Accra - Post Report Question and Answers
What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Taking a driver and going to places like Cape Coast, Akosombo or pretty much anywhere outside Accra is always interesting. Kempinski has a good spa. There are several restaurants here that we truly enjoy. - Aug 2024
Batik fabric printing, African drumming and dancing, beading classes, having a personal tailor come to your house, canopy walk in Kakum national park, transatlantic slave castles, Kwame Nkrumah National Museum, weekly artisan markets, Mokola local market. Lots of stuff to keep you busy! - Sep 2023
Makola Market in Accra is the largest in West Africa and an exciting place to visit, though it's best to go with a local who knows how to navigate the craziness. Next Door Beach Resort is also a charming local place to enjoy a beer and some grilled meat on a stick. - Nov 2022
Ote Falls, searching for nesting turtles at night at Ata Foah, mountain biking at Aburri Hills. - Nov 2019
It is true that the wildlife in Ghana doesn't compare to the wildlife in east Africa or southern Africa, and tourism here can be a challenge by US standards, but for us the key to enjoying life here was to get out anyway and enjoy it for what it is. We loved Meet Me There, a lodge run by a nonprofit that uses lodging/dining revenue to fund community-based projects. Shai Hills is a wildlife park that only takes about an hour to get to. Aburi Gardens is a botanical garden about 45 minutes - an hour outside Accra. Near Cape Coast and Kakum there is a stingless bee research center that made for a fascinating visit. It's really interesting to go see glass beads made (TK Beads is in Accra, about a half-hour or 45-minute drive from the embassy). There really is a lot to see and do here. - May 2019
Ghana is very sleepy. You can drive 90 minutes out of town to go to the beach, and that's about it. - Apr 2018
There's the Accra Mall, the Marina Mall, the marketplaces in Osu, the slave castle, and the embassy-sponsored trips. - Aug 2017
Makkola Market (if you don't mind haggling and getting sweaty). One of the many beach bars for a beer at sunset, Cape Coast slave forts, local markets, fantasy coffin makers. - Apr 2017
Goethe Institute has good cheap food and is an expat hangout. Also, they have a artisan fair the first Saturday of every month. Great to buy clothes, beads and other fun stuff. - Aug 2016
A weekend escape to the beach is so nice. Mole national park is popular but a 7-hour drive away. - May 2014
Many places to shop and eat in Accra. Day trips outside the city include gardens, waterfalls, beaches, boat tours, slave forts, and wildlife parks. Further afield are Mole National Park, the Volta highlands, and Kumasi. Togo is a four-hour drive from Accra, plan on at least five hours to the Ivory Coast border. West Africa is NOTHING like East Africa or Southern Africa when it comes to variety or quality of tourist attractions. Manage your expectations of tourist infrastructure and quality of attractions. - Apr 2012
Beaches, tours of slave trading posts, sea turtle viewing - Jun 2011
Beaches, pool, the Accra Mall provides some shopping and a movie theatre with recent releases, go out with friends to eat or dancing. There are a lot of school bazaars in the fall which are fun to shop at. Ghana Mountaineers is a hiking club which meets about once a month. There are a number of clubs and groups that do sports or activities, you really just need to ask around. NAWA, the North American Women's Association, publishes the No Worries Guide To Accra, which lists most of them. Some folks here get into beading, and there are several places to visit to watch beads being made. A very large bead market and a center for bead trading in West Africa is at Koforidua, about a 2-3 hour drive. People do a lot of entertaining here. You only get bored here if you want to be bored."Making your own fun" is definitely part of the tour here. - Feb 2010
Beaches, nice craft stores, castles, sports - Feb 2010
Trips outside Accra, generally within a day's travel. Going to the Accra mall for movies, dining out, hanging out at hotel pools... - May 2009
