Ghana: The Bradt Travel Guide

I visited Ghana in April 2007, and although I was visiting relatives and so had some local contacts, this book was a great help, both from the point of view of planning my trip and learning about the country. The short commentaries from various contributors on subjects such as local wildlife, nightlife or travelling solo as a woman, were especially informative and often entertaining as well. The maps in particular, while simple, were indispensable, as good local maps can be quite difficult to find even in Ghana. A useful additional tool are the regular updates to the guide on the Bradt website, which have many contributions from recent travellers, including places that are closed (either temporarily or permanently) and recommendations for additional places to stay/eat or visit. I've heard that the 4th edition is due out in fall of 2007, and I'm tempted to go ahead and get it, too, for my next visit!

Observations, current and pertainent info, from knowledgeable travelers who've been there. This is the stuff you want to know to plan a successful journey.

I was presented with this guide as a christmas gift a month prior to leaving for a six week journey through Ghana in 1999. I was thrilled to discover a more comprehensive guide book than those produced by Lonely Planet. Given time to compare notes before travelling it was only to my benefit to carry this guide. As with all guide books information tends to date quickly, therefore it becomes important to future editions for a traveller to make their own contribution to assist others on their journey. As a single female traveller in Ghana this guide book was an easy to use and essential tool, not only did it assist me but others I met along the way. I'd recommend this Guide to Ghana and any future editions to anyone.

Most Travel Guides just focus on the southern areas of Ghana, near Accra, Takoradi, Cape Coast and along the coastline. This book covers the entire country and every possible way of getting around.For example, the Lonely planet's West Africa Guide did not provide information on how to get from Bolga to Wa. This book gave us the bus company, time and price of the trip. When arriving in Bolga we asked how to get to Wa and most of the people there were not really positive, but sure enough the book was completely accurate. Another example was when we were in the Volta Region climbing Mount Afedzeto. There were no places to stay, but the guide says that if one asks for the Peace Corps on duty, that member will gladly give you a room. Sure enough we had a very comfortable place to stay for the night. This book is well written and the best on the market. There is an incredibly helpful guide to the animals one will see in Mole national Park and a great general guide about how to get around and what to are "cultural taboos." The author's writing style makes the book easy to read and allows you to know him well after only reading one section.It is the only guide book that is fitting for such a diverse and delightful country.

Having been in and out of Ghana many times over the past ten years I would like to comment on this Bradt Guide to the country. During this past July and August I used this guide to travel along the coast, slowly, from Accra all the way over to near the Ivory Coast border. It took about a month of visiting many little villages, historical sites, and staying in small guest houses and hotels. I found this guide an excellent resource. A major part of the Ghanaian government tourist development plans relates to ecotourism. Developed with the aid of international agencies, this plan calls for protecting the environment while increasing tourism. New national parks are being developed and many over hunted animals protected. This Bradt guide is an excellent source for this new tourism. My only suggest is a personal one. I am a city person and if I were doing this guide I would expand the section on night life in Accra and Kumasi. There are alternative travel sources available. The Internet has a growing number of sites related to Ghana, Ghanaian culture and history, and current events. Using web based data along with this Bradt guide will provide any traveler with a great vacation!