Travel in Ghana: when to go, places and advice
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
Itineraries
Our trip ideas in Ghana
The itineraries in Ghana are in the works: the day-by-day programme, named hotels, tickets to book flagged in advance. Leave your address to be notified when they come out.
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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.
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.
Tap a dot, or browse the list below the map.
- Jamestown : Accra's creative old quarter
- Cape Coast Castle : Memorial of the slave trade, UNESCO
- Elmina Castle : The oldest fort in sub-Saharan Africa
- 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
- Wli Falls : The highest in West Africa
- Mole National Park : Elephants on walking safari