Akwaaba! Just landed in Ghana? Here's some travel tips to get you going.

This is not the usual trip-advisor kinda guide. If you want more than just a curated tourist façade of the country then you've come to the right place.
I'll cover the real experiences, what to prepare for and some niche tips to help you get around Ghana like a pro, all based on my own experiences.

What was my experience in Ghana?
Safe to say I was horrifically unprepared for my trip to Ghana. I was meant to arrive, volunteer for 2 months, then continue up the West African coast but a week before departing (China which I was travelling at the time), I received a notification that the volunteer institute had changed and I could no longer volunteer there. After spending about 2 years preparing for the trip I simply could not turn back, so I dived into Ghana head first knowing nothing about anything…

So there I was, head deep in Osu, Accra (this is a good area to stay in!), severely jet-lagged, alone and freaking the FUCK out in my hostel dorm.
WHAT ON EARTH DID I JUST GET MYSELF INTO?
I had 2 months ahead of me. I hadn't researched what to do in Ghana as I planned to volunteer the whole time. Are the streets safe? What are the locals like? Where to stay? What to do? No idea! And after seeing the streets from outside the taxi window on my way to the hostel I certainly wasn't all that inspired… Explore, started to seem a whole lot more like endure.

It didn't take long at all to warm up to the place, and in hind sight I see the beauty in every little aspect. I was thriving in no time, doing things I never would of thought possible for myself, like riding a push bike around the country alone. So here's a guide to getting nicely settled into your journey through Ghana!

Fresh off the plane

• What should you expect?
  • Don't worry!
    They call Ghana the 'beginner Africa'. Almost everyone speaks English and they are super helpful to tourists. I wasn't scammed or put in danger at all (not even once!) in Ghana.
    With that being said, even if you come prepared, Accra is still quite an overwhelming place to be. You'll get used to it, the beauty is not necessarily from its architecture or nature, but from the people, the vibes and the energy. The streets are chaotic, the weather is hot and humid, car fumes are very strong, they play their music LOUD. When I say loud I mean loud, like hearing loss kinda loud.
    Unless you live truly the way locals do, you're not going to have a super cheap holiday like you would in South East Asia. I slept on couches, ate at the local shacks and caught the tro-tro's because tourist amenities aren't as cheap as you'd expect here.
• Is it safe?
  • Ghana is seriously one of the safest places in Africa.
    If you simply just maintain usual safety considerations and don't put yourself in an obviously unsafe position, you will find the country incredibly safe.
    Seriously, I was alone at night and someone walked past me with a machette. I didn't even bat an eye because I was so at peace with the people here, I knew he'd just been trimming some hedges or something. For women? I know as a guy I shouldn't comment on what I think a girl is likely to experience, but I have gathered enough information to know regardless of gender this place is safe keeping in mind the unfortunate truth that any country on the planet is more dangerous as a woman than a man. I met 3 women and asked for their experience, all 3 vouched exactly the same thing. One (from Ireland, around 50) lives in Accra, another (from Estonia, around 23) had spent 3 months riding their bike around the country alone, and the third (from Germany, around 40) was working away from home in Busua (go here its amazing!).
    It goes deeper than just avoiding unfortunate situations, I believe following the gut is always the right decision. There wasn't even any underlying anxiety or gut feeling, unlike Morocco, where I never faced danger but I had that feeling once or twice.
• SIM Card
  • GET THE MTN SIM!
    I know its silly to mention this so early but trust me you'll want to get this right, straight off the bat.
    When collecting your bags you will be approached by sim retailers. Don't be afraid, they're legit. I had just arrived in Africa, I didn't know who to trust and who was trying to rip me off, but you can trust the airport people. You can trust everyone in Ghana for the most part. I was weary handing my passport over but its just protocol. The first 5 minutes off the plane reassured me when the retailer lady could tell I was obviously weary said: "You don't need to worry in Ghana, no one is out to get you!" Which I came to find very true.
    Telecel and MTN are your only sim options.
    MTN wins in every category, it's cheaper, more reliable and has more coverage.
    I didn't know this and I bought a Telecel sim. Anywhere outside Accra will be a serious struggle to find reception. Don't worry if you’ve made the same mistake though! You can buy an MTN sim from any retailer, their shops are all around the country. See in the next section how to top-up because this is also important.
• Transportation
  • My rule for travel is just pay for the bloody taxi when you first land. Your exhausted and jetlagged, you have 25kg of luggage, you just want to rest, so it's seriously not worth the $10 in savings giving yourself a headache trying to figure out how the locals do it (which I discuss later!)
    
    I suggest while your in the taxi, download Ioverlander. This is a lifesaver in Ghana, it's like a google maps but filled with local travel information, good restaurants, where to find ATM's, all the little bits and bobs that are difficult to figure out by yourself.
• Where to Stay
  • Theres actually tonnes of accommodation in Accra, but what young broke traveller can afford hotels these days? I've got 2 options here to keep you safe and comfortable while saving your money. Unless you want to spend the extra money in which case you will have to research yourself because that certainly wasn't what I did!
    
    I mostly stayed in Osu. It's nearest to all the action! Though if your like me thinking "what bloody action?" That's okay, you'll come to realise. I was a bit shocked at the prices for accommodation in Ghana (and the whole of West Africa actually), because of the scarcity of tourism, tourist amenities can actually be on the more pricey side, definitely not the kind of prices you'd see in SE Asia.
    
    

    Africa Vibrations Hostel, Osu

    This place has everything you need and is in a nicer and quieter area. It's safe and has a bed, heated shower, and toilets (and a cat!). Bare bones necesseties? Yes, but if you've been sleeping under bridges, on couches and in your tent like me, trust me, this place feels like luxury. The owners are a lovely Americal couple that are usually around, they'll answer any questions you may have as they know Accra like the ack of their hand. They have food options here too, but once your settled in you'll realise its cooler grabbing your own food from all the places around the hostel. There's also a laundry service, a bit on the pricey side and they lost a pair of my undies and socks too (and don't forget about Africa time, it's not too swift). I learned very quickly its not too difficult to find a bucket and do your own washing in the shower and hang it over the balcony.
    
    

    Somewhere nice, near Accra New Town

    I never stayed here, but it seemed the main options were between Vibrations and this one. The location isn't quite as good, but it has a pool and gets more tourists than Vibrations. It has all the same amenities too.

Once you're settled in

So what's there to do in Accra?
Hmmm…
Your in the bustling capital of Ghana that’s what! Seriously there isn't a whole lot of experiences you can do that you can't find elsewhere in the world. For the most part, Accra for me was all about getting my bearings and learning the ways of Ghana. There's not many attractions, epic restaurants, walking tours, or cool hideouts. The best thing to do in Accra is just be in Accra, experience the life of the Ghanians because it's THIS that you can't find anywhere else in the world. Talk to the friendly locals, eat with them, buy the handicrafts etc. this is where you really start to see the true beauty of the country.

• Topping up your SIM
  • This is one of those things that is super simple once you know, but you'd be kinda screwed if you didn't know. There are retailers everywhereeeeeee. Everyone has a phone these days so keeping connected as crucial here as anywhere else in the world. You'll see vendors literally everywhere, you just have to spot the brightly colours that either says MTN or Telecel, they are usually in a booth or sitting under an umbrella. But what is important to note is that these smaller vendours can't top up data most of the time, only talking and text (which through a confusing process can be transferred to data, I never figured that out though). Most of the time you can only buy data top-ups in a proper store, so you have to be smart and plan ahead to make sure you can get to a shop before your data runs out.
    It's best to buy a big bulk package, I bought 400gb which was totally unnecessary but it was a meer 5 cedis more to get that over the 200gb package. I was 3 weeks into the trip and SICK of constantly having to visit the stores and top up my data.
• Catching local public transport
  • This is always an interesting experience if your visiting Africa for the first time. Morocco has the bus, Mauritania has sept-place, Ghana has the tro-tro. How do you spot these beaten up vans? They usually have a sign up the front and a man constantly yelling out the window the destination/route. It's best to go to a designated stop or depot but once your confident enough you can usually flag them down and they'll pull over for you. The cost is usually around 3 cedis.
    If your taking longer trips you will definitely want to find a bus depot. Whether your going 3 hours to Takoradi or 6 hours to Kumasi, they can pretty much always get you to where you want to go. Just look around until you see a sign with your destination on it, or ask someone, its really simple. Once you're accustomed to the layed back ways of Ghana you'll realise that the way they do things here is so simple that it's almost easier to get around than Western countries! You have to take your bike? No worries, we'll strap it on the back or the roof! The bus is full? No worries, we'll make space! Seriously, Ghana is a place of making shit happen.
    My bus journeys included: Accra-Aburi, Ho-Amedzofe, Ho-Kumasi, Kumasi-Takoradi. With my bike and huge backpack I never found any issues except for someone overcharging me (what I like to call the Obroni price).
    
    Other transport options include ride shares like uber, or the more local options are Yango and Bolt (Bold being the cheapest and most prominent).
    Or just the good ol' fashion way of sticking your thumb out. Hitch-hiking isn't quite as prominent here as it is in other countries but it's always worth a shot if you want that experience. Once my bike broke and I asked a local, he managed strapped my bike and both my bags on the same motorbike we were riding and take me through the muddy, bumpy roads to the nearest town (this was far from comfortable but hey it saved my ass!)
• Food scene
  • Before I get started on the food scene: Water.
    Don't buy bottled water! It's not unsafe or anything, but why spend 15-30 cedis on a bottle everytime when you can buy water sachets for just 1 cedi. Everyone needs to drink water so it's quite easy to find sachets anywhere you go. I was advised not to drink the tap or well water, I think your body needs to be seriously strong to drink the untreated stuff, most of the locals didn't even drink tap or well water.
    
    Anyway, the food scene was a learning curve for me. All I can say is, don’t eat at the white people restaurants! Who comes to Ghana for a subpar pizza or sandwich with fries? Just cop the mildly upset stomach and eat the local stuff!
    Now,
    What I learned is that the best places to eat don't look like what you'd expect a restaurant to be. What you want to look out for is a little stand, booth or shack with some big bowls, that’s it. I didn't realise this at first, I thought "well there's no seating out and I can't see a menu so…" But I was wrong! This is how they do things, just ask. They'll pull up a chair for you and prepare something delicious. If your staying in Osu, there's a heap of options within walking distance whether you want to cheat and have a white people meal or try the street stuff.
    
    The food options are mostly jollof rice, fufu, waakye, banku, palava, or talapia fish (they also LOVE indomi here). They're all delicious! The Ghanians (to my surprise) are massive spice lovers too, just be prepared. Most stands work kind of like a pick and mix, They'll have a rice base, and a bunch of sides sitting out to choose from which normally includes fried chicken, boiled eggs, chilly, salad, spaghetti, mayo and tomato sauce. You just tell them something like "10 cedis worth of jollof, (then point), a little bit of this, little bit of that etc."
    
    A fair warning!
    Your stomach will 100% need to warm up to the cuisine here. I never got food poisoning in Ghana (that doesn't mean you will be this lucky) but there were some seriously long periods of having an upset gut. The food scene here is awesome, but you won't normally get fresh, off the grill sort of things SE Asia provides, most of the street food here has been sitting out in the sun all day, and is on the stale side and luke-warm (but still delicious!).
    
    The most classic Ghanian dish you can get is fufu. I hate fufu. I tried to like it but I really couldn't stand eating it! Banku is a very similar dish which I enjoyed much more. Even though I didn't like it I would 100% recommend trying it, especially if your at a place where you can see the women preparing the dough fresh, that’s where you'll get the good stuff.
• Branching out your accommodation
  • If your looking to truly find the local experience, get yourself on to couchsurfing. It's an app that allows tourists to stay for free in locals homes. It is a very safe practice, as there is a lot of safety measures they put in place. I couch surfed quite a lot in Ghana and it’s a really awesome experience. Most of the hosts are cool and down to Earth people who want to know more about other people and the world through meeting tourists and new people. All the hosts I stayed with were overwhelmingly kind and had beautifully caring souls.
    
    Otherwise, Ioverlander is great for finding spots to camp and all the information that goes along with it.

Where to go from here

I'll cover some of these in more depth in my next blog, but here are some pointers anyway:
You could do what I did and meet a guy who'd been riding his bike all the way from South Africa, then proceed to buy a bike and join him riding around the country. If so, you'll want to head to Accra New Town. There are TONNES of motorbikes and push-bikes here to choose from.

Anyway here's a quick rundown of places you should definitely go (in somewhat of a flowing order):

• ○ Cape Coast
  • A good trip away from Accra, Cape Coast is a well established town near the beach. It gets relatively touristy and thus you'll have to watch out for tourist traps. You can visit the old fortress and if you pay for a guided tour which I highly recommend, you'll see and learn a lot of super interesting things.
• ○ Akosombo
  • More specifically Adome. This place is a beautiful town nestled in the forest on the lake. It has a huge bridge that is quite cool to check out. They offer kayak rides, nice accomodation but not a whole lot more. Its just a gorgeous place to unwind and soak in the nature for a few days.
• ○ Amedzofe
  • Seriously cool (seriously out of the way) town, its actually the highest town in Ghana! The best things to do here are camp on the mountain, and visit the waterfall which has a really cool bridge walk (and also play soccer with the children like I did!). They are putting a lot of effort into this town, I can tell big things are coming soon here! Only downside of this place is its lack of food options.
• ○ Boabeng Fema Monkey Sanctuary
  • There are a few in the country but this specific one is the best, they take their stuff seriously and run a seriously beautiful establishment.
• ○ Busua
  • This was my favourite place in the whole country. Man oh man what a beautiful place. This is pretty much the only other place outside of Accra where the chances of running into other tourists is certain. This town is GROWING, luckily I got to see it before the rest of the world caught on. Many tourists come here because it offers quite a few volunteering options, the only one of which I'd recommend is Obrobibini Peace Complet (amazing establishment). But at it's core, Busua is a chill surf town that lives and breathes surfing. You'll meet all the locals and they'll start to feel like family in no time at all. There's a few bars and it's starting to get a night scene. There is also a range of accomodation whether you want fancy and expensive or just a dorm to get by. There's one called Kangaroo Pouch Hostel which (because I'm Australian) OBVIOUSLY I had to stay at. But I really cannot recommend Busua enough. If you're on the fence on whether to travel Ghana or not, Busua alone is enough of a reason, it’s a place you can't find anywhere else on the planet.

Places I wasn't too fond of

• ○ Accra
  • As far as Ghana goes, it is just a bustling, crowded capital city. You can do much better
• ○ Kumasi
  • The financial capital of Ghana. Not all that exiting for a tourist. Although it was quite cool to check out the student scene. I hung with the students, watched a few games of soccer and check out the university campus which was very pleasant. If you do find youself in Kumasi, I'd recommend making a day trip out to the lake nearby.
• ○ Ho
  • Nature capital of Ghana. Again, just a big town. It is a hot spot though and a good base for transportation to and from other cool places nearby like Amedzofe, Akosombo and Wli
• ○ Wli
  • Take this with a grain of salt! I never went, but I heard its an overly touristy, low-key expensive attraction. I've seen some cool waterfalls in my life so (especially on my push-bike) it wasn't worth the money or the long ass trip to get out there.
• ○ Takoradi
  • Again… Just a big ol' city

I wish I went to these places

• ○ Keta
  • A surf town which I've heard some people say has better surf than Busua!
• ○ Cape Three Points
  • Another (very) small beachy town near Busua, I just never got around
• ○ Mole National Park
  • If you've never seen a safari before (like me), this is awesome! If you have been of a safari (especially an Eastern African one), then you may be a bit underwhelmed.

Well, that wraps up my beginners guide to Ghana. Hope you enjoyed it! This is my first blog of many to come. Feel free to contact me with any questions and I'd be more than happy to provide any information to make sure other people see the true beauty of Ghana like I did. Stay tuned for my up coming blogs which will cover things like:

• ○ West African surf guide ○ What its like to hitch the infamous iron ore train in Mauritania ○ What it's like to bike-pack solo through Ghana ○ A guide to Busua ○ The ethics of volunteering in West Africa ○ Senegals Sufi festival. An out of this world experience
• And many more!
  
  Medase! Catch you next time!