Dates Visited: October 1 2022 – October 4 2022

Arriving

Kotoka International Airport (ACC)

The main international gateway to the small nation of Ghana, ACC is located 15 minutes outside the center of Accra – the capital city. It’s a basic no-frills airport with direct flights to the U.S. and Europe. I flew in from Washington, D.C. on United. Nothing to write home about since this airport is standard for this region of the world.

Immigration/Customs

U.S. citizens are required to have an advance visa issued by a Ghanaian consulate or embassy – I received mine from the New York City consulate after about a week’s wait and $60 in fees paid. Yellow fever vaccination proof is required along with COVID vaccination. PCR tests were no longer required when I visited. Immigration and customs were standard and uneventful.

Lounges

There are three lounges accessible to Priority Pass cardholders in this airport’s terminal 3 (international departures) – all seemed to be quite basic and not worth a visit unless you have time to kill. Expect cold snacks and standard bottled beverages. I hung out in the Akwaaba Lounge while my flight to Abidjan was delayed by an hour.

Currency

Ghana uses their own currency – the cedi – that come in 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 cedi banknote denominations. Smaller denominations than 10 are rarely used/out of circulation. International credit cards are accepted at major hotels, shops, and restaurants. Expect smaller mom-and-pop stores to be cash only. ATMs are plentiful at shopping malls and hotels. Exchange counters are located in malls such as Accra Mall and seem to accept major currencies (USD/EUR/GBP) at a decent rate.

Taxis/Rideshare/Local Transportation

Generally in West Africa, I would steer clear of hailing taxis off the street as they are often not road-worthy and the service standard is low. I used Uber to get around Accra and found it to be sufficient. I saw local minibuses but did not try those. I also used a private driver I found through my fixer Hamzah for a day trip to the Eastern region.

SIM Cards/Wi-Fi

This was very tricky as there are no stores that sell SIM cards at the Kotoka Airport meaning you will have to find a SIM card in town. I went to a MTN store to be declined as their computer system was down that day. I finally found a SIM card at the Vodafone store near the Cantonments – they were able to register my SIM card to my passport and provision it successfully. Expect acquiring SIM cards in Ghana to be a pain point.

Sightseeing

Black Star Square

The icon of Accra and Ghana, this was built as a monument to symbolize the independence of the country from British colonialism. You can visit the second floor of the arch if you speak to the security guard on duty – he’s very friendly and will show you upstairs for a small gratuity. You can then cross the street and see the public square area where the 2022 Global Citizen Festival was held.

National Museum of Ghana
Small, two floor museum that goes through the history of Ghana as well as modern day facts.

Accra Mall

Good place to get a SIM card and there’s a “Shoprite” grocery store to get essentials you might need.

James Town Lighthouse

Jamestown is one of the impoverished areas of Accra famous for the lighthouse and old prison, do note that as a foreigner you will get swarmed by “tour guides” and children seeking a donation as soon as you step out of a taxi. Be prepared to give them a small donation or they won’t leave you alone.

Asomdwe Park

Fun place to visit to take photos and see the ostriches and fish, the entrance is a bit confusing – look for an opening in the fence near the ostriches. The security guard will accompany you around and take photos for you while showing you the history of the park for a small gratuity. No formal admission fees, just donation based.

Osu / Oxford Street

Much like Oxford Street of London, this is the heart of Accra’s commercial sector – here you can find sketchy money laundering casino fronts, grocery stores, hotels, restaurants, electronic stores, souvenir markets, and more. There is no sidewalk, be prepared to dodge cars and buses as you walk down the street. Merchants were not too pushy with me but expect to be asked to look at their wares as you walk down.

Aburi Botanical Gardens

I did this along with Cocoa Farms and Hiliburi Resort as an Eastern Region day trip with a private driver – the gardens were a nice escape from the clogged and dusty environment of Accra – by the time you reach this altitude, you’ll notice a difference in air quality compared to the capital city. The botanical gardens can be done solo but you’ll find “tour guides” offering you tours for a fee. I did it solo and found it an enjoyable walk through nature.

Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Farms

This is a small farm that tells the story of how Tetteh Quarshie first brought cacao to Ghana and planted it on the small land that is now his namesake farm. Small fee for admission and tips to the guide for a quick tour and demonstration of the process of growing cacao. Worth if it you’re in the area but not worth a trip from Accra

Hiliburi Resort
A hotel/resort in nature outside Accra in the Eastern region, I stopped here for lunch and good views.

Food/Drink

Buka Restaurant

This was my first meal and my favorite in Accra – packed with locals enjoying a lunch – they serve a mean jollof rice and red red. Highly recommend.

Zen Garden

This is a cozy hidden restaurant in a garden serving traditional foods of Ghana such as jollof rice. They weren’t very busy when I dined so service was quite good.

Tunnel Lounge

Not as expensive as SkyBar 25 but another upscale restaurant that caters to the elite of Accra and foreigners. They have an enclosed air conditioned dinner area along with an outdoor hookah smoking section and an Instagram friendly tunnel for you influencers. Menu is a fusion of both local and international favorites.

SkyBar 25

Consider this a splurge restaurant with high prices catering to foreigners in town. Nice views of the city with a price tag that can reach $65USD/person for dinner and drinks. Menu taste leans international.

Accommodation

Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra

This is by far the most expensive and nicest hotel in the entire country of Ghana with rooms routinely going for over $325USD/night – I didn’t stay here but I did visit the property and found that while it was indeed very nice, it’s hard to justify that price tag in a country such as Ghana where quality accommodation can be found for <$60USD/night. If you have the resources to splurge, I’m sure this is an excellent choice but not my cup of tea.

Holiday Inn Accra

I stayed here during my time in Accra and found it to be a standard 3-star no frills hotel with acceptable cleanliness and service standards. I was surprised to find that Obama stayed here during a state visit – the property isn’t necessarily luxurious or anything but I guess there weren’t many options back then (Kempinski etc had not yet opened)