VACATIONING IN GHANA

A Note of Caution: It’s advisable you print this and take along with you as a constant
reference. Also, while your ‘hosts’ are very gentle people, remember that everyone is out
to fleece tourists so be ready to negotiate. Don’t take whatever they say at face value!

Getting to Ghana
• ABC Transport offers decent road transport- luxurious bus, air-
conditioned, toilet facilities on board, one meal (typically rice and
chicken), entertainment (pirated movies & music). Return ticket is about
Nxxx.
• Cross-Country also offers decent transport (with a meal) in its smaller
buses which are much faster. A trip (with a valid passport) costs N11,000
one way. Without a passport, it costs about N19,000.
• Virgin Nigeria offers flights to GHANA on a daily basis for about
N33,000. Check their website; www.virgingnigeria.com. Aero Contractors
(www.acn.aero) probably has the cheapest flights. You can get to Ghana
for as low as N15,000 if you book early enough.
• All border formalities are handled by the transporters. To this end
your passport will be collected by the bus attendant at the start of the
journey and will be returned near the end. Don’t worry, your passport is
safe.
• It is advisable to take some water and something to snack on but be
careful not to tempt your bowels (chin-chin is touted to be a good control
for bowel trouble).
• 1 cedi (GHC 1) ~ N107. So for instance, N5,000 will be about GHC
47 (= 5,000/107).
• 1 dollar ($1) ~ 1.4 cedis (GHC 1.4). You can get up to 1.44 if you’re
changing large amounts.

In Ghana
• On arrival at the park in Accra there will usually be someone promoting
hotels who will provide free transport if you choose that hotel. If not you
can take a taxi to your preferred hotel, if you already have one in mind
(costs about 4 cedis – GHC4).

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 • Before you leave the park, if you have a return ticket, its best to
confirm your date of return.
• You may buy a Sim Pack (costs GHC xxx) for use during your stay. On
your way to Ghana, you might want to switch off your phone especially if
there’s credit on it as you might just find that your credit has
disappeared!

Accomodation & Meals:

• A good hotel (3 star) costs about $70/night & $90 for single and
double room respectively (includes breakfast).
Hotel Wangara in Labone is a good choice place - decent, DSTV, swimming
pool. My choice was the Blue Royal at Osu (Oxford street) with a nice
room, wireless internet, and breakfast at $70 single and $90 double. You
could also choose Las Palms Hotel which is one of the most expensive
going at about $300/night.
• It’s naturally cheaper to eat out of the hotel. There are fast food
joints available e.g Frankies, Mr Biggs and On the Run. Costs about GHC6
per meal. If you’re the adventurous type, you could try the roadside
bukas where a meal costs about GHC2.5 depending on your order. Banku
seems to be their main staple – I hated it though! The public buses also
make for an interesting ride and can cause as low as 20 pesewas (GHC0.2)
as opposed to the GHC2 a cab will charge you.
• You can stock your room fridge with provisions (especially water –
about GHC1). There’s a good supermart besides On the Run fast food
located in “thirty-seven one.”
• For the occasional treat I recommend; The Buka near Saagar
Supermart ($10 per meal) for Nigerian food; Sisters of the East Chinese
Restaurant all in Osu; Selsbridge (hang-out joint) in Labone.

Sites:
You can get good information from tourist brochures and newspapers at the
hotel.
• In Accra

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 • Kwame Nkrumah Museum; National Arts & Crafts Market;
Independence Square; Labadi Beach (better on wkds); University of
Ghana.
• On Wednesdays, there’s a live band at Labadi beach, but they don't
start until about 10pm. Entrance fee is GHC 15 (???).
• Taxi costs average GHC3 per one way trip.
• Outside Accra
• Akosombo Town (1 ½ hours from Accra): Akosombo Dam tour (costs
$5); 5 hr boat cruise (costs $15) on weekends with life band and meals
on board. Boat departs about 10 am so leave Accra early so you have
time to tour the dam before the cruise. You can charter a car from
Accra for the entire day (costs $xx). Or you can stay overnite at
Akosombo hotel.
• Cape Coast (3 hrs from Accra): El Mina Castle tour (costs GHC9); Cape
Coast Castle tour (costs GHC9); Kakum National Park. (I Highly
Recommend the cape coast trip) To get there and back:
(i) you can use Ghana’s State Transport Company (STC) or the
commercial buses at xxx (can't remember the name of the bus park)
to get to Cape Coast (ticket costs about GHC7 one way), then charter
a car to take you round (costs about GHC30 depending on your
negotiation skills) and return to Accra same day;
(ii) charter a car from Accra and return same day;
(iii) get to Cape Coast and spend the night at El Mina Beach Resort
($125/night) or Coconut Grove Beach Resort (a much better choice) at
$105/night and return to Accra next day.
It’s advisable to start early in the morning and plan spending some
time at Cape Coast. I went by public bus (GHC 7) and stayed at
Coconut Grove. That same day, I visited the castles, and the next day,
Kakum National Park. You could use a combo of buses and cabs for your
movement instead of doing an expensive charter.
See www.coconutgrovehotels.com.gh/Beach_Resort.htm
• Takoradi
• Aburi Botanical Garden

Shopping:

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 • Woodin shop underneath Wranglers Shop in Osu.
• For good bargains in Woodin, Kente, others try the market in the
Central Business District.
• Beads at Akosombo and Osu.

Money:
• Go with dollars as this can be easily changed to cedis in your hotel or
various forex bureaus (1.44 cedis to a dollar or GHC1.44 - $1) OR change
naira into cedis at the Togo border (about GHC1 to N107). There are
quite a lot of forex bureaus around especially in Osu and the Central
Business District so changing your dollars shouldn’t be much of a problem.

Nite Life:
• Clubs: Jokers; Boomerang; Oops; Makumba (entry fee costs $3-$8
depending on the club).
• Labadi Beach (Wednesday nights). Entry fee is GHC5 and it’s advisable
you go with cedis. A meal costs between GHC10 and GHC20 with a
drink. Wednesday also features a live band but the action doesn’t
start until around 10pm.
• Selsbridge

Departing Ghana: If you have an unconfirmed return ticket then best to

confirm it (or buy one if you don’t have) at least 2 days before your intended
departure.
• Return journey formalities are the same as arriving.

FINAL TIPS
When I travelled, I was lucky to meet a nice lady by the name of EVELYN
ODAKAI. Her job was to help us to get a hotel and she also assisted in
taking us around and recommending where to go. Her details are;
Phone no: 0244702492
Email: eodakai@yahoo.com

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Or you could rely on a travel agency to organize most of the trip for you,
though they will be more expensive. One of such is included below.

AG Leisure Services Limited

Box KA 16339
Tel. 233-21764317
Accra Ghana
E-mail- leisure@africaonline.com.gh
Attention Mrs Margaret Equagoo
(General Manager)

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