3. Places to go?
Once in Ghana, you cannot miss the famous Accra. This place has the National Museum which displays lots of art collections of the native people. Tourists can visit the sculptures and paintings from centuries ago. Besides, travellers may go to a market called Makola situated on Kojo Thompson road which is known as a big and crowded market. Everyday, citizens from neighbouring villages gather around this market to trade and exchange goods with each other.
The National Culture Centre is a centre of art and is also a
famous handicrafts market which tourists cannot forget to stop by. There they
sell lots of handicrafts and traditional clothes of Ghana. Or the tourist can visit
Kwame Nkrumah mausoleum on High street. It's a grand memorial to the first
President of Ghana. Outside the mausoleum you will see a statue of former
president Kwame Nkrumah sculpted by residents here to remind about his
contributions during his time of running the country.
The National Opera House in the Chinese style is formerly a
place for performing symphonies, plays, dances or grand conferences. This place
is also a tourist attraction to enjoy the musicals and plays from Ghanaian
artists themselves.
After visiting Accra,
tourist can travel to Aburi which is 38 kilometres away from there. Arburi is a
populated area located on Akwapim Hill. Tourist can visit the Sanatorium house,
now used as a motel, built in the 19th century. Or visiting the botanical
garden here is an enjoyable experience. This garden has many sub-tropical trees
and they were planted by English during their colonial period.
Ada is a famous resort on the
estuary of Volta river. The Ghanaian and even
tourists often come here to play watersports. Especially, tourist can swim at
the estuary freely and safely without any worry. If you enjoy fishing then Ada is a perfect place
for you. This place has many kinds of fish similar to Nile's.
Located near that is the salty swamp called Songow Lagoon famous for the flocks
of birds living there.
If you fancy the nature here, you can come and visit the
Conservation centre Shai Hills Game only 50 kilometres away from Accra. You can rent a
horse and ride it freely to explore the whole place.
Once set foot on the center of Ghana,
tourist will have a chance to visit the Guinea Bay
around this area. It is a place with lots of ancient castles and fortresses
which were used to trade slaves. The castle along Cape
shore was built in the 16th century and was repaired and extended for political
department use of British until 1877. After that, this department was moved to
Christianborg in Accra.
A little further to the West is Elmina castle. Elmina was
the first colony of the Portuguese in Ghana. This castle had been used
for main defense in the 15th century and until now, this place is still kept in
its original conditions without any changes.
Next to that is the St.Jago fortress which is mainly used
for a military base and is located on the top of the hill with a view to Elmina
castle and the Atlantic Ocean. This place
usually holds performances to promote Ghanaian culture to tourists. Both Cape shore castle and St.Jago fortress are admitted by
UNESCO as world heritages.
Situated 20 kilometres from Cape shore castle is Kakum National
park. This is the national conservation centre
which attracts great number of tourists. Due to this fact, the ecotourism here
is very well developed. Tourists will have the chance to witness with their own
eyes the wildlife of elephants, monkeys, antelopes, butterflies, amphibians,
reptiles and more than 800 bird species which are under the threat of
extinction. You will be lifted 333 metres off the ground to the top of trees to
observe the animals below.
If you prefer seashores then you might just enjoy the shores
to the West of Ghana. There are many famous resorts at the place and it has a
beautiful long beach.
Especially in Dixcove there is an old billiarsgate and a defending unit of
British military since 17th century. Located near there is the Busua
beach which has many palm trees and magnificent waves. However, similar to
other beaches in Ghana,
it is not safe to swim here because you can be wiped away from the shore by
enormous waves. If you want to swim, you can go to smaller shores. There you
can swim as freely as you can without worrying about anything.
Reached Volta, tourist will find that life here is
completely dependent on the Volta lake, the
largest artificial lake in the world. This lake accounts for 2/3 of the length
of this country. You can take a little journey on a boat along the lake. If you
travel from the watershed to the capital city New Tamale in the North, it will
take you 3 days, while travelling to Kete-Krachi only takes 1 day. Besides, you
can take part in water games like surfing, regatta, etc…
Once in Ghana,
you should not miss the opportunity to visit Kumasi
which is a very important capital city in the history of Ashanti civilisation.
There you can explore the Manhyia square and Royal Mausoleum’s ruin destroyed
by king Baden Powell. As a cultural center, Kumasi
has many museums, libraries and open opera houses for Ashanti citizens as well as
tourists to enjoy.
There is another “living museum”, which is a farmstead
inside the village. You will have the chance to observe the progress in which
craftsman, jewellers and sculptor made their own products in the traditional
way. The most interesting thing is to watch the weavers create colourful cloths
and sew the Kente suit, a ceremonial type of costume that local people wear.
If tourists love the wildlife, they can go to the Wildlife
conservation centre Owabi which is situated to the West of Kusami. Here lies
the great Banfariri waterfall that pours down during day and night like the
smooth hair of a young girl. Steam floats in the air, so you will feel cool as
if sitting in a room with air-conditioner.
To the North of Ghana there are plain plateaus on the height
of 150 to 300 metres compared to the sea level. The main town in the West is
Tamle which is located inside Mole
National park. It is one
of the best Nature reserves in Ghana.
Tourists can walk or hire a vehicle to travel but the most important thing is
to have a tourguide with you, otherwise you will get lost and cannot find the
way out from the bewildering forest. On the way you will get to see antelopes,
monkeys, buffalos, etc…along with other rare species like elephants and lions…
Unlike other conservation centres in Africa,
tourists are allowed to camp here and explore the wildlife. Of course, you will
have to stay in your car without wandering out! Right at the entrance of the
park, there is a comfortable and convenient motel with restaurant serving daily
meals for tourists. Located to the North about 5 miles from Mole is the Larabanga
Mosque, a place worth visiting. Constructed under the style of Sudan Empire in
the West, this mosque is believed to be built by the God.
4. Shopping and prices.
The currency unit of Ghana is Cedi, or C in initial. Travelling to Ghana, it is best for tourists to
bring along U.S dollars or Euros. You can exchange to Cedi at the currency
exchange houses in big cities. But in the North, these places are not so
common. The exchange rate there is usually higher than in banks. However, they
do not often exchange cheques for tourists. Or if you own a Visa or a
Mastercard, you can take the money from ATM machines in national banks. You can
only pay by credit cards in big hotels, restaurants and shopping malls.
However, please pay close attention while using the credit cards because they
can be easily stolen, especially in cities like Accra
and Kumasi.
