Practical information

Recommended guidebooks

Lonely Planet - West Africa

The Lonely Planet guide to West Africa covers Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. An excellent guide if you are also visiting other countries in the region. The newest version is the 7th edition, October 2009.

Buy the Lonely Planet - West Africa guide Ghana at Bol.com (the Netherlands)
Buy the Lonely Planet - West Africa guide Ghana at Amazon.com

Bradt guide Ghana

The Bradt guide is one of the few good travelguides for Ghana alone (if not the only one). A highly recommended guide, we even use it ourselves! The current version is the 4th edition, November 2007.

Buy the Bradt guide Ghana at Bol.com (the Netherlands)
Buy the Bradt guide Ghana at Amazon.com

Ervaar Ghana (only in Dutch)

This wonderful new compact Dutch guide is a great travel companion for our Dutch travellers. Contains lots of cultural information about Ghana, eco-tourism destinations en travel tips. Not to be missed! 398 pages, 1st edition, September 2009.

Buy Ervaar Ghana at Bol.com (the Netherlands)

Bradt guide Benin

A highly recommended guide for Benin. The current version is the 1th edition, April 2006.

Buy the Bradt guide Benin at Bol.com (the Netherlands)
Buy the Bradt guide Benin at Amazon.com

Bradt guide Burkina Faso

A highly recommended guide for Burkina Faso. The current version is the 1th edition, August 2006.

Buy the Bradt guide Burkina Faso at Bol.com (the Netherlands)
Buy the Bradt guide Burkina Faso at Amazon.com

Healthy travel guide - Africa

Designed to accompany Lonely Planet guidebooks, the Healthy Travel guides provide readers with much more than just the basics. With a clear, user-friendly design, augmented by simple, easy-to-follow diagrams and tables, they are packed with answers to all the common health questions travellers ask. 2nd Revised edition, July 2008

Buy the Healthy travel guide - Africa at Bol.com (the Netherlands)
Buy the Lonely Planet - West Africa guide Ghana at Amazon.com

Flights to Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso

All countries have an international airport close to the capital city. Kotoka Airport in Accra is the far most busy airport and there are regular flights operated from all major airlines. Afriqiyah Airways, Air Afrique, Alitalia, British Airways, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, KLM, South African Airways and Swiss Air have scheduled regular flights to Accra.

Most of the connection to Ougadougou, Lome and Cotonou go through Paris and flights are operated by Afriqiyah Airlines, Air Burkina, Air France and Royal Air Maroc.

Royal Air Maroc is one of the airlines that offers the cheapest flights with the possibility to arrive and depart from different airports, for example, your could arrive in Accra and depart from Ougadougou. There are many local airlines offering flights within and between West African countries, like Antrak Airlines, Air Burkina, Royal Air Maroc etc. Consult a local travel agent to find out which airline offers the most suitable flight for you.

For travellers from The Netherlands:
Royal Africa Travel is a travel agency offering cheap flight to Ghana and other African countries. They have an office in Amsterdam. Check www.royalafrica.com or call 0031-(0)20-6005181.

Visa requirements

To be able to travel to West Africa, you need to be in the possession of a valid passport that will still be valid 6 months after you return to your country. You also must obtain a visa. Visa for Ghana, Togo, Benin and Burkina Faso can be requested from your local embassy or consulate. For more information you can also check the website of the embassy in your country on www.embassyworld.com

Make sure you have a valid visa for the country of arrival. Additional visas are needed if you want to visit more than one country and these should be arranged either in advance or after arrival, at the border or local embassy. We will give you a tailored advise after we have received your travel request.

Vaccinations

You will always be required to show your International Certificate of Vaccination to the 'Health Officials'. Vaccination against yellow fever is obligatory and is expected to be clearly signed and depicted in your certificate. Also, protection against malaria is strongly recommended. Make sure you take prophylactic tablets and apply mosquito repellent and wear long sleeves in the evening and early mornings. Bring your mosquito net. Other optional (recommended) vaccinations are Hepatitis A and B, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, rabies, thyphoid, diphtheria, tetanus and meningitis, and possibly cholera. In any case, consult your doctor or travel clinic specialist at least four to six weeks before departure.

Staying healthy

West Africa is very hot and dehydration and sunburn are your most likely afflictions. Drink plenty of water and make sure you are always carrying water with you. It is advisable to wear a hat and sunglasses, especially during the heat of the day. Drink mineral water from bottles exclusively. Be careful to check lid of these bottles in order to make sure they are not broken. It is not advisable to drink the mineral water packed in plastic sachets or tap water, since the quality is unreliable. Food poisoning is another common threat for travellers. Salads and ice cream are the most problematic products in the tropics, and except from the upmarket restaurants, try to avoid eating these products. Fish and meat that is not well prepared can cause serious health problems. Discuss the food safety with your local guide and take personal hygiene into account.

Travel insurance and medical emergencies

We strongly advise you to get a comprehensive and current international health care insurance and evacuation policy. In addition to your insurance, you could consider a temporary membership of the West African Rescue Association (WARA), a private organisation that provides first-world quality emergency response services like medical assistance, and ambulance and air evacuation from anywhere in Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso and neighbouring countries. All the WARA services can be found on this page of the WARA website. Prices of memberships (also per month, 25 Euros for an individual) can be found here. Membership is possible for (temporary) residents of Ghana, but also for tourists.

Currency

Since July 2007, the currency in Ghana has changed from the Cedi to the Ghana Cedi (Gc, banknotes) and Ghana Pesewas (Gp, coins). Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin and other member countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) shares the franc of the Commununauté Financière d’Afrique (CFA, pronounced sefa). All the major western foreign currencies are very easy changeable at the banks or the authorized Forex Bureaus in all major Ghanaian cities. In the francophone countries, there are only few authorized Forex Bureaus and generally, the best exchanges rate is given at the banks. If you want to bring hard currency, bring Euro’s.

You can choose Travellers Cheques for safety reasons. However, exchanging them for money is time consuming and nowadays, they are only accepted by a few banks that are only located in the big cities. Withdrawing money from an ATM with a VISA card (and VISA only! - other creditcards are denied for some reason) is becoming much easier. A VISA card avoids you from carrying a large amount of vulnerable cash and wasting time in banks. At some supermarkets and hotels it is also possible to pay with a credit card (Eurocard, Mastercard, VISA). But keep in mind that some credit card companies will charge you for this service. The exchange rate that is used for Travellers Cheques and credit cards is lower than that of cash. If you are travelling to more rural or remote areas, you need to bring enough cash for the duration of your stay, as there are no banks outside the larger cities.

Electricity

The voltage is 230 / 250 volts AC 50 Hz. You have to take into consideration that electricity is not everywhere and always available. It is advisable to bring (or even better: buy locally) an adapter for the English or French type sockets.

Clothing

Easy to wear and easy to wash clothing is advised. White or light coloured closing is not advisable, because of the red dust. Headgear is not superfluous. Although West Africa has a tropical country, it can be rather cool in the night and especially during the harmattan season from November till February. Don't forget to bring a cardigan or a sweater if you travel up north. It is also advisable to wear a shirt with long sleeves and a pair of trousers when the night falls; this is to protect you against the mosquitoes.

Photography

The making of photographs does not require any special permission, however taking pictures of airports, government buildings and military vehicles is strictly forbidden. If you want to take pictures of people, just ask their permission. It is highly appreciated if your send a copy of the picture to the person you have snapped either straight to the person or to our office in Ghana, so we can distribute it for you.

Swimming

Swimming in this part of the world is not always safe. There are dangerous currents in the Gulf of Guinea, and even though they seem clean, many of the rivers and lakes have been detected to be infested by the bilharzia parasite. These aquatic parasites invade the body through the foot-soles and are a health-hazard. Not all swimming pools are to be trusted, we advice you to discuss any intention to swim with your local tour guide.

Miscellaneous

It is forbidden to buy, sell or export skins of protected wildlife, ivory and antique woodcraft. Always make sure that you keep your travel-documents, money and medicines with you in your hand luggage. Always keep an eye on your possessions, because found articles are regarded as a gift, and do not expect to find lost articles at the police station. If you want to go out in the night, discuss this with your local guide. Although all the countries are generally safe, thieves and armed robbers are regularly signalled in certain parts of the big cities. Travelling in the night is not advisable.