Trip report Feb/Mar 2013

Manchán Magan (www.manchan.com) writes:

In Cape Coast the Gramophone Records Museum and Research Centre has gone. The staff of the Cape Coast Centre for National Culture have no idea what happened to it.

Wassa Domama Rock shrine project is still working well and their guest house is open.  WASSA DOMAMA, BOX K3, CAPE COAST, Ghana, My Guide was FRANK ARTHUR and his number was +2230246616086.

The Sanbra Hotel in Kumasi is a fine hotel. C44. Free internet access in the lobby. The owners advise that all valuables be left at reception. The restaurant is still as great as always – enormous meals.

The Ejisu Hotel (C25)  is spotlessly clean and they seem to be taking account of the report on Bradt Update of a robbery. They sent ‘the boy’ with me to buy my dinner at the chop house by the roundabout.

The Video City Hotel (C20) in Mampong  is as  grimier and run-down as you reported, but the owners are wonderfully welcoming. The restaurant runs out of food early. I was sent to the Obama Chop House for my rice and chicken.

The Star and Moon Guesthouse in Banko is great, though there mightn’t be much for tourists to do in the area.

It is important to stress that it is now easy to get to Nkoranza for the Boabeng-Fiema Monkey sanctuary  via Mampong. From Mampong to Ejura costs C2.50 in a taxi, and from Ejura to Nkoranza is C3.
The shared taxi station  is now in the New Market of Nkoranza, which is at least 2km from the excellent Hand in Hand Centre at St Theresa’s Hospital.

In Tamale, the Picorna Hotel (C39 per room) is a bit dingy, but the staff are so charming that makes up for it, and the restaurant is excellent, though sweltering. I heard great reports of Swad Fast Food off the Bolgatanga Road.

Regarding getting to Mole National Park, I think it is best to get the early morning Metro Mass Tamale to Wa bus as far as Larabanga, as it is so straight-forward to get a motorbike or taxi to Mole from Larabanga (between C7 and C10 for a motorbike ride). The bus leaves Tamale at around 6.30am, until it was 3 hours late leaving when I travelled. This bus cost C14, as opposed to the direct Mole NP to Tamale bus I took back, which cost C6. The dorm in Mole NP costs C24.

In Ho, the Freedom Hotel is now known as the Bob Coffie Hotel. The cheapest room is C50.
The two short walks in Amedzofe to the German cross and waterfall (both C5) are wonderful and the guides are charming. It was the only village in Ghana where I saw litter bins. There are far longer walks through forest that can also be arranged. The fact that the Akofa guesthouse has a kitchen provides a lovely opportunity for travellers to cook with the produce in the market. I see that people have already posted on the Ghana Update blog about the relatively new Abraerica Hospitality Hotel.
The Biakpa Mountain Paradise lodge was the highlight of my trip, although beer at C5 and 1.5 ltr water at C2.5 were a bit expensive, as was the room, which cost C45.

I stayed at Water Heights Hotel at Wli Falls  (C50; breakfast C8.50) and at the wonderful German-run Waterfall Lodge (C37; breakfast C5.90), which is closed on Tuesdays. Breakfast at Waterfall Lodge was the best I’d had in Ghana.

Trip report Feb 2013

Margriet writes:

Just came back from a trip of three weeks to Ghana. Here are my do and dont’s.

Dont’s

* Sanbra Hotel Kumasi: I have been her in 2009 and also during my last trip. The hotel isn’t that nice anymore  The room  wasn’t very clean and everything is getting old. There was also a lot of noise from the market.We payed 65 cedis for a double room.

* We went also to the Zoo. I found it a depressing place.

Do

* My favorite place at the beach is Ko-Sa beach resort around Ampenye. I have been there many times. The food is really good especially the grilled lobster! I send a lot a friends over to this place and they all where really happy about the food and the place itself. www.ko-sa.com

* Since a year they also have  a cafe/ restaurant at the opposite of Cape Coast Castle Coast2Coast. The menu is a bit the same as at Ko-sa and also very nice.

* Tamale: Heritage Hotel very nice and clean hotel with AC, hot shower and TV. 80 cedis double room

* We took a taxi fro Tamale to Mole. We paid 200 cedis. We heard from some other travellers they did it for about 160 cedis.

* Nkronza: Hand in Hand community. I have been there already a couple of times and it just just a beautiful project. The rooms are simple and clean. The food is also good and simple.They have a daily menu.

* Accra food: restaurant/bar Monsoon, oxford street. The best sushi in town!

* Accra bar: Melting moment: a good place for a good lunch and milkshake place Labone close to Danquah circle.

* Accra bar/restaurant/hotel: Roots is a new hotel close to oxford street. It is a high building with a beautiful view over Accra. The restaurant is at the top. There is also a bar down stairs where you can get nice shakes and  juices. The hotel is expensive and nice.  They have a website: http://www.roots-hotel.com/

* In Accra we stayed at Joska Lodge and that was nice. They have wifi, AC and hot water in their rooms and also a generator. That was very nice because there were a lots of power cuts in Osu.  We payed 85 cedis for a double room.

 

Trip Report 5-26th Feb 2013

Sandra writes:

We (German couple, 41 and 52, journalist/university prof) visited Ghana for three weeks in February 2013 and found the guide very good and valuable (and – this for Germans who are preparing for Ghana -  far far better than the German one from Jojo Cobbinah, this one gives just lots of wrong and more of useless information.)

Here a couple of updates to the Bradt guide and highs and lows as we have experienced them (prices are usually for self-countained doubles or one of those big-bed singles, with fan)

Accra, Pink Hostel (100 GhC)

nice staff, full of young volunteers, feels a bit in the middle of nowhere, okay but nothing special.

Accra, Afia African Village – also called: Afia Beach, Accra (120 US Dollar)

the bungalow was nice, although the AC did not work, for being in Accra the beach looks very good, pay attention when you call to make a reservation: The guy I asked how much it is confirmed the figures, 100 for a standard bungalow, 110 with balcony and 120 with ocean view, but he didn’t say that it was in Dollars although I was talking of Cedis all the time. At the end Helen, the boss, proofed to be very professional: she charged us the 120 Cedi. In fact 120 Dollars seems a bit too much and 6 Cedis for a beer is double of what you pay elsewhere.

Ada Foah, Brightest Spot Guesthouse (25 GhC)

great value for the money! nice courtyard with very good tilapia & banku served.

ferry Ada Foah to Akuse (5 GhC)

the MS Sogakope left on time -  Friday 6h in the morning – and this is a great trip to do. Women are selling food and there are lots of little villages to see (even if I some times felt a bit like in a zoo).

Atimpoku, Adomi Hotel (35 GhC)

room was okay and quite – what you won’t expect, because the Hotel is right on the main traffic circle. The owner is half-german and has been living in Hamburg for most of his life, good opportunity for an interesting chat on Ghanain-German cultural differences.

Koforidua, Erdrec Hotel (34,50 GhC)

the Hotel description fits just perfectly! one feels a bit like in USSR already entering the reception Hall and for sure once touched the dark red carpeted floor – quite unique. still: good value, just a bit out of town, but plenty of shared taxis on the street.

Boti Falls didn’t have any water in mid February, even if the man at the Trotro-Station in Kof-Town was sure there was, they still want the full fee.

Kumasi, Sanbra Hotel (44 GhC) and Fosua Hotel (60 GhC with AC)

both okay, but alltogether not too friendly or nice, just okay. We didn’t find the coffee shop or the cocktail bar in the Aseda House though.

Tamale, Catholic Guesthouse (33 GhC)

very nice place to stay, we particularly appreciated the quiet garden after downtown trips, plenty of shared taxis to get into town.

Visiting the Mosque and walking up is worth and also walking along the Zongo Hausa to the leather workers, on the rooftop bar of the Crest Restaurant do not worry if a couple of young Ghanains take a seat at your table, they are just curious and want to talk and they will leave immediately if you just tell them friendly to do so!

There is a ForEx in Hospital Road now.

Bobiri Forest Butterfly Sanctuary (30 GhC)

this is a wonderful place to stay! Agnes prepares good diner even if you arrive without reservation and a very nice breakfast with lots of fruits, take it both on the terace of the main house. The walk though is for sure a bit longer than 3km, but still it is worth walking from Kubease. And: Jonathan does a great job as a guide through the Forest (4 GhC).

They told us they are open year round, but still maybe it is better to phone: 020 8094709 or 0236 464520 (the numbers Agnes gave me)

Winneba, Lagoon Lodge (35 GhC)

the first room somewhat stylish (in our sense) room for decoration and colours, huge bathroom – very nice. Food is good, somewhat ridiculous that there is no smoking allowed in the garden though. The guys at the reception/at the bar were friendly but totally clueless, it took them nearly half an hour to copy, re-copy and re-copy again the same invoice. Be patient!

Winneba itself seems poorer than other small cities, the beach is okay but nothing compared to the ones farer west and seeing the University Campus is worth – like a wholly different, elitist, world.

Green Turtle Lodge, (60 GhC)

it is (still) a great place to stay, what a wonderful project! But we had the impression that things are changing and that this might be related to the fact that the original owners have left (we talked to the caretaker who said the place is still for sale, but an American might buy it within short time). The huts could easily be in a better shape: for example the electricity didn’t work properly when it got humid at night, because the connecting wires were ‚connected’ in the most unprofessional way – though the staff managed to fix it after a while; time to buy new matrasses and pillows, and for sure to wash the cushions. The evening turtle tour now seems to be done only if tourists ask for it, at least the documentary book on the daily turtle watch tours stopps in february 2011 or 2012 (sorry can’t remember the year). The staff is friendly, the food is good and a bit different in style from what we had most of the time, but the reception looks a little bit like there was no-one there for the last two years.

Still the beach is great!

The canoe tour (10 GhC) with Jimmy at 6h in the morning in the mangroves behind Akwidaa (poor little village 25minutes west from the Turtle walking at the beach) is everything but exciting and Jimmy didn’t have a good day, he hardly said a word and after 35minutes he seemed only happy that is was over.

Butre, Hide Out Lodge (50 GhC)

Another great beach and another nice lodge. in comparison with the Green Turtle the food here unfortunately is done in some ‚western style’ kind and this is not a good idea at all: I had a bad banku which was cut into slices like Italian polenta, the pepper sauce wasn’t hot at all and the fish was just a fried slice – what a disappointment in comparison to so many great grilled tilapia, banku and pepper I had on the streets elsewhere. The advantage on the other hand is Butre itself, which is just around the corner – over the bridge to be exact – and a very nice little village, with fishermen who that morning we were waiting for a Trotro had exposed what to us looked like little sharks and dolphins!

Elmina, Coconut Grove’s Bridge House (110 GhC, 85 GhC when AC does not work!)

the idea was to go to the One African Guesthouse – but do not try to walk their from the main road where the Tros between Takoradi and Cape drop you off, it is just too far and it is all walking along the busy road. So we ended up in the Coconut Grove’s: the building is very nice facing the bridge and the castle, but for the room itself it is definetely a bit overpriced and the breakfast is ridiculous – every single street egg bread was a lot better.

Elmina was the only city we visited which had a square place and spots around – being from Old Europe that was what we missed elsewhere – thanks to the Portoguese!

the fish market is definetely worth the 1 GhC entry fee – quite an impressive quantity of tunas and even more impressive the way slight women cut them into pieces with machetes.

Cape Coast, Mighty Victory Hotel (40 or 50 GhC)

Oasis Beach seemed to us a bit too much an all-Obruni/volunteer meeting place, the Mighty Victory is worth the walk through town up the little hill and it isn’t far at all, a quite and nice place to stay with gazebos in the garden-kind entrance. Don’t miss the Market day on Sunday.

Online domestic flight bookings

Johan Verhagen writes:

As a frequent traveller to Ghana, I have recently set up the first business, Ghana Ticket Service, selling online Ghanaian domestic flight tickets from the Ghanaian airline Starbow. This airline operates affordable flights connecting Accra to Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale. However, as arranging your ticket in Ghana is quite ‘challenging’ (and that is an understatement…), I decided to set up a website http://www.ghanaticketservice.com where travellers can book domestic and international with Starbow.

Independent travel to Mole National Park

I just returned from Mole Park to Tamale today, say 2012.11.04. It’s a 2 days trip for me: leave Tamale on 11.03 and return on 11.04 and I think this time frame is enough for a compact trip to Mole.

1. about Transportation to Mole:
If you do not want to spend hundreds cedis to charter a car, you can definitely use the bus. There are several options:
a) Most individual traveler use the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Bus directly to Mole. But for me the time frame is too bad: leaving Tamale in the afternoon (actually about 4pm) and arrived in Mole Motel around 10pm; coming back on 4am in the morning, which means you at least 2 nights in the motel…

b) So I choose to leave on the Saturday morning. There is a MMT bus to Wa and will pass by Larabanga. The official schedule is 4am, while actually around 5:15am they started to let people get on the bus. So the suggestion is to get to the Metro Mass station in Tamale around 5:10am and try to getting on the bus. My bus left at 5:52am, which is the 2nd bus (2 buses in total). And the journey is much better than I expected. I had a good rest on the bus, and it arrived in Larabanga just around 8:30am! The bus also stopped at Damango, a Major town 10km before Larabanga, where you can buy drinks and snacks in the Tro-tro Station. The cost for the MMT journey cost 5 cedis. After you alight (a word Ghanaians love to use) in Larabanga, you can easily find motorbike to send you to the Mole Park, within 10 min. The cost is 7 cedis. So I arrived in the Mole Motel even before 9am. The lesson is always telling to the local people you are going to Mole and they are always friendly and will try to help you to get there.

c) When I getting back, I take the numbers of the motorbike driver and they take me to Larabanga at 12am Sunday. And in the town, I just talked to cars (private cars) to see if they can take me back to Tamale. If you are lucky, you can find a seat and just pay the people 5 or 10 cedis. Or at least you can find a such car taking you to Damango (1 cedi), where you can easily find the Tro-tro in the station to Tamale (5 cedis). I am doing so, and finally get back to Tamale around 4:30pm.

2. Mole Motel:
It’s a very nice hotel, by Ghana Standard. The most cost effective way is to find 2-3 people go with you, and you guys share one room. The AC room recommended during the hot seasons (~100 cedis). If you are going alone, you can also choose the dorm, which is 24 cedis for one bed, but no AC available. You can also send your postcards in the Motel.

The Breakfast is included in the rate. And the swimming pool is always full with people: very good refreshment during the day time, when you cannot find animals.

The restaurant is OK. But do not have a too high expectation.

3. The Safari Trips:
There are 2 kinds of trips: Jeep Safari and Walking Safari, which you can find in the information Centre (200 meters outside the hotel Gate). Both are available for the morning session (7am) and afternoon session (3:30pm).

I tried the Jeep Safari on Saturday afternoon. It’s a Jeep with chairs on the top! So you can get an amazing view! And the trip is 50 cedis for the car per hour, so a 2 hours trip is around 100 cedis, which can be share with 8 people. Plus everyone pay another 7.5 cedis safari fee. So we find 8 people and go for about 2.5 hours, so it’s about 22 cedis per head, very good and recommended! We saw Elephants, Monkeys, Antelopes and all other animals

I go with the walking Safari in the Sunday morning, as the weather is cooler then. The cost is 6 cedis for the safari fee, an armed guide with lead the group. We also saw elephants closely, which is great. The only thing annoyed me is the guide always leading us walk through the marshland and the small rivers. Though we all already changed with the rubber boots, we cannot stop the muddy water pouring into feet… And the crossings are not even necessary… But I think you should still try this adventure which is quite unique.

4. Other stories: Luckily I met John Mahama, the Ghana President in the Motel as he is running a campaign for the coming election. Also most other tourists are nice and I really enjoy talking to those people.

That’s all for the trip and be sure you take enough money with you as definitely no ATM around…

Hope this can be helpful for individual travelers to Mole

Liyang Zhang

GIGDEV Community Project, Tamale

We are a a group of volunteers working in Tamale for 5 weeks this summer. We have so far found the guide and accompanying recommendations from fellow travelers very useful. But we wish to put in a recommendation about the wonderful place we are working, a community development project called GIGDEV (Girls Growth and Development).

One of the most rewarding places to visit when in Tamale is the GIGDEV (Girls Growth and Development) Centre. It was established in 1998 by Stella Nitori, a retired community health nurse/midwife after she became concerned about the number of girls out on the street and their future prospects, both regarding health and education. Originally she invited five girls to sit in her courtyard and taught them skills to enhance their employability and wellbeing under her tree using the walls as chalkboards. The popularity of Stella’s school grew rapidly, and the space opposite her home became the very first GIGDEV centre, with a further three subsequently opening around Tamale. Today it is run by her daughter Selina, and is heavily reliant on outside funding although it is hoped that before long the centre will be self-sustainable through profits earned by their shop.

The shop has a beautiful selection of products handmade by members of GIGDEV who are collectively working towards a brighter future not only for themselves but also for their future or existing families. Ranging from colourful aprons, a selection of bags and rucksacks, jewellery and clothing, this is an ideal place to pick up affordable, authentic gifts, clothing or even to have garments tailor made to your preference if provided with material!. The process of buying material is an experience to be had in the vibrant markets of Tamale, which offer an endless choice of African print material that can be purchased for a good price after a hearty game of haggling.

The shop is open Monday – Friday, 9am – 3pm located just left off the Jisonaayili junction on the Bolgatanga Road coming from town and new visitors are always welcomed. An invite to the centre itself can be arranged in advance through the contact page on their website, http://gigdevgh.org/

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)

To Tamale via Bimbila

Here is an update on the road to Tamale via Bimbila (fifth edition page 285) It is worth the hassle if you want to get completely away from other tourists and to see a much more scenic route than the conventional road via Kumasi.
There are numerous tro tros from Accra/Tema to Hohoe. From Hohoe, where we stayed the night, there are at least three tro tros a day to Nkwanta or Kpassa, ours left at 7 am. A delicious street breakfast can be had on the other side of the road to the departure bay! Change at Nkwanta or if possible at Kpassa. At Nkwanta take a very ancient shared Peugot 504 to Kpassa. Change at Kpassa for Bimbila. There are several tro tros a day. Then change at Bimbila for Salaga or for Yendi. We chose to go via Yendi. From Yendi take the Metro bus to Tamale. All this sounds complicated, But we did Hohoe to Bimbila in a reasonably easy day. However the roads are very bad and could become impassable for a time after rain. In the dry season you will be covered in red dust. Allow three days for the whole journey Accra/Tamale.
There is a Guest House in Bimbila, improbably called The Junior Original Guest House. It is far from clean and over priced at cedis 30 for a s/c.
But just a word of warning about the Central Guest House in Tamale, recommended under ‘shoe string’ in the Guide. They refused to show us the room unless cedis 20 was paid before the key was produced and the room inspected. I unwisely agreed and paid up. It was the filthiest room I have yet to see in Ghana. The pillow, when lifted, left a deep tide mark where the dust had settled. The rest of the room was in a similar state. There was no water in the taps and the wire to the TV was cut and dangerously exposed. It was clear that the main custom of the place was aimed at ‘short time’ clients. Avoid the place!

James Fraser

Domestic flights with Fly540

Fly540 is now offering internal flights to several locations around Ghana. They fly from Accra to Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale and Sunyani. All flights are at a low cost and the company is already known to offer good service and to have a good safety record in East Africa, where it is well established. For more details see fly540africa.com

Abby’s updates

1. Prices are substantially higher than those in the book.  Hotels were about 25% more expensive on average.  The Kakum canopy walk is now up to 30 cedi.  Also, I was able to do the nature walk without the canopy walk by just saying that I was scared of heights (I’m not particularly, just was more interested in the nature walk).

2. The book mentions a bus between Mole Motel and Tamale by M&J Travel.  That does not seem to exist anymore.  The only bus between Mole Motel and Tamale is a Metro Mass bus that leave Mole Motel at 4 am.  That means, if you are planning on seeing animal and taking the bus, you pretty much have to stay two nights at MM.  (The bus arrives too late to see animals the night before).

Also, there is a guide who comes from Mignori to meet the morning walk safari and can arrange for visitors to go to Mignori btwn the morning and afternoon safari times.  They do a canoe safari during that time as well.  It lasts from 10 am – 2:30 pm.

3. There is a Relax lodge in Kumasi and in Tamale.  In Tamale, you tout its Indian food.  I had the food there and I thought it was fine.  However, the food at the Relax lodge in Kumasi is OFF THE HOOK.  Unbelievable.  I didn’t think I was in Ghana anymore.

4. In Kumasi, I stayed at the Four Villages Inn.  They arranged for me to go to the market with a woman who shows people around.  I thought that was useful.  Her name is Comfort and you could find her through Charity, the woman who runs Four Villages.

5. Boabeng Fiema had a guest house with 7 rooms.  I thought it was awesome in the forest.  Real highlight of the trip.  I didn’t stay in the guesthouse.

6. In Kintampo, the phone number listed for the Falls Executive Lodge is the personal number of an ex employee.  I don’t have the new number (of course) but you could note that.

7. On language, it might be useful to note that Ghanians take nouns and make them into gerunds.  It took me a while to figure out that was happening (so footing is walking, going to church is churching, bathing is bath-ing, curving is turning, etc).  Also, two key word concepts: Ghanians never get out anywhere.  They always alight.  And they don’t talk about younger and older siblings, they talk about junior and senior brothers and sisters.

8.  I stayed at the Safari Beach lodge near Dixcove.  Apparently, it has gone through management change.  The hotel is SO MUCH nicer than Green Turtle for not much more money.  However, I heard that the food at Safari Beach lodge is not that good now.  I never ended up eating there, I just ate at Green Turtle and walked back.

Abby