GHANA: Ghana Tourism

Tourism in Ghana has played a vital role in the development of the country and has served as an instrument through which the country has displayed its diverse tourist attractions, festivals and rich cultural practices. Most of the tourist attractions in Ghana are predominantly public-owned; unlike transport and accommodation, private ownership is very small. Nevertheless, with her large variety of attractions, coupled with her geographical location, Ghana is well placed for an all-year round tourism.

Ghana has a diversity of tourists attractions dotted all over the country including historical, ecological and cultural heritage and beaches. However, a greater chunk of these tourist attractions are concentrated in the southern half of the country. Use the interactive map to see various attractions of interest.

Historical Attractions
The historical attractions are relics of the past, whether they are remains of the built environments or places where significant events took place. Ghana’s historical attractions comprises the monuments and sites, whose fame and appeal derive from or are associated with the country’s history, beginning from pre-colonial times through the colonial era to the birth of the new nation on 6th March 1957.

The broad categories include the forts and castles, traditional buildings, mosques in the northern part of the country, and archaeological sites around the country. Of the 40 odd edifices strewn along the coast of West Africa, 29 can be found in Ghana. The forts and castles are steeped in the history and footprints of early European contacts with black Africa and attract large numbers of African American engaged in what has been termed root tourism, i.e the quest for links with the birthplaces of their forebears. Examples include the three main UNESCO-designated World Heritage Monuments of the Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle and Fort St. Jago in the country, which attract a greater number of both domestic and international visitors.

Ecological Attractions
The ecological heritage of the country comprises the vegetation and wildlife as well as waterfalls. Ghana’s ecological heritage can be found across the length and breadth of the country; every vegetation or physiological region boasts of one feature or landform that is of touristic importance. For example, the Mole and Kakum National parks constitute this category. Water bodies, including Lake Bosomtwi and Volta lake fall into this category. The rain forest which straddles the western corner of the country narrowing in extent towards the Ashanti and mid-Volta Regions is an attraction of its own but has other specific features, too.

Cultural Heritage
Cultural heritage consist of the tangible and intangible manifestations of the traditions and customary practices of the several ethnic groups in Ghana. These include the indigenous music and dance, traditional festivals, folklore, handicraft, cuisine, costumes, architecture, and artefacts. Most notably, The Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST) is a key feature of Ghana’s cultural attractions. Also, a mention can be made of institution of chieftaincy, village life, fetish shrines, beliefs and practices.

Beaches in Ghana
Finally, Ghana’s coconut-fronted, sandy beaches found particularly in the western half of the country’s 540-kilometre coastline (specifically, the stretch between Accra and Axim) are very popular among both Ghanaian and foreign travellers. The most patronised ones in the country include the La Pleasure (Labadi), Kokrobite and Bojo beaches in Accra, the Busua Beach in the Western Region, Anomabo and Elmina beaches in the Central Region, White Sands Beach in Gomoa Fetteh and Butre Beach at Butre etc. Unlike other tourism products, the country’s beaches enjoy high levels of patronage by both residents and visitors alike.

Whatever your interest is, Ghana has a lot to offer so why not make a trip to the beautiful country in the west of Africa and a sample her food, lovely music and dance, beautiful attractions and colourful festivals. You are bound to get a free lesson on the famous Azonto Dance.

“Ghana is the most interesting place to visit in West Africa. The country has got many things going for it: the friendly people, the profuse vegetation, the colourful festivals, the vibrant music, the lively markets, the immaculate beaches and a distinctive way of life that is truly Ghanaian.”

If you are a interested in spending carefree weeks in our country, you will miss none of the essential ingredients: a buoyant tropical setting, abundant sunshine throughout the year, sandy palm-fringed and unpopulated beaches, fine hotels, good food and probably the friendliest people on earth.

If you love adventure, you will have many choices: come cross the bar with our intrepid fisherman at sea or make a canoe trip that you will never forget. You can even pretend to be Robinson and wait on a lonely sandbank. Meantime, you could take occasional dips into the tepid ocean, savour fresh coconut and do some fishing: herring, barracuda, tuna, blue marlin. We’ve got them all.

If it must be a tour into nature, welcome to any of our numerous National Parks and Nature Reserves: Ankasa, Kakum, Mole, Boabeng-Fiema, Shai. Whichever one you visit, you will come back with a whole new outlook of life.

And if you are for heritage and society, Ghana will give you a perfect, rare blend: a moving historical past and a vivid culture. Ghana has the world’s highest concentration of slave castles and forts. Every bigger town on her littoral has a well-preserved stone witness to bring the painful past back to memory.

When all of this proves too much to stomach, forget about it, put on your dance shoes and come dance with us. We have the capacity to transform both happy and unhappy events into happy occasions. We love drumming and dancing. And this is why we have more than thousand festivals.