Ghana: Getting there & around

Ghana International Airlines took over from the now defunct Ghana Airways in late 2005 and flies between Accra and London. The airport is also served by several other African carriers and major Western airlines. The US$35.00 departure tax is included in the ticket price.

Ships connect Tema, 25km (16mi) east of Accra, with ports in Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon and South Africa. By land, there are buses, taxis, tro-tros (minibuses) and pickup trucks that run between Ghana and Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo. Border formalities for travellers with visas are usually minimal; greasing a palm or two may speed things up. Watch your pockets at crowded border posts.

The oh-so-adventurous (read: unreliable and uncomfortable!) Yapei Queen makes 24-hour passenger runs across Lake Volta from Akosombo, 104km (65mi) northeast of Accra at the base of Lake Volta, to Yeji, more than 200km (125mi) away on the lake's northwestern shore. The steamer stops at many villages on the way. From Yeji, ferries continue to Buipe, 100km (62mi) farther northwest, and Makongo, 15km (10mi) east; you can arrange ground transport to Tamale from either destination.

Ghana's road network is in decent shape, though there are some badly potholed stretches between Kumasi and Tamale, and on the coastal road between Accra and Aflaoand. You're bound to run into an occasional police checkpoint, though they're usually just angling for a 'dash' (the ubiquitous kickback). Car rental is expensive but available in Accra. Otherwise, most Ghanaians get around in taxis, tro-tros (minibuses) and mammy wagons (generally some sort of converted pickup truck). Traffic accidents are common and care should be taken if driving.

The Greyhound buses connect most major towns and some smaller ones, but their service isn't fantastic and you may find some routes better serviced by tro-tros and share taxis. The comfortable but slow railway service connecting Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi in a single-track triangle is once again operating but, again, you may find road transport a less frustrating alternative.