For years, it seemed like everyone I knew had been to Ghana. Yet, at the time, the closest I had come to Ghana was the Ghanaian teachers in Primary School and the funny way they pronounced words like ‘her’ differently.
During a short break from the office, my friends and I decided to spend three days in Ghana. We just wanted to get away and relax, so we stayed at the Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra, which is ideal for walks along the beach and poolside drinks and quiet. The first day in Ghana, my friend who lives there bought us jollof rice… and that is why I am comfortable joining the ‘Nigerian jollof over Ghanaian jollof’ tweets.
Kakum National Park
The most exciting day I spent in Ghana was at the Kakum National Park. It is located in the Central Region of Ghana. We got a car and driver from the hotel for the three-hour drive (this is a cheap and comfortable way to get there if you are splitting the bill with others), and spent a few hours revelling in nature. If you’re scared of heights (despite all my climbing, I am), think twice about visiting Kakum because the best part of this park is the canopy walk. It helped that I made the trip with friends so even when any one of us wanted to quit, the others spurred that one on.
The walkway, bordered by thick ropes, is 40-feet above the forest floor. I was scared to bits, but I have practice doing things in spite of fear. So I trekked above a forest looking down to see monkeys and in vain hope of seeing an elephant. Kakum also had these souvenir shops that had really cool crafts and I bought
some masks that now adorn my room walls.
Then the Markets
Back in Accra, I went to several markets to buy lovely Ankara dresses and bags. They were way more affordable and of a wider variety than we have here in Nigeria. I did a lot of walking on this trip. One night, we wandered about at past 12 am because we suddenly got into our heads to have some banku. Another evening, we went mini-golfing and had fun competing against each other.
If you have time, the Elmina Castle, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Cape Coast Castle, and the Aburi Botanical Gardens are also great places to visit. Ghana, like Nigeria, has such a rich history and culture that you can’t be bored on a visit there. In all, Ghana felt very much like home, but it had the advantage of being a new culture and having new sites. It’s a great place to go for a quick and affordable getaway.