Hear about travel to Ghana as the Amateur Traveler talks to Jacky Habib from JackyHabib.com about this African country that she fell in love with.
Jacky spends a good portion of the year in Africa as a journalist. She lived in Ghana in 2013 and 2014 and returns to see friends there.
Jacky says, “Ghana is an incredible country. For so many reasons the culture in the country is so so rich, Ghanaian music is so much fun to dance to, and to listen to. Ghanian food tastes amazing. The weather is quite great actually year-round. The ocean is stunning. Ghanaians are so friendly. They are such lovely people. It’s such an incredible country. If people do a Google search on it, they’ll find often that it’s referred to as Africa 101, or Africa for beginners, which I do find a little strange. But I think it’s because English is the national language. It’s quite easy to travel around. It’s very safe as well. And I say this, particularly for any solo female travelers who are listening to this, considering whether they can or should travel to Ghana, I have and I think it’s fantastic.”
Jacky starts us in the capital of Accra. She enjoys being out in a crowd and recommends the nightlife in the city. Accra is great for picking up souvenirs. There’s an art center where you could do all of your souvenir shopping. There are also colorful markets where you can pick up crafts or pick out some colorful cloth and get a shirt or dress made for you. It has the largest open-air market in West Africa.
She recommends staying in the Osu neighborhood. The traffic in Accra can be difficult she does warn, especially during some of the annual events that happen in Accra like Decemba 2 Rememba.
From Accra, she recommends the town of Cape Coast where you can experience the beaches but you can also connect to the history at the slave castles. Cape Coast Castle is part of a larger UNESCO World Heritage Site: “Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions”. Near Cape Coast, you can do a canopy walk or a treehouse stay in Kakum National Park.
For more of a beach vacation, she would head further down the coast to Takoradi, where you might even try your hand at surfing.
Jacky recommends heading north into the interior of the country to Tamale. Tamale is very different from Accra. The pace of life is slower. There is a different way of life. On the outskirts of Tamale, you can see huts or mud homes. You can use Tamale as a base to visit local villages, Mole National Park, or head further north to Bolgatanga where some of the best baskets are produced.
Whether you are watching the sunset over the ocean, trying the spicey local food, riding in a tro tro, or doing a canopy walk, see if you won’t fall in love with Ghana as Jacky did.
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Show Notes
JackyHabib.com
Ghana
Accra
Cape Coast
Osu, Accra
Home – Woodin
Kente cloth
African Baskets – Ghana Bolgatanga Market Baskets
Bolgatanga
Shea butter
Highlife
Decemba 2 Rememba
Chale Wote Street Art Festival
10 Traditional Ghanaian Dishes You Need To Try
Ghanaian cuisine
Waakye
Cape Coast Castle
Kakum National Park
Tamale, Ghana
Tuo Zaafi
Mole National Park
Kumasi
Ashanti Region
Sekondi-Takoradi
Where to go in Ghana – Trips out of town – Takoradi – Time Out Accra
Wli waterfalls
Tro tro
WodeMaya (@mrghanababy) • Instagram photos and videos
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Image by Herbert Bieser from Pixabay
