Introducing Ghana
In Ghana life is public. People evacuate their homes and apartments every day to escape the stifling heat. And much like the patterned cloth worn by market women, the disparate parts and peoples somehow mix and weave together into a cohesive whole. Ghana is home to a number of diverse peoples and cultures, all finding ways to coexist in a rapidly modernising country. You’ll see men and women in traditional clothes text messaging friends and suited businessmen taking offerings to tribal chiefs.
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Ghana has no iconic natural calling card like Victoria Falls or Kilimanjaro, but one look at a map reveals a geographic blessing: hundreds of kilometres of coast shared by beautiful beaches, like those at Busua & Dixcove, ruined European forts, such as Cape Coast Castle, the poignant reminders of the country’s importance as a way station for African slaves, and the battered shacks of lively fishing villages. Accra is the commercial and cultural motor of the country, while Kumasi is the traditional home of the Ashanti, and is famous for its crafts. In the Volta region to the east, where the geography was given a facelift by the Akosombo dam, you can still find substantial swathes of forest crawling up mountains along the Togo border. And finally the North, which offers opportunities for wildlife viewing up close and personal, stretches across the horizon like an overcooked pancake to the Burkina Faso frontier.
Compared to other countries in the region, Ghana is stable and prosperous, but this valuation is in part founded on hopes for the future. The country is often labelled ‘Africa for beginners’, and while you’ll likely be welcomed by the people in a hot, sweaty clinch, the same way the sun grabs hold of you the second after you step outside, getting around is by no means easy.
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Last updated: Jul 15, 2010
Tips & articles
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Best of cosmopolitan Africa
10 June 2010
In this excerpt from Lonely Planet’s 1000 Ultimate Experiences, celebrate Africa and submerge yourself...
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Cities – so misunderstood (update)
12 January 2010
Wow – the original version of this article, entitled ‘Cities You Really Hate’ and published...
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The world’s top choc spots
24 November 2009
Love chocolate? Discover how to feel full of beans on this nonstop choc tour of the planet. Flanders,...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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If you had to live in Africa, what country would you choose?
by ManchVegas 31 replies, last post 29 July 2010
I'd have to go with Botswana. It's got a stable democracy and a low crime rate.
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essential vaccinations??
by jordroth 11 replies, last post 30 July 2010
Hi all, was woundering about the vaccinations entry requirements for india, nepal, vietnam? ( only the required shots for entry to the…
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Travel companion sought
by amanda4444 1 reply, last post 28 July 2010
Hi I am a 46 year old single female , looking for travelling companions going to Africa for two weeks around 14th August.
Ghana
Our Top Picks For Ghana
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1 Beach life
Soak up the rays and Rasta vibe at a beach resort in Axim, Busua, Anomabu or Kokrobite.
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2 Past life
Tour the castles at Cape Coast and Elmina to learn about the history of slavery.
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3 Wildlife
Engage in a staring contest with a bus-sized elephant in Mole National Park.
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4 Hiplife
Take in Accra’s club scene, the birthplace of some of the region’s most popular music.
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5 Village life
Rough it in one of the community tourism projects, such as the stilt village at Wechiau Community Hippo Sanctuary.
Fast Facts about Ghana
- Borders
Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo
- Time
GMT/UTC
- Telephone
Country code 233; international access code 00
- Money
Cedi; US$1 = C1.41
- Seasons
Wet (late April to October), dry (November to late March)
- Area
238, 537 sq km
- Population
21 million
- ATMs
Available
- Capital
- Budget
US$30 to US$50 per day
- Languages
English, Twi, Ga and Ewe
Our favourite Ghana Blogs (beta)
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Helpful Ghana travel info
Blog: This is Ghana: All the stuff the guide books leave out...and more. - 30 July 2010
If you are new here, you might want to jump to some of the pages first. This page has a list of our top Ghana articles in various categories. You will find a lot of helpful and (hopefully) fun info about travel in Ghana. This one is all about the guide. The others are about us and how to contact us. You can see the links at the top right side. Happy weekend and end of July!
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Prizes and Thank Yous
Blog: This is Ghana: All the stuff the guide books leave out...and more. - 27 July 2010
This is a quick note to say thank you for the various emails and messages we've recently received about the baskets that we began to showcase recently, the recycling series, and also the Ghana travel guide too. Sometimes I think no one reads this blog and then a flood of emails arrives and I realise we have one or two readers :)! We'll be starting a whole bunch of fun stuff shortly, including inviting guest posts from you, readers, as well as prizes including the baskets you see on here and other prizes.
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Trashy in Name Only
Blog: This is Ghana: All the stuff the guide books leave out...and more. - 25 July 2010
I referred to an article written by Emily Bowers in the first of this series about the plastic problem in Ghana. I encourage you to read the entire article, Burkina Faso Women Spin Trash Into Exports. While the article refers to Burkina Faso, it could just as easily refer to Ghana. There’s not much difference in the circumstances she describes. Here’s a little more of what she wrote, in case you don’t read the whole story.
