Unlike the southern-most countries of Africa, Ghana is not usually visited on a multi-country trip. It's an experience of its own and attracts travelers looking to experience a friendly part of authentic West African culture, making it less desirable for the khaki-clad safari obsessed.

Our Rating. 7/10

In a nutshell Ghana is everything you may expect West Africa to be (Sahara and Dogon villages aside), with a huge variety, plenty to explore and few tourists. It's easy to spend a month or two if you wished - certainly the highlight of the region and although it has some limitations as a destination it comes highly recommended.

Get Your Bearings.

Wonder of wonders, just when you were fed up of West Africa and all that it offers (or doesn't) you find Ghana, a place that somehow just feels completely different from its neighbors and the rest of the region. 

It's not just that English is spoken; they speak it in Nigeria, fancy a trip there?  It's that Ghana somehow strikes the balance between creature comforts and maintaining a bit of the wildness of Africa. Buses run on a schedule, eating out is a breeze, banks have ATMs, Internet is easy.

In fact the balance is about right for many since because even though certain western factors are present to make life comfortable you are not going to find anything close to a Starbucks on every corner.

The Rad.

There are few places that really jump out as major highlights apart from the value of traveling and people. Getting off the beaten track is perhaps the biggest highlight. It's quite easy and there is plenty to see such as beaches and forgotten forts in the south-west, Lake Volta or the villages around Kumasi.

The Bad.

Distances are still quite large and transport is not always comfortable/practical. Mole National Park is easy to get to by West Africa standards, not general standards and the extent of wildlife you see will depend on the time of year and your luck. If you have been to East Africa you might be disappointed.

Ghanian Highlights.

SOME OF THE WORLD'S FRIENDLIEST PEOPLE.

Ghanians are incredibly friendly people who are generally interested in talking to outsiders and will go far out of their way to help you. In fact the whole culture is very soft and you very rarely feel intimidated even in the poverty you'll encounter each and every day. 

VIBRANT TRADITIONS TO EXPLORE.

As weird as it sounds, the wedding, church and funeral scene are all very big. Getting invited to a funeral will most likely be the most memorable experience of your visit.

MARKETS.

Probably the most exotic in the more Muslim regions of northern Ghana, markets are a huge part of any visit to the country. Expect everything from fabric to food and everything in between -- snails, weird food stalls and hair-breading are must-dos.

Ghanian Lowlights.

LACK OF SAFARI WILDLIFE.

The capital, Accra, is in the south on the ocean. And while Ghana does have elephants in the north as well as several crocodile parks, this is not the place to go to live out any Hemingway safari fantasies.

GETTING LOST.

Somehow, addresses don't seem to exist in Ghana which means that getting around can be quite a challenge if you're not familiar with the local landmarks. This is made slightly easier by the fact that all taxi drivers speak english, but if you're venturing somewhere new -- make sure to have a map handy.

LOCALS.

It's not to say that everyone you will meet will have the sun shining out of every orifice, but Ghanaians are on the whole very friendly, gentle and understanding. A real highlight of any trip.

CROWD FACTOR.

Compared to other West African countries, you'll find a large amount of backpackers in Ghana, though still very low compared to Asia or the Americas. In fact, you'd probably never notice them outside Mopti and Dogon Country in Mali and it's easy to get away fro the beaten track. 

OTHER TRAVELERS.

Mainly from the USA (Peace Corps) or British. Some Dutch and other Europeans. Not many tourists (compared to say Asia), most travelers you meet on the road will be doing some kind of voluntary work.

PACKING STRATEGY COMING SOON.

In the meantime, visit our general packing guide here.

Guidebook Recommendation.

The Bradt guide to Ghana is far superior to most other guidebooks to the region and is the one recommended by the like of Peace Corps and UN staffers. That said, grabbing the Lonely Planet will increase your odds of running into other travelers if that's what you're after. Read our review of the top guidebooks here.

Recommended Reading/Watching To Get In The Mood.

Per Day: US $15-$20.

With a little bit of effort, getting by on $15 is easy. Double this and you can travel very well by backpacker standards with AC in rooms and eating and drinking like a king or queen.

Don't Forget About Beer.

Ghana has great cheap beer, so if you're keen to drink during your trip, make sure you account for that in your budget. Guinness, as in much of Africa and the Caribbean is popular and goes down very nicely. 

Leave Room In Your Budget For Shopping.

If Ghana is the last stop on your trip, this is a good place to buy beautiful, low-priced souvenirs or gifts for the folks back home. but please, we beg of you, don't buy ivory.

(Map Coming Soon!)

The Typical Tourist Trail in Ghana.

The most highly trodden path around Ghana would the be triangle between Accra,  Kumasi and Cape Coast/Takoradi.

Getting Off The Beaten Path.

That said, because there aren't too many major "sights", the beauty of Ghana really lies in getting off the beaten track and getting to know the locals. It's quite easy and there is plenty to see such as beaches and forgotten forts in the south-west, Lake Volta or the villages around Kumasi.

Tourist Season.

Coming Soon

When NOT To Go.

Coming Soon

Getting A Visa.

Virtually everyone will need a visa and have to obtain it before arriving. Cost is about US$60-80 for single entry and US$80-100 for double entry (but embassies in developed countries will likely charge more). Visas can be easily obtained in Ouagadougou and elsewhere in the region (note reports that a Ghana visa in Côte d'Ivoire can be problematic). For a country that has the most tourist potential in the region, it is somewhat puzzling as to why the Ghanaian government makes getting a visa such a pain and feels the need to add so much red-tape. Please Ghana, take a look at your East African counter-parts of Ethiopia/Uganda/Kenya/Tanzania.

Language.

99.9% of the locals speak English, so you should have no problem with communications. Learning Twee, the local dialect, isn't a necessity, but you'll ingratiate yourselves with the locals and might better better prices when you're bargaining if you can whip out a few phrases.

Internet. 

Internet and phone easy to find and use. Wi-Fi of okay standard creeping in. Internet cheap, calls abroad more expensive.

Communication & Entertainment.

• Books: Easy to find a good range of books in Accra, much harder outside of the capital

• TV: Ghanaian national TV is hardly stimulating, but you will find cable TV in good Accra hotels

Cash/ATMS.

ATMs can be found in any major town and cash/travelers cheques change quite easily. Best to stick with ATMs which are really quite plentiful. The only point of note is that the Cedi comes in fairly low denomination notes and that the largest ATM withdrawal you can make is pretty low and is a fair wad of cash. This means that if you're about to head somewhere remote without an ATM, you could find yourself awkwardly standing at the machine making withdrawal after withdrawal only to end up with a huge (and conspicuous) wad of cash.

If you’re in a bind, having a few American $20s (uncreased) should keep you afloat for awhile.

Getting around Ghana is much easier than getting around the rest of West Africa. There is a pretty good state run bus service and private buses. On shorter hops, or for sometimes faster times, you can use bush taxis (quite rare) or bush mini buses (much more common). These are handy, leave regularly, don't often rip you off and are not that crowded.

Flights.

Flying anywhere in Africa is the opposite of cheap, and therefore out of the budget of most travelers. It's really only worth it if you're traveling a hugely long distance or if you're part of a tour group (which usually includes airfare).

Per Night: $10 USD.

You can easily spend less (especially if you're off the beaten path and are open to home stays), but it can be difficult to bear the heat -- even for the most seasoned traveler.

Accommodation ranges greatly from a good standard in bigger towns to quite basic off the beaten track. Mid-range accommodation is quite cheap about US$20-35. Basic accommodation is even cheaper, but of a poor standard and difficult to bear in the heat. If you wish to spend more than US$10-15 the jump up is quite large. In larger cities hotels aimed at business folk can be a great deal with AC, hot water and sometimes a TV.

TEMPERATURE & HOT WATER.

With rooms at the cheaper end, don't expect hot water, but if you want it paying a little extra it will not be a problem for even the most shoestring travelers.

Food.

Food is fantastic, from basic African street food you can find for next to nothing, ranging to great seafood restaurants or local fishermen cooking you their catches in beach shacks. If you like fish and seafood you will be in heaven.

Basic rules to mitigate the chance of getting sick can be found in our Backpacker 101: Health and Safety page. 

Vegetarians.

Rejoice, Ghana's got your back. You may never want to leave.

Drink.

Don't drink the water, duh. This goes for ice, popsicles that may be mixed with water, watered down fruit juice, teeth-brushing -- the standard developing nation rules. More on this on our Health and Safety page. 

Health.

As anywhere else in tropical Africa there are many nasty things you can catch including malaria, but from a safety situation Ghana is relatively very safe. More about how to protect yourself on our Malaria Survival Guide.

Dangers.

Always take local advice and err on the side of caution when walking through remote areas, swimming (since aside from Bilharzia, there are strong tidal currents) and walking alone after dark in quiet, unlit places.

Women Traveling Alone.

As with all countries there are guys who will be looking to pick you up at beach areas, but as a woman alone you are pretty safe. Really more of an annoyance than a hassle, you may find that even with a male partner local men may take it on themselves to touch you - just don't take any shit and make sure you let them know this is not appropriate behavior and you or any other tourist is not going to stand for it.

When confronted most men are quite shy about having touched you. It's normally only brushing your arm rather than anything sinister, but it's not something they would do to a local girl (nor would they tolerate it).

Only a little hassle in towns like Cape Coast, but pretty low key. Ghana really does live up to its reputation of having lovely, welcoming people who will watch out -- even for complete strangers.

WOMEN ALONE.

Expect a lot of marriage proposals and professions of love. This is less frightening than annoying.

More information on the topic on our Dangers & Health page.

Pot.

Grass is touted in places by locals (especially by the beach) but there is no real scene despite the fact that some travelers come here hell bent on living out their African Rhasta dreams.

Alcohol.

Like we mentioned, Ghana has great cheap beer -- sometimes even cheaper than a bottle of water. Guinness, as in much of Africa and the Caribbean is popular and goes down very nicely. 

Did we Miss Something?

We try to keep it brief, so if you're planning a Ghana trip and we missed something, just let us know. If you include your email address we'll get back to you with a personalized answer lickity-split.

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