Don’t worry we are still here

Posted on April 9, 2016 by admin

I know it has been entirely too long since my last blog post but there has been so much going on in the world of tourism in Ghana and West Africa I have just had to put it on hold.

Green Bug Adventures is still alive and providing adventures in Ghana we have survived the unfortunate down turn in Tourism due to Ebola and are still hoping for a comeback because West Africa has so much to share with travelers as a safe place to visit.  We can also now offer limited adventures to Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso.  We have moved our home base from Colorado to Oregon in the US.  I personally have moved to Ghana and live there full time working in tourism and building more capacity.

We are working on a new and improved Green Bug Adventures site and incorporating a better booking system, more community based tour options including day tours and urban walking tours.  We will also be providing and showcasing tours to Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso.  So keep an eye out for all of these updates.

In addition to Green Bug Adventures I am working on the following businesses and projects in Ghana to build the tourism sector and capacity:

Superior Hospitality Solutions

This is my primary focus other than Green Bug Adventures.  We provide technology solutions, marketing and consultation to hotels throughout Ghana.  Our primary product is the Hotel Link Solutions services providing websites, booking platforms and distribution to hotels.  Some of the outlets of these developments are the following sites:

www.accommodationcentral.com –  If you search Ghana you can book and see all the hotels that we work within Ghana.

www.thetravelrevolution.com –  Like Accommodation Central this portal will allow you to view and book the hotels we work with in Ghana but at a discount that is not available anywhere else on the web.

Destination Ghana-

As part of Superior Hospitality Solutions we are launching a new version of Destination-Ghana.com one of Ghana’s first websites dedicated specifically to Hotels in Ghana.  In addition to hotels this new portal will provide simple booking of rental cars, tours, travel insurance and airfare with a whole lot of travel information that will be good for Eco-travelers and even a more general audience.

Global Eco Village Network Ghana-

I have been invited to a very unique group of change makers in Ghana as an Ambassador to GEN Ghana, we are working to build the first Eco Village Network in Ghana as part of the Global Network.  This will only help all the practitioners in Ghana and make sure that we have a sustainable future along with many interesting places for you to visit.

In short Green Bug Adventures is still here and ready to show you how amazing West Africa is, we are growing in terms of knowledge and capacity but we have not kept up on our blog.  We look forward to hearing from you soon.

 

 

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The Surfers Guide to Ghana: Part I

Posted on March 18, 2013 by admin

Ghana surfing

This guide is intended to help surfers looking to enjoy Ghana’s amazing coast line for the first time it will give an introduction to where you might find some waves, what the waves and bottom conditions are like and where to stay in the area around these breaks.  I will not go very far inland since I can imagine that it will be very hard to pull yourself away from the beach.  Ghana is still relatively undiscovered in the surfing community and there is little information out there about where to surf in Ghana, and some of this may be kept a secret by the people who know and wish to keep it that way.  But surfing is not new to Ghana as surfers have been coming here since the 60’s as seen in the popular Endless Summer video from that time period  but they may have been little and far between up until 2006 when the first surf shop appeared in Ghana.

Continue reading →

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Ghana Visa and Entry Requirments

Posted on February 26, 2013 by admin

IMG_0599

One the things that could absolutely ruin your trip to Ghana would be forgetting your passport, and not having all the necessary documents for entry to Ghana like the Yellow Fever Vaccination card, and entry visa.

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Picture of the Day with a Story

Posted on January 15, 2013 by admin

On facebook and twitter I try, when I have time to post a Picture of the Day from my travels in Ghana.  Sometimes a simple sentence explains the picture, but others ignite a whole story.

This is not the most glamorous, beautiful or captivating picture I have taken, I had actually even forgot about it up until a few days ago when talking to a friend I remembered a story about these kids.  This picture was taken in 2004 in the village of Elmina, when my father and I were traveling down the coast of Ghana, after I had completed a semester of college at the University of Ghana. Continue reading →

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Information about Power and Electricity for the Traveler to Ghana, Togo, and Benin

Posted on January 13, 2013 by admin

Power lines in norther ghana

One of the questions that I received from travelers going to Ghana, Togo and Benin with us is, what is the availability of electricity and the plugs that are used in these countries?  For me to answer their question since I knew where they were going was relatively simple, I knew where they were going and staying each night.   But to answer the question for you is a little more difficult as I do not know your itinerary.

Electricity in Ghana, Togo and Benin will be available at most hotels, guest house and lodges on the major tourist routes through these countries.  In villages and rural areas it is a hit or miss sort of thing, it really depends on how far off the beaten path you are going.  Even in the areas that typically have electricity there are often blackouts, and prolonged periods without electricity because of the lack of maintenance, and the energy crisis many of these countries are experiencing. Continue reading →

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GSM cell and mobile service in Ghana, Togo and Benin

Posted on January 3, 2013 by admin

Recently while preparing a pre-departure document for a group traveling with Green Bug Adventures to Ghana, Togo and Benin I was asked to put information in about GSM and mobile coverage in these countries.

As amazing as it would be to leave all the mobile devices at home and have a vacation free of these distractions on our relaxation it has become more and more important to be tied into communications, back home for work, or to make your travel arrangements as needed or for emergency situations.

To give you an idea about the coverage areas in these countries I have prepared the following information.

Most of Ghana, Togo and Benin have GSM mobile phone coverage. Just like anywhere there are gaps in the coverage and differences in coverage between operators, this happens primarily in rural areas.  The primary bands used are 900, and 1800.

To avoid costly international mobile charges it is recommended that you pick up recharge cards locally from the different providers in each country.  Since no network is all inclusive you should go for the major networks. To make sure the group has coverage as much as possible it is recommended that each person get one chip from a different carrier.

If you are traveling and covering a lot of ground each day you should have coverage at some place along the way. The rural areas may have spotty coverage this will include places between established communities in northern Ghana, Togo and Benin. You may also loose service even along the coast in some remote areas of the Western Region, like Cape Three Points.

AT&T offers some good information about GSM coverage in the three countries that you will be traveling to, here is a map of over all GSM coverage in the area.

Ghana:

The primary mobile operators in Ghana are;
• Vodaphone (also known as former Ghana Telecom) coverage map
• MTN
• TiGo no coverage map available
• Zain no coverage map available

Togo:

The primary mobile operators in Togo are;
• Togocel
• Moov- coverage map not available

Benin:

• MTN- you man need to zoom in to see.
• Moov- No coverage map available
• Glo- No coverage map available
• Bbcom- No coverage map available

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Ghana Multimedia Branding Campaign

Posted on October 28, 2012 by admin

Ghana is ready for world wide success in terms of developing their economy and their image world wide.  Ghana is a peaceful country with on the fastest growing economy in the world in 2011.  This little heard of country is going to be on the worlds main stage in a big way in the coming years.  It is quickly out growing its neighbors in Africa and maintaining a level of peace and transparency that is rarely heard of in Africa.  They are ready to ‘see their peers as Brazil, India, and China.’

Right now is a great time to visit Ghana to feel this optimism and excitement with the countries growth, but it is also very important that we as travelers go and support the local businesses, community ecotourism projects, and conservation, to show that is an important way to develop a sustainable tourism economy, and that these values are important to travelers everywhere.

 

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The 5 Most Unique Places to Sleep in Ghana

Posted on October 10, 2012 by admin

Ghana is a very unique place to spend your vacation or holiday as it is but there are some places that you can choose to stay for the night that makes it that much more unique and provides those amazing stories to tell loved ones, colleagues and friends back home. It is guaranteed that none of them will have any experiences even close to what you will if you stay at any of the places listed in this blog. Many of the boutique guest houses and eco-lodges in Ghana already offer a very interesting places for travelers to stay but the locations below take it to another level as the best places to stay in Ghana for a truly unique holiday.

  1. Tree Platforms in the Rain Forest:

     

Kakum National Park is known for its canopy walk way where visitors walk through the canopy of the rain forest at times over 70 feet from the forest floor, but this is only part of what Kakum has to offer. One of the best ways to immerse yourself into the Kakum experience is to stay the night in the forest. With the forest floor being wet and trafficked with all kinds of critters it is not the best place to get a restful night. Luckily for you there are a couple of amazing options for staying in the park. Near the park headquarters is a platform in the forest where guests can stay the night, this is a nice intro but does not get you too far off the beaten path.

Continue reading →

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How to Pack for Your Trip to Ghana

Posted on September 12, 2012 by admin

Ghana tro-tro packed full

Lets hope this is not your packing style.

Packing for a trip to Ghana can be tough for some people because they are unsure of what to expect or what they will need. There are of course different schools of thought for packing for travel that different people subscribe to according to what they think is important. Some people travel light some people travel with everything but the kitchen sink. It really depends on how long you will be traveling for and what type of travel you will be doing. If you have your own transportation it is easier to pack a little heavier than if you are taking buses, and tro-tros.

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How to Get Around Ghana Part 6: Private Car Rentals and Hires

Posted on August 23, 2012 by admin

Land Cruiser Ghana

This is the 6th segment on How to Get Around Ghana. We have already covered 5 other ways of traveling in Ghana they are:

Many people are very interested in renting a car during their trip to Ghana. This method of transportation is the most familiar to tourists from western countries visiting Ghana. It offers the most independence and can be the most convenient and timely way to travel in Ghana. But as people look into car rental in Ghana they soon find out it is not as simple as calling up budget, or enterprise rental car. Finding a rental agency is the first major hurdle, none of the companies online list rates or fares for doing this, there is also very little information on their sites. The other major obstacle is that for the most part cars are not for rent for people looking to drive them themselves.

Continue reading →

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