run point to point they will usually pick and drop on route if required. They are often the only option between remote towns but are not recommended for long journeys. Taxi's are prevalent, and as a tourist you will find they find you quick enough if you need one. To charter a taxi is more expensive than to share one. Always settle on a fare before getting in. In Accra and the major cities most taxis that will stop for you assume you require a charter taxi and unless you are on a very strict budget it's usually easiest to do this. In more remote areas shared taxis are most common.

Ghana Talk

Ghanaians are generally taught in English, and as a tourist you will find few who can't speak at least some English. English is the official language and, along with the Twe dialect, unites different language groups around the country. If you are white you will get used to the standard call of 'obruni' (white man - applied to both sexes) from children and sometimes adults as you walk down the street - it is not meant to be offensive in any way and is generally accompanied by 'how are you'

Buy

The local currency is the Cedi (GHC) and is used everywhere, US Dollars are accepted by some of the major tourist hotels but you shouldn't rely on this. US Dollars are the most useful currency to take with you and you will sometimes find that bars/restaurants will be willing to change them for you if you need Cedis outside banking hours.

Approximate exchange rates as at early March 2004 are:

British Pound: 1 - 16,500 Cedis US Dollar: 1 - 9,000 Cedis

There are many Forex Bureaus in Accra, and a few in the other major cities. It is very difficult to change travellers cheques and certainly almost impossible outside Accra. VISA cards are accepted at major hotels and there are ATMs in Accra and Kumasi which accept VISA. At the main branch of Barclays Bank in Accra you can get a cash advance on your VISA or MasterCard provided you have your passport with you.

Eat - Travel to Ghana

Drink

Sleep - Ghana Tourism

Learn

Work

Stay safe - Ghana Tourism

Ghana is currently a very safe country, stable and relatively low crime levels compared to other West African countries. There is an increase in armed robbery, some of which targetting tourists and ex-pats. Take sensible precautions but be assured it is quite safe.

Stay Healthy While You Travel to Ghana

The AIDS/HIV rate is high as in all African countries. Do not have unprotected sex.

Respect

Do try and pick up on respectful practice (such as not eating or offering with your left hand), but in general Ghanaians are quite accepting of tourists getting it wrong.

Contact

Telephone and postal services can be unreliable. The mobile network is good in urban areas.

External Links for Ghana Tourism

This article is still a stub and needs your attention. Plunge forward and help it grow!

Article text and images are from WikiTravel.org and are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Travel to Ghana - Ghana Tourism Memphis Website Design Memphis Service Directory This website is part of the Dream Design Studios Network