Best Things to Do in Ghana

Bojo Beach is one of Greater Accra's most distinctive and consistently praised coastal escapes, set on a narrow strip of land between a calm lagoon and the open Atlantic near Bortianor, about 30 kilometres west of the city centre. Access is part of the experience: visitors cross the lagoon on a short hand-paddled wooden canoe, arriving at a long stretch of fine sand fringed by coconut palms that feels genuinely removed from urban Ghana. The beach is privately managed, which means it benefits from regular cleaning, lifeguard presence, and a relaxed ambience rarely found on Accra's more crowded urban shores. Vendors offer grilled seafood, cold drinks, and fresh coconuts, and sunbeds are available for those inclined to spend the day in uninterrupted leisure. Swimmers should exercise caution given Atlantic undertow currents common along this coast, but the lagoon side offers calm, safe wading. At weekends Bojo draws a mix of expatriates and Accra locals seeking respite from the city's noise. Sunsets here, with the lagoon turning gold and fishing boats silhouetted against the horizon, are among the most photogenic in the Greater Accra region.

The Brazil House Museum in Accra's Chameleon district preserves a remarkable and little-known chapter of West African history — the story of the Aguda, formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants who returned from Brazil to the Gulf of Guinea coast during the 19th century. Repatriated Brazilians brought with them Portuguese language, Catholic faith, distinctive architectural sensibilities, and culinary traditions that merged with Ghanaian culture to create a unique hybrid identity. The museum occupies one of the few surviving Afro-Brazilian style buildings in Accra, characterised by ornate ironwork balconies and rendered facades that would not look out of place in Salvador da Bahia. Exhibits trace the journeys of these returnees, their economic rise as merchants and builders, and their lasting influence on Accra's streetscape and cuisine. Dishes like feijoada evolved locally, and Portuguese surnames still persist in some Accra families. This small but evocative museum challenges simple narratives about the African diaspora, illuminating the complex circuits of movement, memory, and cultural exchange that connected West Africa and Brazil across the Atlantic world.

Elmina Castle on the Atlantic coast of Ghana, near Cape Coast, is one of the oldest European structures in sub-Saharan Africa and a site of devastating historical significance — the first and ultimately the largest slave-holding facility constructed on the entire West African coastline. Built by Portuguese traders in 1482 initially as a fortified base for the gold and spice trade, it was captured by Dutch forces in 1637 and thereafter repurposed primarily as a major transit point within the expanding transatlantic slave trade system, a role it fulfilled until the abolition of British slave trading in 1807 and beyond. Hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans endured appalling conditions in its subterranean dungeons — extreme overcrowding, deprivation, disease, and systematic violence documented in surviving Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial administrative records — before being loaded through the infamous Door of No Return onto waiting ships bound for the Americas. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, Elmina today functions as a carefully maintained museum and monument, its whitewashed battlements and rows of mounted cannons visible dramatically from the sea. Guided tours descend into the holding dungeons and include the slave auction courtyard, the governor's quarters positioned directly above the women's dungeon — a moral obscenity deliberately built into the architecture — and the Door of No Return at the ocean's edge. The brilliantly coloured fishing harbour immediately outside the castle walls, busy daily with painted canoes and fresh catches, creates a striking and complex contrast with the weight of the history within. Elmina demands emotional preparation and unhurried respectful attention. It is among the most morally important heritage destinations on the African continent.

Ga Mashie, the historic core of Old Accra, is the ancestral homeland of the Ga people, the indigenous inhabitants of the area now known as Ghana's capital. This dense, atmospheric neighbourhood along the Gulf of Guinea coast retains much of the character of the early colonial settlement, with narrow lanes, compound houses, and the lingering memory of structures built by Dutch, Danish, and British traders from the 17th century onward. The Ga Mantse Palace — seat of the Ga paramount chief — anchors the district's cultural identity, and traditional festivals like Homowo (a harvest celebration marking the overcoming of a historic famine) bring the neighbourhood to vibrant, noisy life each year. James Town Lighthouse, colourful fishing boats on the beach, and the local boxing gyms are iconic images deeply rooted in this quarter. Street food vendors serve kenkey and fried fish just as they have for generations. Walking Ga Mashie with a knowledgeable guide unlocks layers of urban archaeology, oral history, and living tradition that make it one of the most textured and rewarding neighbourhoods to explore in all of Accra.

Independence Square in Accra — officially named Black Star Square — is one of the largest public squares in Africa and the central stage for Ghana’s most important national ceremonies and celebrations. Built to mark Ghanaian independence in 1957, the vast paved plaza is anchored by the Independence Arch, a triumphal gateway inscribed with the words 'Freedom and Justice', and dominated by a large Black Star — the symbol adopted by Kwame Nkrumah as the emblem of pan-African liberation. The square’s scale is genuinely impressive: designed to accommodate enormous crowds, it stretches from the ceremonial arch to an outdoor amphitheatre and reviewing stand overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, making it one of the few public squares anywhere in the world with an open sea view. Ghana’s independence anniversary celebrations, military parades, and major state events are traditionally held here, and the site carries powerful emotional resonance for Ghanaians as a symbol of national sovereignty. Outside of major events, the square can feel expansive and quiet, its scale most impressive when viewed from the elevated reviewing stand. The adjacent oceanfront walkway offers pleasant sunset views, and the proximity of the Osu Castle and other historic landmarks makes Independence Square a natural hub for Accra’s historic waterfront district.

James Fort stands as one of Accra's oldest colonial-era structures, originally constructed by the British in 1673 along the Gulf of Guinea shoreline. Built to protect trading interests and later expanded to serve as a holding point in the transatlantic slave trade, the fort's thick limestone walls carry the weight of a painful past. It has served various functions over the centuries — military garrison, prison, and today a site of growing heritage significance. Situated near the James Town fishing village, the fort overlooks the colourful pirogues that have dotted this coastline for generations. History enthusiasts will appreciate the surviving dungeon chambers and cannon emplacements, which contextualise Ghana's colonial experience alongside the better-known Cape Coast Castle. The surrounding James Town neighbourhood offers vibrant street art, the iconic 1930s lighthouse, and informal boxing gyms that have nurtured Ghanaian champions. A visit to James Fort is most rewarding when combined with a guided walk through Old Accra, connecting the architecture, the sea, and the living community around it into a coherent and moving narrative of the city's layered history.

Jamestown is Accra’s oldest neighbourhood — a historic district on the city’s Atlantic waterfront that preserves layers of colonial, indigenous, and maritime history within its atmospheric maze of streets, painted colonial buildings, and fishing communities. Originally settled by the Ga people long before European contact, Jamestown developed under Danish and later British colonial rule into a significant trading port, its character shaped by the Atlantic slave trade and the fishing traditions that continue to define it today. The neighbourhood’s iconic Jamestown Lighthouse, built in 1871 and still operational, towers over the district and offers sweeping views from its upper platform across the colourful chaos of the beach below, where brightly painted wooden fishing canoes — the same designs used for centuries — are launched and landed daily. Nearby, the crumbling but imposing Ussher Fort and James Fort serve as reminders of the district’s role in the slave trade. Jamestown is also Accra’s hub for traditional Ghanaian boxing, known locally as adesa, with informal sparring sessions a regular feature of the neighbourhood’s public spaces. For travellers seeking Accra beyond its modern commercial veneer, Jamestown offers an irreplaceable connection to the city’s deepest roots.

Kejetia Market in Kumasi is one of the largest open-air markets in West Africa, a sprawling commercial hub that pulses with the energy of thousands of traders and shoppers every single day. Covering an area equivalent to several city blocks along Afua Adowaa Road, the market was dramatically modernized in 2019, replacing the old maze of corrugated stalls with a purpose-built multi-storey trading complex.

Inside, vendors sell everything imaginable: bolts of kente and wax-print fabric, fresh produce, dried spices, hardware, electronics, traditional medicine, and handcrafted goods from across the Ashanti Region. The air is thick with colour, sound, and scent — cloves mingling with raw fish, Twi bargaining calls echoing off concrete pillars. For visitors, Kejetia offers an unfiltered window into Ghanaian commerce and daily life. Arrive early in the morning for the freshest produce and the most atmospheric experience, and consider hiring a local guide to navigate the labyrinthine interior efficiently.

Kokrobite is a small fishing village and beach community roughly 30 kilometres west of Accra that has grown into one of Ghana’s most beloved weekend escapes — a place where white sand, warm Atlantic surf, and a laid-back creative atmosphere combine to create something genuinely special on the West African coast. The village has long been associated with Ghanaian music and arts, and the famous Big Milly’s Backyard guesthouse — one of West Africa’s most celebrated budget traveller institutions — helped establish Kokrobite as an international destination on the backpacker trail in the 1990s. Traditional drumming and dance classes are available through several community arts organisations, offering visitors direct engagement with Ghana’s rich percussive musical heritage. The beach itself is wide and uncrowded compared to Accra’s Labadi Beach, and the absence of major resort development gives Kokrobite a genuinely village-scale charm that feels increasingly rare near any African capital city. Fresh grilled seafood restaurants, cold-beer beach bars, and the rhythm of the fishing community’s daily life provide the texture of the experience. Sunsets at Kokrobite — watched from the beach as fishing canoes return from the ocean painted red and gold by the evening light — rank among the most memorable moments Ghana’s coast has to offer, and the journey from Accra by shared taxi or tro-tro is itself part of the adventure.

Kumasi Centre for National Culture — commonly known as the Cultural Centre — is the largest arts and crafts complex in Ghana and one of the most important showcases of Ghanaian creativity in the country. Established in the 1950s and situated in the heart of Kumasi, the centre was designed to preserve and promote indigenous Ghanaian artistic traditions during the post-independence era.

The sprawling grounds house dozens of workshops and stalls where skilled artisans craft and sell kente cloth, adinkra-printed fabric, woodcarvings, brass figurines, leather goods, and beaded jewellery — all made on-site using time-honoured techniques. Watching a weaver work a traditional kente loom or a carver shape a stool from a single block of wood is a memorable experience. The centre also hosts an open-air theatre used for cultural performances, festivals, and community events. A small museum within the complex provides historical context for the crafts on display. For shoppers, the Cultural Centre offers the best concentration of authentic Ashanti artisanal goods in Kumasi, with prices generally more reasonable than tourist-oriented boutiques.

Kumasi Fort and Military Museum stands as a powerful reminder of the turbulent colonial history between the British Empire and the Asante Kingdom. Built by British forces in 1897 following the fourth Anglo-Asante War, the fort on Stewart Avenue in central Kumasi was designed to assert colonial authority over the recently defeated Asante Confederacy. Today it functions as a military history museum operated by the Ghana Armed Forces.

Exhibits chronicle the series of Anglo-Asante conflicts fought throughout the 19th century, displaying period weapons, colonial-era uniforms, archival photographs, and explanatory panels that give context to one of West Africa's most fiercely contested colonial encounters. Cannons and artillery pieces are arranged in the fort's courtyard, adding a visceral sense of scale to the displays. The museum offers an admirably balanced perspective on both Asante resistance and British military strategy. For travellers exploring Kumasi's rich cultural landscape, the fort pairs naturally with Manhyia Palace and the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum to form a compelling heritage circuit.

The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park in Accra is Ghana’s most significant political monument, honouring the founding father of the nation and one of the most towering figures in 20th-century African history. Kwame Nkrumah led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain on 6 March 1957, creating the first sub-Saharan African country to achieve self-governance, and went on to champion pan-African unity as an intellectual and political ideal throughout his presidency. The mausoleum occupies the site where Nkrumah delivered his historic independence speech, and his remains — along with those of his wife, Fathia — rest beneath an elegant white marble structure topped with a distinctive sword-shaped obelisk. The surrounding memorial park features bronze statues of Nkrumah in characteristic poses, manicured gardens, and a small but informative museum housing his personal effects, speeches, manuscripts, and memorabilia. The museum traces both the extraordinary arc of his rise and the military coup of 1966 that ended his presidency while he was abroad. Intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is essential for anyone wishing to understand Ghana’s past and the broader story of African liberation from colonial rule.

Labadi Beach — popularly known as La Pleasure Beach — is Accra’s most famous and most animated public beach, a wide stretch of golden sand on the Gulf of Guinea just east of the city centre where Ghanaians and visitors alike come to swim, socialise, and celebrate. Fridays and weekends transform the beach into one of Accra’s most vibrant social scenes, with live Afrobeats music, drumming performances, beach volleyball, horse riding, and an endlessly energetic atmosphere that reflects the city’s reputation as one of West Africa’s great party capitals. The beach is managed with an entry fee that helps maintain the facilities, which include changing rooms, toilets, beach bars, and food vendors serving everything from grilled tilapia to fresh coconuts. The beach’s west end tends to be quieter while the areas near the main entrance attract the largest crowds and most entertainment. For solo travellers, the beach's social energy makes it easy to meet both locals and fellow visitors, and the live music culture — particularly on Friday evenings — provides a wonderful introduction to Ghana’s extraordinary contemporary music scene. Labadi Beach is not the most pristine stretch of sand on the Ghanaian coast, but for pure energy, cultural immersion, and the infectious joy of Accra life, it is unmatched.

Lake Bosumtwi is Ghana's only natural lake and one of the most scientifically significant impact craters on Earth. Formed roughly 1.07 million years ago when a meteorite struck the Ashanti Region, the circular lake sits within a lush, forested basin about 30 kilometres southeast of Kumasi near the village of Abaase. The crater measures approximately 10.5 kilometres in diameter, making it one of the best-preserved meteorite impact structures in Africa.

The lake holds deep spiritual significance for the Asante people, who traditionally believe its waters are sacred. Local fishermen paddle wooden planks called padua rather than conventional canoes — a practice rooted in ancestral custom. Visitors can arrange boat trips across the glassy surface, hike the forested crater rim for panoramic views, or simply relax in the quiet lakeside villages. The surrounding hills are rich in birdlife and butterflies. Bosumtwi is a genuinely off-the-beaten-path gem that combines geological wonder, cultural heritage, and serene natural beauty in equal measure.

Makola Market is the commercial heartbeat of Accra — a vast, sprawling open-air market in the centre of the Ghanaian capital that operates every day of the week with an energy and intensity that can initially overwhelm but ultimately captivates every visitor. Covering several city blocks and home to thousands of traders, Makola deals in an extraordinary range of goods: fresh produce, dried fish, spices, fabrics, electronics, household goods, clothing, cosmetics, and traditional medicines all find their place within its organised chaos. The market is predominantly run by women traders — known as Makola women — who are renowned throughout Ghana for their business acumen, negotiating skills, and significant economic influence. Haggling is expected and embraced, and engaging authentically with traders provides a uniquely direct window into Ghanaian daily commerce and social life. The market’s textiles section is particularly celebrated, offering a superb selection of colourful kente cloth, batik, and Ankara prints at far lower prices than in tourist shops elsewhere. Makola is not a sanitised tourist attraction but an authentic working market, and navigating it on foot — following the rhythm of the crowds, the calls of vendors, and the smells of street food — is one of the most genuinely immersive experiences Accra has to offer.

The Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi is the official ancestral seat of the Asantehene — the paramount King of the Asante people — and one of the most significant and atmospheric royal heritage sites anywhere in West Africa. The museum occupies the original 1925 palace building constructed by British colonial authorities as a carefully managed residence for the returning Asante king Agyeman Prempeh I following his long years of exile in the Seychelles, while the reigning Asantehene today occupies a substantial modern palace immediately adjacent to the historic structure. Royal regalia, traditional weapons of state, ceremonial court dress, carved stools, and extraordinary historical photographs fill the museum's rooms, illuminating the grandeur, diplomatic sophistication, and political complexity of the Asante Kingdom — one of the most powerful, wealthy, and culturally refined states in pre-colonial Africa, renowned across the continent for its intricate goldsmithing, the intricately woven kente cloth produced by its court weavers, and the formidable military organisation that resisted British imperial expansion across multiple wars. The Golden Stool — the sacred and supremely revered symbol of Asante sovereignty, believed to contain the collective soul of the entire Asante nation — is never placed on public display, but its central story is woven throughout every aspect of the museum's narrative. Guided tours are conducted by palace staff possessing deep knowledge of court protocol, royal genealogy, and the prolonged Asante-British conflicts of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The bustling Kejetia Market and the Asante Cultural Centre are both within easy reach of the palace. Kumasi itself richly rewards a dedicated visit of at least two full days for any traveller interested in West African royal history and political tradition.

The National Museum of Ghana in Accra is the country’s premier institution for the preservation and display of Ghanaian cultural heritage — a comprehensive collection that spans archaeology, ethnography, natural history, and fine art across a series of well-maintained galleries in the city centre. Founded in 1957 to coincide with Ghanaian independence, the museum houses thousands of objects reflecting the extraordinary diversity of Ghana’s peoples and their traditions, including royal regalia from Asante and other kingdoms, traditional kente and adinkra textiles, ceremonial masks, musical instruments, pottery, and bronze castings. Archaeological exhibits trace human habitation in the region back thousands of years, while ethnographic displays illuminate the rituals, beliefs, and material culture of Ghana’s many ethnic groups. The museum’s collection of Asante goldwork is particularly impressive, showcasing the sophisticated metalworking tradition that made the Asante kingdom one of the most powerful and prosperous in West Africa. Regular temporary exhibitions explore contemporary Ghanaian art and culture alongside historical themes. The museum is an excellent first stop for any visitor to Accra, providing essential context for understanding the country’s complex history, plural identity, and the extraordinary richness of its cultural inheritance before venturing further afield.

Old Fadama, commonly known as Agbogbloshie, is one of Accra's most densely populated informal settlements, stretching along the Korle Lagoon in central Ghana's capital. Once a farmland and wetland area, it evolved into a sprawling urban community home to hundreds of thousands of migrants from Ghana's northern regions. The district gained international attention for its open-air scrap electronics market, where workers dismantled discarded computers and mobile phones — a sobering lens on global e-waste flows. Community-led initiatives and government programmes have gradually worked to improve sanitation, housing, and livelihoods here. Beyond headlines, Old Fadama pulses with remarkable resilience: markets burst with yams, tomatoes, and second-hand goods, while local mosques and churches serve as social anchors. Photographers and urban researchers have long been drawn to its layered textures — colour-drenched compounds, hand-painted signage, and the daily rhythms of a community that persists against difficult odds. Visiting thoughtfully, ideally with a local guide, offers a deeply humanising counterpoint to Accra's gleaming new towers and reveals the economic and migratory forces shaping West African cities today.

Osu Castle — historically known as Christiansborg Castle — is Accra’s most architecturally striking and historically complex landmark, a white-walled coastal fortification on a rocky promontory overlooking the Atlantic that has served successively as a Danish, Portuguese, and British colonial headquarters, a slave-trading depot, a seat of government, and ultimately a haunting monument to Ghana’s painful colonial history. First built by the Danish in the 1660s, the castle changed hands multiple times before becoming the headquarters of British Gold Coast colonial administration and, after independence in 1957, the official seat of the Ghanaian government — a role it retained until 2013, when the presidency relocated to the newly built Jubilee House. The castle’s dungeons, where enslaved Africans were held before transportation across the Atlantic, are its most sobering feature — a 'Door of No Return' through which captives passed to waiting slave ships remains accessible and deeply moving. Public access to the castle is managed and has varied over the years depending on its official use, so visitors should confirm access arrangements locally before visiting. Despite these logistical uncertainties, Osu Castle remains one of Accra’s most important sites — a place where colonial power, the slave trade, independence, and national governance converge on a single dramatic headland.

Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected forest reserve located approximately 20 kilometres northwest of Kumasi, established primarily to protect the watershed feeding the Owabi Reservoir — one of the main water supplies for Kumasi city. Though relatively modest in scale compared to Ghana's larger parks, Owabi punches well above its weight as a birdwatching destination, recording well over 150 species within its forested environs.

The sanctuary shelters forest hornbills, kingfishers, sunbirds, herons, and a variety of raptors, making it a reliable stop for ornithologists and wildlife enthusiasts visiting the Ashanti Region. Troops of mona monkeys are frequently spotted in the canopy, and the forest floor harbours numerous butterfly species. The reservoir itself provides a peaceful backdrop for quiet nature walks along well-maintained trails. Early morning visits offer the best combination of birdsong, cool temperatures, and active wildlife. Owabi is often overlooked by travellers rushing between Kumasi's cultural highlights, but it rewards those who seek out its understated natural charm with a genuinely tranquil half-day experience.

Prempeh II Jubilee Museum in Kumasi commemorates the life and reign of Otumfuo Asantehene Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II, one of the most revered rulers of the Asante Kingdom, who led the Ashanti people from 1931 to 1970. Housed in a building that once served as the Asantehene's residence, the museum sits within the grounds of Manhyia Palace — the seat of the Asante Confederacy — and offers visitors an intimate look at royal Asante history.

Displays include the personal belongings of Prempeh II: ceremonial regalia, traditional stools, royal umbrellas, European gifts presented to the king, and photographs documenting key moments in Ashanti political life during the colonial and post-independence eras. Gold features prominently throughout the collection, reflecting the Asante's historic mastery of goldsmithing. The museum is one of the most visited heritage sites in Kumasi and is typically combined with a tour of the adjacent Manhyia Palace. Guided narration from knowledgeable staff brings the royal lineage vividly to life.