Accra is just the start of your Ghanaian experience, and you will miss the amazing experience that is Ghana if you limit your stay to Accra. There are many day trips you can make from Accra and the list below is just what we know from our various trips to Ghana. If you find other good destinations, please let us know and we will add them to our list.
BOJO BEACH – Heading west from Accra, this is a beautiful beach resort just an hour’s drive from Teshie Nungua. The beach is actually a tiny island, and you travel to it by a small boat. It's worth the journey as the beach has lovely white sands, and you can hire sun loungers and umbrellas at a very low charge. The bar and restaurant offers a good selection of food and drink and is well recommended for a day trip. It gets very busy at the weekend, so to find a good spot, try to get there early. The island closes at 6pm, at which point you can return to the mainland resort and dance the night away under the stars to a live band.
ABURI – (North east from Accra)These lovely gardens offer a cool day out of Accra. Up in Aburi mountains, the views of Accra are stunning and you can buy artifacts for lower prices and in less stressful surroundings than you will in Accra. The gardens themselves are very peaceful and are a botanical marvel with trees that are hundreds of years old. The gardens are well worth a visit and you will find it de-stresses you and sends you back to Accra in a relaxed frame of mind. For food and drink, you can take a picnic to the gardens or eat in one of the hotels in Aburi. Little Acre Hotel has a good restaurant, but can take a while to cook local dishes. If you want your food when you are hungry and not 2 hours later, we suggest you go to the hotel when you arrive in Aburi (it is on the way into the town so does not require a detour) order your food and agree a time when you will arrive for lunch.
AKOSOMBO – (East from Accra towards the Volta Region) An hour away, this is another peaceful town an hour outside Accra. It is largely seen as a weekend destination, and is very geared up for that trade. So if you visit during the week, whilst you will enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of the town, you may not find too much in the way of entertainment and the menus in the various restaurants will offer limited options. Other than that, it is a delightful town and is of great importance to the whole country because of the Akosombo Dam built by Kwame Nkrumah during his presidency supplies the electricity to the whole country. On a Sunday, you can join a day cruise on the Dodi Princess – it travels on the Volta River at a leisurely pace, but it is not meant to be an educational trip, it is purely for enjoyment, and the live band kick off as soon as the boat sets sail. It can be great fun if you are travelling in a group. Again you can take a picnic or buy food and drink on the boat. It is advisable to call the Volta Hotel the night before you intend to go on the cruise, just to make sure it is running.
Akosombo is also a good base for visiting the Volta Region, where you will find a number of waterfalls including the spectacular Wli Falls near the Togo border (not quite Victoria Falls, but we are still proud of it!)
ADA – Ada sits on an estuary where the Volta River meets the Altantic Ocean. A “beach” has been created along the river, and you can enjoy a selection of water sports from a number of resorts. It is a long 4 hours drive to the resort, but is worth the journey. Leave early and arrive for breakfast, and you catch up on your sleep on the beach before your day restarts. I once wandered away from the beach by the river and 10 minutes later found myself walking along a beautiful beach with no-one else around. I couldn't help but wonder why we had paid to sit on a fake beach when the real thing was just down the road. Things may well have changed since then because I've heard some good things about the new resorts that have opened in the area.
LONGER TRIPS
Cape Coast and Elimina - 2-3 hours west from Accra
The main tourist destination (if tourist is the right word) are Cape Coast and Elmina castles, just a few miles apart where African slaves were imprisoned before being sent to America. Friends and I all agree that Elmina Castle is the more evocative of the 2 castles, and a tour of the fort is a truly moving experience. Cape Coast Castle, is a little white-washed and has less impact, but does have an excellent museum.
It always seems slightly disrespectful to talk about food and drink in relation to the castles, but both have a restaurant and bar for you to have a drink and enjoy the sea-breeze after a tour. The tour generally leaves you feeling humble and subdued and the bars are a good place to gather your thoughts before moving on.
Cape Coast and Elmina are best enjoyed over 2 or 3 days. One day for the historical and moving castles and another day at Kakum National Park where you can do the infamous canopy walk. If you are scared of heights, it would not be the best idea to attempt the walk (even if you are not scared of heights, it still may not be a good idea!), but its almost become a "must" for all tourists just to show how tough you are. Anyone who talks about the amazing view from the canopy is just showing off. Most walkers just want to get to the end in one piece!
It seems almost a pre-requisite that a visit to the park is followed by a drink in Hans Bottage Hotel and restaurant. The restaurant sits on stilts in a lake which is also home to several crocodiles. When we were last there in March 2007, a new treat was that you could hire a small boat to sail around the lake...enjoy.
The final day of a 3 day trip should be spent relaxing on the beach and there are a number of great beaches in the area in the central region. Anomabo Beach is recommended as are Brenu and Biriwa Beaches (Picture).
For a relaxed lunch or evening out, a friend of ours owns a lovely space (he refuses to categorise it) called Kukudo, where you can enjoy local food cooked to order (Jeff has no menu, as he says he can cook you anything you want!). It is an original and chilled out place with a few rooms if you want to spend the night.
Takoradi and the Western Region - 4 hours
Travelling on from Cape Coast towards the west, will take you through Takoradi (I've yet to find anything there worth stopping for), to the most beautiful beaches in Ghana. The first major beach is Busua with miles of flat white beaches. Busua Beach Resort sits right on the beach and has a selection of chalets for rent. During one visit our guide organised a surprise barbecue dinner on the beach cooked by our own dedicated chef, and it was fantastic evening. About 30 minutes from Busua is the town of Axim with 2 amazing beaches both with resorts - Axim Beach and Ankobra Beach Resort.
Wherever you stay in the western region, you should take a trip to Nzulezu, a village on stilts in the river. The boat trip to the village itself is a wonderful experience as you drift leisurely along the river and enjoy the beauty of the trees and the sense of peace only interrupted by the tweet of the various birds that inhabit the area.
The village itself is fascinating and whilst we sensed that the influx of of tourists has taken away much of the innocence of the villagers, it is still amazing to see how the villagers manage to live on the river and run a small school. Visiting their neighbours take on a new meaning as the villagers hop into their boat and row off. The older children attend main land schools in their own little boats.
Kumasi - 3-4 Hours from Accra
The Ashanti people are a strong people with a rich cultural history. In fact they would probably call themselves the "real Ghanaians" and as British Ghanaians, who are we to argue? Ashantis fought hard against colonialism, and in so doing, have maintained many of their traditions through the centuries. The Ashantihene (King) is revered in all of Ghana and abroad. Their strong culture is slowly but surely spreading over the rest of Ghana - as you travel around the country, the local language you are most likely to hear spoken is Twi, the Ashanti dialect. The kente cloth, which was adopted as the offical cloth for the 50th Anniversary of Independence orginates from the Ashantis. Their traditional dance is a delight to see and through their movements, you can sense the story that is being told. Kumasi is the capital of the eastern region, where Ashantis originate and a trip to the city and surrounding areas will give you the opportunity to learn about the rich history of the Ashantis and their fight against colonialism.
You will learn about Yaa Asantewa who gives true meaning to "girl power" and who led a rebellion against the British. You will also hear about Okomfo Anokye, a fetish priest, who is said to have made a golden stool appear out of the sky.
A visit to the National Cultural Centre in Kumasi will prove enlightening, not just from a historical point of view, but you will also find artisans who demonstrate the art of weaving the colourful Kente and Adinkra cloths.
Tamale and the North
Further north (10-12 hours from Accra), the landscape here is very different to the green of the tropical rain forest in the south. You will find vast stretches of savannah land. As you are nearer the Sahara, the land is dryer and the temperature much higher than the south.
However, you will also find amazing mosques and beautifully painted houses. You can also visit Mole National Park - a vast park where you find a variety of wildlife incuding Elephants and finally, on to Paga - where you can feed crocodiles (and swim with them - or so I'm told!)
Akosombo is also a good base for visiting the Volta Region, where you will find a number of waterfalls including the spectacular Wli Falls near the Togo border (not quite Victoria Falls, but we are still proud of it!) 
ADA – Ada sits on an estuary where the Volta River meets the Altantic Ocean. A “beach” has been created along the river, and you can enjoy a selection of water sports from a number of resorts. It is a long 4 hours drive to the resort, but is worth the journey. Leave early and arrive for breakfast, and you catch up on your sleep on the beach before your day restarts. I once wandered away from the beach by the river and 10 minutes later found myself walking along a beautiful beach with no-one else around. I couldn't help but wonder why we had paid to sit on a fake beach when the real thing was just down the road. Things may well have changed since then because I've heard some good things about the new resorts that have opened in the area.
The main tourist destination (if tourist is the right word) are Cape Coast and Elmina castles, just a few miles apart where African slaves were imprisoned before being sent to America. Friends and I all agree that Elmina Castle is the more evocative of the 2 castles, and a tour of the fort is a truly moving experience. Cape Coast Castle, is a little white-washed and has less impact, but does have an excellent museum. 
Cape Coast and Elmina are best enjoyed over 2 or 3 days. One day for the historical and moving castles and another day at Kakum National Park where you can do the infamous canopy walk. If you are scared of heights, it would not be the best idea to attempt the walk (even if you are not scared of heights, it still may not be a good idea!), but its almost become a "must" for all tourists just to show how tough you are. Anyone who talks about the amazing view from the canopy is just showing off. Most walkers just want to get to the end in one piece! 
It seems almost a pre-requisite that a visit to the park is followed by a drink in Hans Bottage Hotel and restaurant. The restaurant sits on stilts in a lake which is also home to several crocodiles. When we were last there in March 2007, a new treat was that you could hire a small boat to sail around the lake...enjoy.
The final day of a 3 day trip should be spent relaxing on the beach and there are a number of great beaches in the area in the central region. Anomabo Beach is recommended as are Brenu and Biriwa Beaches (Picture). 
Wherever you stay in the western region, you should take a trip to Nzulezu, a village on stilts in the river. The boat trip to the village itself is a wonderful experience as you drift leisurely along the river and enjoy the beauty of the trees and the sense of peace only interrupted by the tweet of the various birds that inhabit the area. 
The village itself is fascinating and whilst we sensed that the influx of of tourists has taken away much of the innocence of the villagers, it is still amazing to see how the villagers manage to live on the river and run a small school. Visiting their neighbours take on a new meaning as the villagers hop into their boat and row off. The older children attend main land schools in their own little boats.