If you are planning your vacation this year to somewhere that is perfect to endeavor, fun, food, shopping, natural beauty, mesmeric waters and amusement altogether then you will not find a place better than Ghana. This African country is known for, like the rest of the continent for its amazing wildlife and most naturalistic Islands so trip to Ghana will refreshes you to the very core for sure. But before your voyage, you must need an ultimate travel guide with Cheap Flights to Ghana so that you can spend your time in there enjoying and praising the moments of your jaunt rather than standing at some point thinking about the directions to go, exhausting in heat.
- Visa: first comes first; the very first thing you need to initiate your plan is your visa. Getting a visa upon arrival is not possible so most nationalities need to obtain a visa from their native Ghanaian High Commission in advance. The usual requirement is two passport size photos, a visiting address in Ghana and a letter of invitation form a local host but documents can be arranged by as per advice by High Commission. Tourists’ visas are valid for three months and cost around 50 pounds. For getting visa, visitors are requisite yellow fever vaccination certificate on arrival.
- Currency: the next you will need in Ghana is Ghanaian currency known as Ghanian Cadi. If your transport from the airport is not pre- planned and you have to pay in advance, then you can exchange your money to the Ghanian Cadi at the airport. If not then you will find plenty of exchange Bureaus too in Ghana’s capital Accra. Some of the lavish hotels also offer currency exchange services.
- Transportation: the very important thing while on a foreign land is know-how of transportation and transport system. The roads are in a bad condition in Ghana despite of the fact that they can be found in expanse. The adverse condition of the roads makes the journey prolonged than the normal time taken to travel. Taxis, coaches, local buses and Tro Tros are the main means of transportation widely used. Tro Tros are the cheapest among all but also very cramped because while travelling on a Tro Tro, there is no such thing as personal space or privacy. Moreover, they are also very slow so will take more time. Then comes the local buses that are intermediate in their services i.e. they are neither cheap nor expensive but they stop everywhere the passengers want them to stop so if you are in hurry, using a local bus is not recommended. Taxis are expensive among all but also endeavor personal space and privacy. It drops you at your door step; there are no meters in taxi so fix the price before travelling.
- Stay Place: one thing that might hurt your budget is the accommodation because hotels and rent rooms are real costly in Ghana. You can also find low cost hotels but their services will be alike of their rents. Mostly the low fare accommodations are a dorm in a hostel and not in the city centre. A single rooms of a 3 star hotel will be nearly £ 90, a single room of 4 star hotel costs around £ 125 and a 5 star hotel rooms fares £ 250. Accra is the most expensive city so try to have an accommodation outside of the capital city.
- Language: when tourists visit other countries, the main problem that becomes barrier to mix up with the locals is language that sometimes led the tourists to not get the true picture of the country’s actual customs. But that’s not a problem in Ghana because the official language is English. But people from the countryside may only speak with their specific countryside dialect that may be hard for you to understand. There are more than 80 dialects of speech in Ghana but the frequent used is ‘Twi’. If you are not feeling to carry a guide all around with you then learning a few phrases of Twi will make you able to talk or at least convey yourself to the others. You can also negotiate or bargain at markets, shops and taxis in a better way.
- Right on time is not Necessary: if you are a UK native then you have probably spent all of your life running behind time or to catch things up on time. There is no such concept of being late without a reason but that’s not particularly the case with Ghanaians. Ghanaians love to be late without reasons and if some of your friends show up late, don’t feel offended because it’s just another Ghanaian thing. Starting a meeting an hour late, while everyone else waits for you is not an unfamiliar situation so if you have plans with some locals, sit tight and hope their arrival on time. Much better is to arrive yourself late in fact.
- Dress Code: you can wear mostly whatever you want but if you are travelling towards North side, then a modest dress would be appreciated as most of the population in the North is Muslim. Dress yourself modestly and cover your knees and shoulders. Sun is always angry so try to wear something lose that not only keeps you cool but also covers you.
- Food: here comes the most important thing in one’s life i.e. food. Ghanian food is very delicious and is completely deviant than the regular meals that you had in UK. Spicy and oily; Ghanian special meals include fried rice and fried Plantains. Some national dishes that are worthy to try as well are red red (a tomato, potato and bean stew dish), Fu Fu (a food with a kind of dumplings), jollof rice (rice in a spicy tomato sauce) and banku (corn and cassava dough served with soup). Along with the local dishes, there are also many Western style restaurants where you can find every cuisine from Italian to Chinese and from Spanish to Mexican. Quick Guide for Africa Top Visited Destinations.