Thanks to Ghana's developing economy and plentiful attractions, tour companies there abound. Most are based in Accra, the West African country's capital city, and run varied tours to give you a general picture of Ghana. Tours are ideal for first-time visitors and seasoned Africa travelers alike. Experienced, English-speaking tour guides can give you the rich inside information that brings Ghana's colonial-era forts, tropical rain forests and lively cities to life.
Boston-based tour company Spector Travel offers a Ghana tour that begins in your departure airport and takes you all the way back home -- ideal for first-time travelers to Africa. The nine-day tour includes airfare, hotels, airport transfers, attraction entrance fees and several meals, which vary by itinerary. Your tour guide will take you across the country to see the most important Ghana sites, including the W.E.B. Dubois Center for Pan-African Culture in Accra. You'll also get to see Ghana's tropical rain forest and a few native villages, some of which include artisan markets, among several other stops.
Local tour company iTravel Ghana focuses its Ghana tour on Accra -- as the capital, one of the most important political and cultural centers in the nation. The Accra tour doesn't include airfare, but it does include hotel costs and transportation -- including airport pickup and drop-off. You're on your own for lunch and dinner, but the hotels include breakfast. The tour begins with a day at the nearby tropical Bojo Beach, where you can sunbathe or engage in water sports. The rest of the 10-day tour focuses on Accra cultural sites and shopping, including an educational trip to the Ghana National Museum. You also get to spend one day just north of Accra in Aburi, where a UNESCO world heritage garden and plant conservatory will occupy most of your time, followed by a trip to the village's famous bazaar. This tour also includes two free days, to give your itinerary a little wiggle room.
Land Tours offers a 10-day tour of Ghana -- the Ghana Cultural Tour. The tour begins in Accra after you're picked up from the airport. After you tour the city, you take a day to tour Ghana's two most famous castles -- Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle. Your tour guide takes you to Kakum National Park, a tropical rain forest area where you'll have the chance to cross a canopy bridge suspended more than 100 feet above the ground. The tour includes various other attractions, such as a few days dedicated to getting to know the cities and craft villages of the Ashanti Kingdom, and breakfast, dinner and hotel costs are included in your tour price.
Flexible Ashanti African Tours runs completely customizable tours that allow you to see only what interests you during your specified time frame. You can design a tour that includes only budget hotels or even take care of your own accommodations, and the same goes for meal arrangements. Ashanti's website gives you many suggestions for places or themes to build your tour around, for example timing your tour for the end of August so you can attend the Cape Coast Fetu Afahye Festival to see the colorful traditional dress and festive carnivals of the people of Cape Coast. You can also focus your tour on different regions of Ghana, such as tours of the north or south.
Ghana is a relatively safe country and one of the safest in Africa, but travelers should be aware of a few issues. In general, your tour guide is among your best and most accessible sources of safety information, but never hesitate to contact the U.S. Embassy in Accra with questions or concerns before or during your trip. In particular, travelers should avoid political demonstrations, because they can turn violent without warning. Most crime against travelers in Ghana is petty -- pickpocketing and luggage theft are not uncommon, so keep your valuables secured at all times. Ghana has ongoing issues with credit card fraud, and it's also difficult to use travelers checks, so opt for cash if you can. Some travelers have reported scammers who pose as tour guides offering much lower prices than other providers, so be sure to vet any tour company online or by phone before you book or go.
