Saturday, January 15, 2011

Tourism in Ghana – Places of Interest (selection)

Listed below are numerous sights in Ghana that are popular places of interest:
• Akosmobo & Volta Lake
• Beaches
• Castles and Forts
• Wildlife protected Areas & national Parks
• National Museum

Greater Accra
• Makola Market: (The Kojo Thompson Roa). One of the continent’s most colourful. The most interesting and picturesque modern open market, where the visitor will admire the business acumen of the Ghanaian women traders.
• The Du Bois Centre (House No. 22, 1st Circular Road, Cantonment) an important venue for all people of the Pan African World.
• The University of Ghana, Legon: (14 Kilometers North of Accra). A showpiece of Japanese architecture in a tropical setting.
• The National Museum: (Barnes Road), here you will find the History of Ghana told in a collection of ancient relics, documents and pictures.
• Accra Handicraft Market


Ashanti Region
• Lake Bosomtwi
• Army & Prempeh II Museum: (in pic Kumasi)
• National culture Centre: (Kumasi)
Brong Ahafo Region
• Fuller waterfalls: A fierce and magnificent plunge on a two-tier rock pile to give a perfect whirl at the bottom.
• Ancient City of Begro-Excavations of various pieces confirm the claim that centuries back people led a civilized life here. It is thought that between the 14th and 18th centuries Begro had contacts with the Arabs and other Southern sudan Empires.
• The Yeji Port-Situated on the Volta Lake offers industrial as well as leisure facilities.
• The Bui National Park- Home to the largest population of hippopotamus in Ghana.
• Friday Market at Techiman-This is the largest and oldest weekly market in Ghana, which is still visited by traders from Mali, Niger and other West African countries.
Central Region
• Former government centre of the Gold Coast, Cape Coast was the seat of the British Colonial administration up until 1877 when it was moved to Accra.
Along the coastline of this region are ancient forts and castles built by the European traders. Three of these: Elmina castle, St Jago castle and Cape coast castle have been designated as World Heritage Monuments by the World Heritage Foundation (UNESCO). These are well preserved and must be seen by anyone visiting this region.
• Kakum National Park: This is set within a 357 sq km natural park and gives a taste of undisturbed virgin rainforest. It has excellent walk tours through the forest providing visitors the opportunity of Ghana's indigenous plant life. Other high lights include treetop canopy walkway and bird watching.
• Beaches; this region has excellent palm-fringed beaches. Popular spots include Brewa Beach, Sir Charles beach (Winneba), Elmina beach (near the castle) and Gomoa Fetteh beach that is popular with picnickers.
• Fishing villages; busy fishing villages and traditional market towns abound along the whole coastline of this region.
• Must see places are:- Winneba fishing fleets and local ceramics Mankessim Posuban shrine and busy market.� Kromantse/Abandze Twin fishing village and important trading centre
Eastern Region

• Boti falls
• Cruise Along the East
Northern Region
• Larabanga Mosque
• Mole National Park
• Paga Crocodile Ponds (Bolgatanga)
Volta Region
• Chances Are... You'll Enjoy The Volta
• Wli waterfalls and Mount Afadjato in the Volta region
Western Region
• Southernmost Tip: The colourful communities of Dixcove and Busua have been 'in' spots for beach lovers and budget travelers for years. Busua is tiny, with only one hotel and no restaurant, but a 25 minute walk west brings you to Dixcove, with a vibrant port and a renovated fort. Swimmers prefer Busua, with its long white-sand beach, while surfers enjoy some of the coast's best waves on the beaches of Dixcove.
• Fort Metal Cross (1691) is another fortress-turned-slave storage barn, which - while not as haunting as some others - has its fair share of horror stories to pass on.
• The two towns are widely renowned for their lobsters, and you can find out why down by the waterfront and at the local markets. Local villagers are your best bet for finding a meal - especially cooked lobster - usually at a very reasonable cost. Dixcove, the southernmost town in Ghana, is about� 200km (125mi) west of Accra and can be reached by a combination of tro-tro or taxi and walking or
hitching.
Other Attractions
• Cave exploration
• Bird Watching

Getting Around Accra
Accra is the capital of Ghana and is located on the coast of western region of Africa. With the population of almost 2 million it’s the most populous city in the country. Ga is the widely spoken language in the city but you can also see many people speaking Hausa, Twi and Ewe. However, English is also spoken in urban area. Accra is the most famous city in Ghana because of its rich history and tourists’ attractions.
Get in
Kotoka International Airport is the main gateways to get in the country and is located in the capital city, Accra. It operates with all international airlines which provide cheap Accra flights from America, Middle East, Africa and Europe. You can also use the same airport to get domestic flights to Kumasi and Tamale.

Must See
Accra is filled with museums, parks, shopping markets, library, beaches and castle etc. National Museum is the perfect place to understand the rich history of Ghana and its past trends. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park offers you mausoleum of Kwame Nkrumah, the great leader of Ghana, who led the country towards independence. In addition to this, The national Archives of Ghana, The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Ghana’s Central Library and Chirsitanborg Castle are must visit places.
Labadi beach is the most famous tourists spot in Accra. It’s warm but fresh water makes it the perfect place for swimming but strolling is another must do activity at Labadi beach.
Shopping
Shopping is the most exciting experience in the country. Makola market is the busiest market in the city that is full of fabric shops. Kaneshie market is another worth seeing market that offer a wide variety of traditional goods. National Cultural Center, Accra Mall, A&C Shopping Mall, Palace shopping Mall and Shaaba Shopping Mall are worth to be not missed.
Accra offers a lot of dining and drinking options as world class restaurants are located in the city. Similarly, several world class hotels welcome you with their best services. You can stay in any hotel for as many days as you need to explore Accra.

3 comments:

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