Pauwel en Marleen’s updates

We just returned from a 3 week trip through Ghana and would like to make some remarks with regard to information in the bradt guide (edition 2010) :

Accra : Shangri-la hotel has closed its doors

Afram plains : ferry Agordeke-Kpando has broken down since last year : crossing is not possible with cars

Mole : M&J shuttle is not organised any longer. Daily Metro bus is leaving from Tamale around 14.00 hrs (5 GHC) and returning at 4.00 hrs . Mole hotel : very good quality as compared to 28 years ago. Elephants, baboons, antelopes and warthogs frequented the compound. There is an extra offer now for guided 4 wheel drive tours (100 ghc for the vehicle to be shared by max 8 persons)

Tamale : bikes to rent at the taxi station for 3 ghc per day. Relax-lodge : completely overrated (135 ghc for a double room with full risk of electrocutation in the bathroom ) and breakfast is only included for one person. No indian food available! Picorna hotel was much better quality for more than half of the price. Asempa lodge : 7.5 km out of town on the road to Kumasi (not Daboya road as indicated on the map). Cheap and spacious rondavels for 50ghc (dbl, brkfst and dinner incl). Brkfst with pancakes ! Front of the motel under reparation after storm. Possibility of guided tour to nearby village at 15 ghc pp. (revenues go to the community).

Pauwel en Marleen. Belgium. (we stayed as volunteers in Ghana 28 years ago and wanted to see Ghana again)

Various updates from Jesper

Thank you for an excellent guide book, just a few corrections to the 5th Edition from a visit late 2010.

Page 77 Public Holidays: Farmer’s Day is 1st Friday in December, not a fixed date.

Page 78 Traditional Festivals. I traveled to the Keta Region to see the Hogbetsotso in Anloga but it hasn’t been celebrated for several years following a year with riots and shooting, from what I could understand the government had to set in soldiers and there was at least one killed.

Page 235 Keta Beach Hotel has fully renovated a/c rooms with TV and fridge except for the cheaper annex rooms. It still doesn’t see many guests though and the manager was somewhat disappointed with the review in 5th edition so I hope this will remedy the problem a bit. The beach near the hotel is very nice and an excellent way to see fishermen at work. Very friendly place in general if you want a couple of quiet days in good surroundings. There’s a food stall some 50 meters from the hotel towards the beach where they serve delicious fish at very reasonable prices. The food at the hotel is nothing spectacular but OK

Page 298 Afram Plains. I crossed from Kpando in November and the water in Lake Volta was so high that there was no ferry, only open longboats with room for maybe 50 passengers. A fine experience but it was very hot when we crossed and no shade at all. I don’t know if the high water was just for a short period but as it was you couldn’t cross with a car. I spent a couple of enjoyable days in Donkorkrom where they don’t see many foreign tourists. I stayed at St. Michael’s which is a fine hotel (not a guesthouse) with 4 self contained rooms in the main building and 6 more under construction of which 4 will have a/c. I paid less than 20 GHC for a self contained room, very clean with good plumming and TV. Cheaper rooms in the annex and also a couple of cheap guesthouses in town. I recommend that you make a reservations for St. Michaels since it is used a lot by local business men and government people. Phone 0848 22043 and 020 9019079