How to Travel Around Ghana Part 1

The Walking/Trekking Around Ghana Segment

The issue of transportation after reaching Ghana seems to be one of the biggest issues facing travelers. Traveling in Ghana it is unlikely that you will not be able to find a place to stay each night; even if you haven’t planned ahead or made reservations, most lodges and guesthouses are rarely at capacity.  If the one that you were going to is, usually asking locals about another place to stay or another guest house will take care of the issue. Transportation is all a little more complicated and seemingly disorganized. But it is not impossible and there are transportation method for everyone’s level of comfort, budget and timeline. With any option there are compromises in these things and rarely is it possible to be able to have all three at once comfort, budget and timeline.

In the next couple of blog posts we will look at some of the ways to get around Ghana. With this one we will look at walking.

Walking around Ghana

Walking is a great way to get around some areas of Ghana, usually the range is limited though so this is usually best combined with other forms of transportation. But once you get to any particular area walking has some distinct advantages over other forms of transportation. When you are walking around you are on the same level as the majority of Ghanaians this will allow you the perspective of observing your surroundings at a slower place, you are also more free to talk to people or meet people. Ghanaians are extremely friendly and curios about travelers, while walking in Ghanaian culture the pace is usually very gentle and it is rude to walk by someone without greeting them wishing them a good day or asking how they are. Because of this you will meet many people walking.

Walking and hiking is the best and only way to experience many of the natural areas in Ghana. Many of the national parks do not allow private vehicles, and even if they did it is disturbing to the experience of a beautiful natural area. Ghana is one of the few places left in Africa where you can take a walking Safari and get very close to elephants like in our North to South Tour and Mole Camping Trip.

There are some downsides to walking though. Even though walking is a great way to explore some of the cities like Accra or Kumasi but there are not many sidewalks at all. You have to be very careful of the traffic which is not accustomed to stopping for pedestrians like you may be used to in many Western countries. In addition to the lack of sidewalks the streets are also lined by an open gutter on each side of the street, these can vary in depth from six inches to ten feet, and can be quite the hazard to navigation. Some people also find walking in the hot humid weather of the south uncomfortable.

There are some great areas in Ghana that can be opened up to you by walking for a truly unique experience that people traveling by other means would not be able to experience. One of these areas is the Cape Three Point area in the Western Region. There is a large complex of heritage trails that have been used by generations to travelers the Ahanta land. These trails go between lovely beach communities and beautiful deserted beaches all the time going through lush forest and reserves. It is even possible to stay in lovely boutique hotels, and Eco-lodges each night while exploring the area, you can get a better idea of this by looking at our Cape Three Points Trekking Adventure. Another great area to enjoy hiking is the Volta Region of Ghana. There are many great walks and hikes here that can range from a day hike to extended trekking through the green hills of the Volta region.