It was a beautiful day in Lagos Nigeria, as usual, I was going about creating content and keeping in touch with a number of people I had met from my Kenya travels. It was during this process that I was greeted with a wonderful NEWS from one of them (the people I was keeping in touch with). I was told there would be a UNWTO event in Ghana. I said “Ghana! Ghana is just next door, I have to make it”. To top off the list, I was told that the UNWTO General Secretary – Zurab Pololikashvili will be there as well. This affirmed my decision making, I said I must go.
At this point, I really did not know how I was going to go, because when you think of travel, you think of cost of flight, cost of accommodation, cost of road transportation and feeding of course.Nonetheless, I messaged a few of my colleagues and sent the event’s information and encouraged them to register.
They did, and together, we partnered with a lodge in Ghana, so you can mark off the cost of accommodation from our list. Oh and by the way, the lodge gives FREE breakfast, click here to see more about the lodge. At this point, all that was left was the cost of flight which I booked here, and cost of transportation. See, the benefit of traveling in groups is that you get to share the cost on things like transportation, that way, you pay a cheaper cost. If you are interested in reading more about the UNWTO event I attended, you should CLICK HERE to read, nonetheless, this article is going to be focused on my tourist destinations we visited and how much it cost.
Upon arrival in Ghana, I was greeted with the beautiful scorching Ghanaian sun that did not fail to disappoint, this set the tone for my remaining days in Ghana. With this, you should definitely prepare yourself for the sun mentally, and buy as much sunscreen as possible. Now, on to the places we visited.
Tourist sites in Ghana
1. Kakum National Park
We dedicated a day to visiting two destinations in Ghana – Cape Coast Castle & Kakum National Park. We began the day with a 3 hours drive from Accra to Kakum, this was done through public buses and cabs. Upon getting to Kakum, I was immediately reminded of the Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos Nigeria. It was similar in terms of the activities being run at the park, to know more about Lekki conservation Center click here or watch the video below.
Kakum is a wonderful place to visit to admire nature, hike, do something adventurous and buy Ghanian souvenirs. Click here to view my Ghanaian Instagram stories to understand the kind of experience I had. The Journey from the entrance of the Park to the Canopy walk is about 30 mins – 45mins hike. Upon arrival at the canopy walk, if you get too scared to continue after attempting the first length of the canopy walk, you are given the option to go back through another route. If I were to describe the experience in one word it would be adventurous.
2. Elmina Castle:
After a time well spent in Kakum National Park, we journeyed to Elmina Castle where we were greeted with the beautiful site beach singing right next to the castle. Personally, I believe this is the most beautiful place I witnessed in Ghana. Within Elmina castle lies the history of slave trade in Ghana, the castle is over 537 years old. I love how well preserved the castle is and how rich in history the tour guides at the castle are. The castle has about 14 dungeons and over 90 rooms. It is one of the biggest slave trade historical site I have ever visited. Upon my entrance at the castle I was immediately reminded of the Badagry Slave Museum that we have in Lagos Nigeria.
After you are done with your tour at the Castle, you are free to buy more souvenirs at the entrance of the castle. I got a wrist band weaved with my name in Ghanaian flag at the castle. It is one of my favorite wrist bands to wear – I guess it’s mostly because my name is on it. If you choose to do this, I suggest you inform the artisans at the entrance of the castle because you begin your tour, this way, your wristband will be ready once you are done with the tour.
Cost of Transportation:
As at the time we embarked on our journey, below was the cost of transportation:
- Accra to Cape Town cost: 28 Cedes (We used a bus)
- Cape Town to Kakum and back to Cape Town cost: 22 Cedes (We used a Cab)
- Transportation to and from Elmina: 30 Cedes (Cab & Bus)
Now this was one hectic itinerary we pulled off in one day, but the memories we got was worth it.
3. Independence Arch
On our last day in Ghana, we decided to take a walk from the UNWTO event centre to the Independence Arch to take amazing photos for the Gram! There was no gate fee, only a few security guards that tried to disturb us to no avail. I hope this article has been well detailed enough to prepare you for your next adventure in Ghana. For food and transportation review in Ghana binge my Ghanaian content on Instagram or subscribe to my YouTube channel and stay expectant for a video.
Tour Guide Plug
Our journey would not have been made seamless without the help of these two men who are Nigerian by birth and upbringing, but Ghanaian by heart. They are called Waka Journals & Finest Magic. They both run tours in Ghana, so if you ever need a tour guide in Ghana, click here to book one.
Other things to note:
- If you are an international traveler, one thing I should advice you on is to make sure you carry cash and convert your money to cedes at the Ghanaian international airport or before you leave your country.
- When going to , get ready for a good hike by coming prepared with a bottle of water, clothes that are breathable and some sunscreen.
The conservation continues in the comments. Have you been to Ghana before? If yes, where did you visit. Spill the tea, sharing is caring. (BIG GRIN). If you are in search of local tours in Ghana, contact travel@travcp.com or CLICK HERE to book a Ghanaian experience.
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