Africa for beginners! (Ghana)

Member Name: Carrington

Product:	Ghana
Date:	29/08/08 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: budget friendly, amicable people, hot weather, good socialising

Disadvantages: can be too hot, attention can be annoying, culture shock

I travelled to Ghana earlier this year and stayed for several months. I travelled alone and although I met many people during my time in Ghana, I feel going alone opened up many more experiences and allowed me to fully immerse myself in Ghanaian life. Therefore I believe that anyone thinking about travelling to Ghana could learn some valuable information from reading my honest review.

I would especially recommend Ghana to younger people who want a taste of Africa whilst feeling quite safe and secure. The majority of Ghanaians are friendly people who do their best to assist you when necessary. Although some women find the excessive male attention intimidating, as long as you are respectful towards them and make your intentions clear, they should not cause you trouble.

As I was a young female travelling alone, I was slightly worried about travelling to Ghana. If you are at all concerned, let me reassure you that the country is safe and amicable. It is an ideal country to participate in voluntary activities and there is much to do on the tourist front.

Ghana is divided in to 10 regions; the different areas of Ghana have different traditions and culture. I travelled around the entire country and I feel if I had not done so I would have returned home quite naive about the whole country. The way of life in different areas is so varied that you need to observe a great deal of the country before making judgements or presumptions about the people and the way that they all live. The North is predominantly Muslim whilst the South is ovrrun with Christians. However the way the Muslims live is far different to the way I perceive Muslims in Western countries to live. There is also no violence between the two main religions which is very nice to observe.

In the South of Ghana, white people or 'Obruni's',meaning white people, as they are known in Ghana, receive a huge amount of attention. Many people feel that all the attention is too much but it's a unique experience to be the centre of attention wherever you go. Conversely, in the North many visitors feel shunned by the people and I know I felt as if I was viewed as intrusive by the locals. This shouldn't put you off travelling to the North though. If you can put up with the muddy track, dusty roads and the lack of Western facilities, the North offers much to tourists and travellers.

I would suggest to anyone intending to travel to Ghana that they buy the latest edition of the Bradt travel Guide, the only English guidebook specifically aimed at Ghana. It is invaluable and almost every Westener I met agreed about this.

Ghana has some beautiful secluded beaches and lagoons. One of the highlights of my whole trip was falling to sleep in a bamboo hut on the sand next to the ocean. Waking up the next day and having a Ghanaian climb a palm tree to get me a fresh coconut to pour me a drink was a lovely experience.

You will find almost all the information you could possibly need in the Bradt Guide, and I stronly urge anyone going to buy it. Everything I write here I know could be found in the excellent guidebook. I didn't have one when I arrived and until my Mum sent me one, my first two weeks were spent absoloutely lost.

Summary: A great country to give youngsters a taste for the African continent