Suggested Length of Stay
Allow yourself between 5-12 days to experience Ghana.
Modes of transport
Road
Driving is on the right in Ghana. Most main roads are in pretty good condition, though most secondary roads are unsealed.
You will need an international driver’s licence. Fuel is inexpensive at around C4 per litre. Hiring a car with a driver is a good option if you’re short on time.
Public transport
Bus
Buses are preferable to tro-tros (minibuses) for long journeys as they tend to be more comfortable and reliable. There are bus services to all of Ghana’s main towns and cities.
Flying
Starbow Airlines (www.flystarbow.com) and Africa World Airlines (www.flyawa.com.gh) operate domestic flights in Ghana. There are several daily flights from Accra to Kumasi (45 minutes), Takoradi (35 minutes) and Tamale (1Ā¼ hours).
Health Precautions
Stick to drinking bottled water in Ghana and try to avoid the sachets of water sold on the street ā these are often contaminated.
The most reliable and modern medical treatment is in Accra. Lister Hospital is a good choice. In Kumasi try County Hospital. A short consultation with a private doctor should cost around US$25.
Food and Drink
About the most common dish, you’ll find is groundnut stew, a warming, spicy dish cooked with liquefied groundnut paste, ginger and either fish or meat. Palm-nut soup (fashioned from tomatoes, ginger, garlic and chilli pepper, as well as palm nut) takes its bright red colour from palm oil. Jollof rice is a spicy dish cooked with a blend of tomatoes and onion and usually served with meat. Red-red is a bean stew normally served with fried plantain.
Money
Ghana uses th Ghana Cedi.
ATMs are virtually everywhere, with almost all accepting Visa (Stanbic’s taking MasterCard and Maestro). Exchange bureaus are found in most major towns.
The best currencies to bring are US dollars, UK pounds and euros, in that order.
Time Zone
Ghana observes Greenwich Mean Time all year. There is no Daylight Saving Time.
Visas
You’ll need a visa to travel to Ghana. Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) can change at short notice. Contact the nearest Embassy of Ghana for up-to-date information.
Australian Embassy & Consulate contacts
Australian High Commission, Accra
2, Second Rangoon Close
(cnr Josef Broz Tito Ave)
Cantonments
Accra, Ghana
Phone: (+233) 302 216 400
Fax: (+233) 302 216 410
Email: AccraHC.Enquiries@dfat.gov.au
Website: ghana.highcommission.gov.au
Ghana Embassy contacts in Australia
Ghana High Commission
52 Culgoa Circuit, O’ Malley ACT 2606
E-mail: gh57391@bigpond.net.au
Website: ghanahighcom.org.au
Telephone: +61 2 6290 2110
Electricity
In Ghana, the power plugs and sockets are of type D and G. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.
Getting there (stopovers)
Emirates flies daily to Accra from most Australian capital cities via Dubai.
A brief history
Ghana used to be called the Gold Coast. The name was changed to Ghana because of its thought that the present-day natives’ ancestors were migrants from the ancient kingdom of Ghana.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in 1470. They built a permanent trading base call Elmina Castle in 1482. Soon the British, Dutch, Danish, and Germans arrived. The British eventually made the Gold Coast a colony and a bordering area, the Togoland, a trust territory. Both of these areas would later become Ghana.
In 1957 Ghana was the first of the sub-Saharan colonies to become an independent nation.
Tipping
A tip of 10% to 15% should suffice at restaurants, Porters or bag handlers at the airport and bus stations will often expect or ask for a tip. A cedi or two should be fine.
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