I treated my little cousin to a few days in Ghana and we had quite the time. We spent 3 full days and 5 nights exploring Accra, chasing waterfalls in the Eastern region, and spending some time at a beach resort.
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| Aburi Botanical Gardens |
We had planned on having dinner at the apartment cafe that evening and just staying in but the cafe had closed for the day, so we headed off to Capitol Cafe and Restaurant close by. We got chicken and shrimp noodles for 55GH₵ each, a washed them down with a mock tail mojito and ginger tea. I was convinced something was wrong with my shrimp noodles when I asked Ashe how her chicken noodles were and she said "Yaya, I don't think they seasoned my food." Y'all, hers was as bland as mine! It is obviously unkind to join the masses in agreement that Ghanaian food is lacking in flavor after only one (foreign) meal, but I had a growing suspicion this wouldn't be my first mouthful of disappointment.
Sunday
The apartment concierge helped me get a SIM card as I couldn't get one at the airport. They called a guy who showed up 15 minutes later with a SIM card and asked me to choose from a variety of packages. I agreed to go with unlimited calls and data for 188GH₵ AND an agreement that I would return the SIM card to hotel concierge on my way back to the airport. (I would eventually forget, remember while at the airport and give it to an airport staff, whom he got it from later that day). After all of that, we took a taxi to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park.
Non-Ghanaians pay 100GH₵ to get in while Ghanaians pay 25GH₵. The park promotes Pan Africanism as well Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's ideals and personal relics. Dr. Nkrumah was Ghana's first President and well loved by Ghanaians because he led the fight, with his peers, to gain Ghana's freedom from British colonial rule.
On the park grounds, there is a bronze statue of Dr. Nkrumah, his mausoleum where he is buried next to his wife, a museum, and garden a garden with trees planted by numerous world leaders. It was equal parts humbling, heartbreaking, and inspiring to be there.
Afterwards, we took a taxi to Sai Wine and Champagne Cafe where we had an 11am reservation but it was closed, and we couldn't get anyone on the phone. This was incredibly disappointing because the restaurant came highly recommended and they had bombarded me with email and text reminders about my reservation. However, till date, I haven't gotten a returned email or text message explaining why my confirmed reservation was met with a closed restaurant.
Anyhoo, it turns out it was for the best because we took another taxi and headed to Cafe Kwae, a female owned restaurant that I cannot recommend enough! The restaurant is cute, fun, staff were friendly, and the food was delicious! If we stayed longer than 3 days, we certainly would have gone back for breakfast another day.
I got a Veggie Breakfast (omelet with baked beans, avocado and toast) 65GH₵ with additional side Sausage 30GH₵. Ashe got Rice Pot 95GH₵ and we washed them down with Pineapple and Turmeric juice 35GH₵. Yum, yum! We both loved everything we had and I recommend eating there if you're in Accra.
With our bellies full, we took a taxi to Accra Arts Center to do some shopping. In our experience, the vendors on the inside where a lot nicer and had better prices than those right up front. That said, we generally had a good time and spent more time there than anticipated because there is so much to see.
The center caters to artisans who sell crafts like waist beads, leather beaded sandals, dresses made from Kente cloth and Kente print (Kente = Ghanian traditional textile), carved masks and knick knacks, etc. I got a ton of waist beads while Ashe got some T-shirts and Kente prints.
Once we were done, we walked to Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square. I must warn that the roads are not pedestrian friendly so wear comfortable shoes if you want to do this. The Square sits between Accra Sports Stadium and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. It is the site for Ghana's Independence Day Parade, which is on March 6 annually. It was commissioned by Dr. Nkrumah and completed in 1961.
From there, we headed off to Osu Castle and unfortunately couldn’t get in because it was closed for an event. Refusing to give up, we decided to walk around the building to the beach on the other side of it... absolutely worth it.
I'm not sure if we were just out of luck or if this part of Accra is generally less populated but we had a difficult time finding a taxi. There were no taxis in sight and it took over a 15minute wait for the nearest Uber to get to us. We headed over to Oxford Shopping Mall Osu and had a fun time sightseeing as we drove through Osu. Osu was recommended as an alternate place to stay because it is said to be full of life (and a little rough on occasion) however, because I was traveling with Ashe, I didn't want to take any chances with our safety. That said, it would be worth it to check out some restaurants in the area. Anyway, we got groceries at ShopRite then went home and passed out.
That evening, we took a taxi to Sandbox Beach Club for our 6pm reservation. Sandbox Beach Club is one of 3 beach clubs on the strip and rumored to have the best music. However, due to the Ga Festival, music is not played in public spaces in Ghana in the month of August so we were given Silent Disco headphones for free which made for an even more fun experience.
The club has a pool, some cabanas, pool side seating, as well as regular seating in different parts of the space... all overlooking the beach. So pretty!
For dinner, we got a Tuscan Roast Chicken with fries and grilled veggies for 305GH₵ and washed it all down with a Ginger Maiden and Butterfly Peach for 70GH₵ each. The food was as delicious as it looked and we couldn't finish it. Unfortunately, when we asked for our leftovers to be packed, they packed only the chicken and said they "thought" we wouldn't want the sides. I recommend Sandbox for sure but if you eat there and have leftovers that you want to take home, remember to clearly tell staff to pack the sides as well.
Monday
I had prearranged with Frances Willis Car Rental for us to be picked up for a day of exploration. Frances charged us 500GH₵ for 12hrs of driving (to wherever we wanted) and the agreement was that he would show up with a full tank of gas then we would top it up at the end of the day. Frances was a gem, we had so much fun with him, and I recommend reaching out to him if you're in need of a driver. Frances Wills Express Enterprise Car +233 54 508 4240). He picked us up at 7am and we made our way to Aburi Botanical Gardens, in the eastern region of Ghana.
Aburi Botanical Gardens sits on 160 acres (64.8 hectares) and comprises great lawns, herbs, medicinal trees and generally a variety of trees and plants, both native and imported.
Entrance fee is 20GH₵ for non-Ghanaians and 10GH₵ for Ghanaians. Though it gets dewy, I think it will make for a good picnic spot or wedding venue.
Once we were done, we drove 15minutes away from the gardens towards Adom waterfalls. I must have forgotten what I read online because I was genuinely shocked by my entire experience. First off, after driving for quite a bit off the tarred road, we saw a sign for the waterfalls, drove down some more then saw a man in a hard who told us he works for the waterfall company. He said to park and follow him into what I can only call a forest. Tell me why we ended up walking trekking hiking 1.8 unplanned miles into the forest with a stranger, trusting that he was who he said he was. Frances offered to walk with us so it was nice to have someone who might look out for us should anything go wrong - especially given that I only gave him our itinerary when we got in the car that morning and I handled navigation so I wasn't too worried about this being anything of his doing. If anything, I was grateful he was willing to go with us.
Once we got to the general area of the waterfalls, we paid 20GH₵ per person to get access to the waterfalls then walked down some slippery steps to actually see it.
Afterwards, we climbed up the dark, slippery steps and uphill towards the car. By the end, I even had some cobwebs on my shirt.
We happily munched on our snacks as the 3 of us debated Nigerian delicacy vs Ghanaian delicacy and drove through a couple of villages.
We eventually got to Asenema Falls and were delighted when we discovered that it was only a short walk, entrance fee was 10GH₵ per person, and the falls were was absolutely beautiful. You are allowed to get into the water and even behind the falls if you want to.
Finally, we headed to Shai Hills Reserve. The reserve covers 12,000 acres and (from the website) "The protected area was home to the Shai people before they were ejected by the British in 1892, remains of Shai peoples works can still be found at the reserve. A mosaic of forest covers the 5 separate hills in the reserve, while grassland and low dry forests are found in intervening canyons. Baboons, green monkeys, antelopes, zebras, mammals, reptiles and over 172 bird species have been identified in the reserve."
Entrance fee is 58GH₵ per person, per hour, and 5GH₵ per vehicle. We saw free range baboons, zebras, ostriches, and so much more.
We then spent the rest of our time there at the museum.
We were less than an hour away from Accra and had some time to kill before our 7pm dinner reservation so we asked Frances to take us to places he considers having the best Ghanaian food so we could put our debates to rest. Our first stop was at a traditional banku restaurant. I was so excited to be there because I have yet to have a disappointing traditional African meal and guess what, Ghana stepped up to be the first. Y'all, the soup was cold and bland, the goat was chewy, and the fish was like eating cardboard. With all due disrespect, Ghanaians, it is quite audacious of y'all to join the conversation when other African countries talk about having the best food.
Next up, he took us to his favorite Jollof spot. Again, "Ghanaians, when Nigerians and Senegalese folk talk about having the best jollof, y'all need to sit down! The chicken was flavored really well but it was hard and chewy. The jollof was... well, a lot more edible than the banku but only worth remembering in all the ways it fell short. We dragged Frances and gave him open an invitation to visit Nigeria so we could treat him to traditional meals that will change his life.
Finally, Frances took us to get meat pie and guess what? He redeemed himself. Y'all, the meat pie was so good! The dough was slightly flaky in all the right ways, the filling had the perfect consistency and it was seasoned just right. We both really enjoyed it and you'll have to ask him to take you there if you hire him as your driver. 10/10 recommend!
On our way back to the apartment, we made a quick stop at West Hills Mall, biggest mall in West Africa. Think of it like you would an indoor, outlet mall. Ashe bought a pair of leather beaded sandals there that she still wears to this day and it always steals the show.
We stopped at the apartment so I could change then we filled up his tank for 360GH₵ (about half tank) and he dropped us off at Sky Bar 25 just in time for our 7pm reservation.
Sky Bar 25 is a rooftop bar in Accra with panoramic views of the city.
They have a strict reservation policy, dress code, and rules on photography to maintain exclusivity. We got Octopus 120GH₵, 2 Chicken Tacos 120GH₵, Water 40GH₵, and a mocktail 60GH₵. I think that Sky Bar 25 makes for a great first stop on a night out so you can take photos, have a drink, and maybe an appetizer. It's a vibey spot that I recommend checking out at least once.
Tuesday
While looking up things to do in Ghana, I came across The C Resort in Pram Pram. Next thing I know, the owner offered me 2 free day passes to the resort as well as an upgraded room if we decided to spend the night.
It was quite a drive to get there but the resort is so pretty and worth the trek. I'll recommend spending at least one night to immerse yourself in the experience. We got a tour of the entire property including the rooms with beach views.
Once we were done touring, we spent some time by the pool swimming and drinking Virgin Mojitos 60GH₵ each. By the way, we made another arrangement with Frances and paid him 200GH₵ to take us there and back then filled up his tank for 260GH₵.
We then had fun walking by the beach, taking photos, playing with edits, and headed back home.
We got home, showered and passed out from exhaustion. I also had food poisoning/a stomach virus of sorts from whatever I must have eaten the day before so it was nice to be home so I could diarrhea at ease. Ashe was fine and I remain confused because we ate and drank everything together. Anyway, early in the evening, we headed out for a last hoorah. We had dinner at Santoku Restaurant and loved every single thing. The ambience, service, food, all of it! *These 3 are Google stock photos of the restaurant.
We had Miso 85GH₵, Spicy miso92GH₵, Ebi Tuna Tataki 140GH₵, Diced Grilled Beef with Nasubi 160GH₵, California Roll 125GH₵, Lava Roll 195GH₵ and stuff to drink that I forgot to write about. We also started eating before I remembered to take photos but here's some of what we had.
After dinner, we tried to go out to listen to some live music but The Republic Bar and Grill had no seating. There were literally chairs on the streets with no room for cars to pass and it is recommended to get there earlier in the evening.
Overall, regardless of public perception of Ghanian food, I want to be graceful and say it's not all bad, just a hit or miss situation. That said, we had a great time bonding and goofing off around Accra the eastern region. I'm so grateful to Frances, our Airbnb hosts (2 super friendly ladies), apartment concierge, and Amer (owner of the resort) because they made our short visit incredibly fun, comfortable, and they went beyond what they needed to do make us feel cared for. While I'm not sure if I'll be back to Ghana, I think everyone should visit at least once. Africa is a huge continent with varying cultures and it's always interesting talking to locals, learning about their history, listening to their music, eating their food, vibing with them and seeing how different yet similar we all are. I can't wait to show Ashe more of this beautiful, crazy world that I have fallen in love with and hope she gets to be as passionate about it too someday.
This and that
My ticket from London to Accra was 357.25GBP, Accra to Abuja was $290 while Ashe's roundtrip tickets from Abuja to Accra that was $563.
Some other places that appeared to be highly recommended include:
Accra
- Sundowner Accra Beach spots: Sandbox (best music), Ozzies (very chill, not crowded) or Rehab (best food, no swimming). They are all on a strip on the same street
- Live music: Zen Garden, +233
- Wednesday evening Dancing @ Afrikiko is also worth seeing
- Arts Alliance Gallery
- Jamestown Lighthouse
- Makola Market
- Accra Zoo
Outside Accra:
Depending on your travel style, you could rent a car, hire a driver and dictate the itinerary, or get a tour guide/join a tour group for these
- Cape Coast (Elmina Castle, Kakum National Park - Canopy Walk)
- Boti Waterfalls
- Akosombo Volta Dam (they are some Riverside Cottages close by and camping tents at Mangoase you can stay at if you want to spend the night).