Q: My husband and I are planning a trip for next yr. We love traveling and have been to Engalnd, France, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Canary Islands, French Polynesia, Panama, Costa Rica, Belize. We have heard that Ghana is a nice place in Africa. I was wondering if anyone has been. What are good places to go? place to see? and stay? how safe is it? thanks.
A: I have been twice. Ghana recently ranked the top country in Africa on the Peace Index. Ghana is very friendly. The people are absolutely lovely. They speak english though sometimes it is pidgen so you have to have a fast ear to understand. Ghana is very safe in my personal experience. I've travelled to both the capital city and to tiny villages in the northern regions (and everywhere in between) as a single woman and experienced no real threats. That said, as a woman alone it is wise to be careful. Depending on your skin colour you may find yourself as targets for overpricing on taxis or other basics. It is good to go to Accra. In Accra try to see a show at the national theatre, and go to James Town to see the lighthouse. Depending on your budget you should stay at the Afia Village which is very reasonably priced and many rooms have beautiful ocean views. AC, hot water, cable television, cold beers and good food. This is in contrast to a high end Hotel which will not allow you ocean views but will charge you 5X as much. Also, you should not miss Cape Coast and it's beautiful and haunting slave trading fort. Big Milly's in kokrobite outside of Accra is a really laid back place for a few days. Be prepared to drink a lot of alchohol and lay around in the sunshine. Further West check out Green Turtle for another pristine beach experience. Going north Kumasi is the second city with lots to see and do. Further north still Mole National Park allows you to see elephants and some other African animals. Book ahead at the motel in the park where you can watch the elephants from the pool. Depending on your enjoyment of long rides in hot busses, consider taking the airplane around Ghana. Antrack air is quite good in my experience if you can afford it and saves MANY hours on bad roads. Specifically, consider taking the airplane from Accra to Tamale if you want to see the Elephants at Mole as it is a 20+ hours drive. You can use your visa at an ATM in bigger cities like accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi, and Tamale, but not in between and usually not at rooming houses. So be prepared with cash. Make friends as often as possible. It is custom to offer your food to others (for example) if you are on a bus with them. They will likely refuse it. Making friends with Ghanaians will result in them being extremely helpful and protecting you in case of anyone having bad intentions. You will likely get hastled to buy from young ghanaian men. Be persistant in your refusals and don't be afraid if you are being harassed to get a police officer or another citizen to intervene on your behalf. I recommend don't go from December to March. The sky can be hazy like a brown soup from the Harmattan, a dust filled wind coming off the Sahara.