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Ghana travel guide: what to see and when to go

Renowned as one of the most welcoming countries in Africa, Ghana blends memory and easy living: the forts of Elmina and Cape Coast, poignant witnesses of the Atlantic slave trade, the suspended canopy of Kakum, the coconut-lined beaches, creative Accra between the street art of Jamestown and the afrobeats clubs, the Ashanti kingdom of Kumasi and the elephants of Mole park. An ideal first West African trip, English-speaking, safe and vibrant.

Capital
Accra
Currency
Cedi (GHS)
Language
English
Direct flight
≈ 6 hr 30 from Paris
Time difference
-1 hr in winter, -2 hr in summer
A colourful fishing boat moored in front of a coconut grove with painted trunks, on a Ghanaian lagoon

Itineraries

Our trip ideas in Ghana

The itineraries in Ghana are in the works: the day-by-day program, named hotels, tickets to book flagged in advance. Leave your address to be notified when they come out.

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Itineraries available in Africa

We don't sell an itinerary in Ghana yet. Here are the ones already on sale, for other countries.

The right season

When to go in Ghana?

From November to March, the dry season offers the best of the country: a luminous coast, Mole safaris at their peak (the animals gather at the waterholes), the harmattan sometimes veiling January. The rains peak in May-June on the coast, then return in September. August brings a dry lull that makes the coastline very pleasant.

  • January : Ideal
  • February : Ideal
  • March : Pleasant
  • April : Pleasant
  • May : In-between
  • June : Avoid
  • July : In-between
  • August : Pleasant
  • September : In-between
  • October : Pleasant
  • November : Ideal
  • December : Ideal
  • Ideal
  • Pleasant
  • In-between
  • Avoid

Quick guide

Understanding Ghana

Getting around

The VIP and STC coaches link the main cities; the tro-tros, shared minibuses, do the rest for next to nothing. In Accra, Uber and Bolt are everywhere. The domestic flight to Tamale opens up the North.

Money

The cedi (GHS). Withdraw small amounts regularly, inflation moves the prices. Mobile money (MTN MoMo) is king down to the village market.

Language

Official English and a mosaic of languages including Twi. Learn "akwaaba" (welcome), you will hear it a hundred times a day, and it is sincere.

Useful apps

Uber and Bolt in Accra and Kumasi, MTN MoMo to pay everywhere, and offline maps for the tracks of Mole park.

Accommodation

Beach ecolodges in Busua and Ada, family guesthouses, safari lodges at Mole where the elephants walk past the pool. Simple, clean, warm.

Etiquette

Give and receive with the right hand, greet before asking, and take your time: here, the clock waits. In the slave-trade forts, restraint is the rule.

Must-sees

The iconic places

  • Cape Coast Castle

    Cape Coast

    The white fort facing the Atlantic and its Door of No Return, a devastating memorial of the slave trade, UNESCO-listed. The guided visit is essential.

  • Elmina Castle

    Elmina

    The oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa (1482), overlooking a fishing harbour of multicoloured pirogues.

  • Kakum Canopy Walk

    Cape Coast

    Seven walkways suspended 40 m above the rainforest: walking at treetop height to the call of the hornbills.

  • Jamestown

    Accra

    Accra's old quarter, its lighthouse, its fresco-covered walls and its Chale Wote festival: the raw energy of the capital.

  • Mole National Park

    North

    The country's great park: elephants, antelopes and baboons on foot or 4x4 safaris, for a fraction of the East African price.

  • Wli Falls

    Volta Region

    The highest waterfalls in West Africa, at the end of a trail lined with cocoa trees, in the Volta hills.

Pick a point on the map, or browse the list below.

Also on the map

  • Kakum Canopy : Walkways 40 m above the forest
  • Busua Beach : Surf and coconut palms of the west coast
  • Kumasi : The capital of the Ashanti kingdom
  • Lake Volta : The largest artificial lake in the world