Cape Coast Castle courtyard and cannons overlooking the Atlantic

Explore Ghana

Things to do in Ghana

Cape Coast Castle · Photo: Rjruiziii · License: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Ghana rewards travellers who look beyond the obvious. The places gathered here range from the Akosombo Dam, which impounds Lake Volta, and the Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku, Ghana's first permanent Volta River crossing, to quiet forest and mountain country such as Bia National Park, Bunso Eco Park and the Afadjato-Tagbo Eco-Tourism Reception Centre at Liati Wote, where guided hikes to Mount Afadja and Tagbo Falls begin.

What they share is that most are working places as much as visitor sites: markets, craft centres, shrines, power stations and community-run trailheads. Where they differ is in mood and effort. Aburi Botanical Gardens, opened in 1890, and the nearby Aburi Craft Village suit an easy half day, while the Amedzofe Canopy Walkway asks for a steep guided climb of roughly 259 concrete steps. Some, like the Asante Traditional Buildings near Kumasi and the Besease shrine house, carry UNESCO World Heritage status; others, like Aflao Market or the Ankobra Estuary, are simply everyday Ghana going about its business.

Good to know

Before you go

Plan around distance rather than a fixed itinerary: many of these sites sit far apart, so group them by region. Kente country around Kumasi takes in Bonwire and Adanwomase; the Volta Region links the Afadjato-Tagbo reception centre, Aduadu Mountain and Amedzofe; the coast offers the Ankobra Estuary and the Anyanui to Ada Foah boat trip. Shared taxis, tro-tros and hired cars are the usual ways between towns, and some sites, including the Aboadze power station and Akosombo Dam, are working installations. Before setting out, check current access, guided-tour arrangements and whether a site is open to visitors, and confirm market days, such as Bolgatanga's three-day cycle.

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Places to explore

Attraction · Akwidaa

Cape Three Points Lighthouse

Cape Three Points is Ghana's southernmost tip, a fishing village and peninsula in Ahanta West known for its 1875 lighthouse ruin and working 1925 tower.

Photo: Friedmut Abel · Source

Attraction · Wa

Cathedral of Saint Andrew

St. Andrew's Cathedral is the Roman-Rite cathedral of the Diocese of Wa, an active place of worship in Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana.

Photo: KUUBO EMMANUEL · Source

Attraction · Koforidua

Centre for National Culture, Eastern Region

The Eastern Regional office of Ghana's National Commission on Culture in Koforidua, with a craftshop, traditional training school and a reported 1,500-seat theatre.

Photo: Jude Hammond · Source

Attraction · Kumasi

Centre for National Culture, Kumasi

A government-supported cultural centre in Kumasi, established in 1956, with Asante craft workshops, a gallery, a crafts shop and the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum.

Photo: Jude Hammond · Source

Attraction · Tamale

Dakpema Chief's Palace

The Dakpema Chief's Palace is the traditional palace of the Dakpema, chief of Tamale, in Ghana's Dagbon traditional area, and a focal point for Dagbon festivals.

Photo: Samaru Samaru · Source

Attraction · Dambai

Dambai Ferry Site

Dambai Ferry Site is the working ferry landing at Dambai, Oti Region, on the eastern bank of the Oti River, served by VLTL vessels on the Dambai–Overbank route.

Photo: Isibrahy · Source

Attraction · Dambai

Dambai Volta ferry crossing

VLTC's Dambai ferry carries passengers and vehicles across the Oti River (Volta Lake) in the Oti Region, linking Dambai with the opposite bank.

Photo: Isibrahy · Source

Attraction · Denu

Denu Market

Denu Market is the main trading market in Denu, capital of Ketu South Municipal in Ghana's Volta Region, near the Togo border town of Aflao.

Photo: Enock4seth · Source

Attraction · Akosombo

Dodi Island

Dodi Island is an inhabited island in Lake Volta, Eastern Region, reached by a roughly two-hour cruise boat trip from Akosombo.

Photo: Hiroo Yamagata · Source

Attraction · Akosombo

Dodi World Cruise

Dodi World runs cruises on Lake Volta at Akosombo aboard the three-deck MV Dodi Princess II, sailing to Dodi Island with live band music and water sports.

Photo: Celestinesucess · Source

Attraction · Dondoli

Dondoli Mosque

Dondoli Mosque is a 19th-century Sudano-Sahelian earthen mosque in the Dondoli community of Wa, Upper West Region, now reported to be in partial ruins and abandoned.

Photo: Isaac Gyemfi · Source

Attraction · Elmina

Dutch Cemetery, Elmina

A public, non-denominational colonial burial ground in Elmina, established in 1806 and holding about 70 interments, including Dutch officials and Elmina King Nana Kobina Gyan.

Photo: Fentener van Vlissingen · Source

Attraction · Besease Ejisu

Ejisu Besease Shrine

Traditional Asante shrine house at Ejisu Besease, Ashanti Region, one of the ten UNESCO-listed Asante Traditional Buildings and the listing's main visitor site.

Photo: Sucram Yef · Source

Attraction · Elmina

Elmina Castle

St. George's Castle, commonly called Elmina Castle, is a 1482 Portuguese-founded castle and museum on a promontory at Elmina in Ghana's Central Region, listed by UNESCO.

Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · Source

Attraction · Elmina

Elmina Fishing Harbour

A working fishing port below Elmina Castle in Ghana's Central Region, where visitors watch pirogues land their catch, busiest at morning returns and evening departures.

Photo: sucram21 · Source

Attraction · Elmina

Elmina Java Museum

A private museum in Elmina, Central Region, interpreting the history of the Belanda Hitam — African soldiers recruited on the Dutch Gold Coast for the Netherlands East Indies Army.

Photo: Fentener van Vlissingen · Source

Attraction · Komenda

English Fort Komenda

English Fort Komenda is a ruined British Gold Coast fort on the Komenda River in Ghana's Central Region, part of a UNESCO World Heritage property and in GMMB custody.

Photo: Flixtey · Source

Attraction · Beyin

Fort Apollonia

Fort Apollonia is a colonial-era seafront fort at Beyin, Western Region, Ghana, housing the Museum of Nzema Culture and History since 2010.

Photo: Esthee2010 · Source

Attraction · Teshie

Fort Augustaborg

Fort Augustaborg (Fort Teshie) is a ruined 1787 Danish fort in Teshie, Greater Accra, listed among Ghana's UNESCO-inscribed coastal forts and castles.

Photo: Shahadusadik · Source

Attraction · Butre

Fort Batenstein

Fort Batenstein is a Dutch trading fort built in 1656, now a ruin on the hill above Butre village in Ghana's Western Region, overlooking the Atlantic.

Photo: Macabe5387 · Source

Attraction · Elmina

Fort Coenraadsburg

Fort St. Jago (Fort Coenraadsburg) is a small Dutch-era hilltop fort opposite Elmina Castle in Elmina, Central Region, Ghana.

Photo: Edward Kamau · Source

Attraction · Akwidaa

Fort Dorothea ruins

Fort Dorothea is a ruined 17th-century fortification on a rocky hill at Akwidaa, Western Region, Ghana, reached by trekking with local permission.

Photo: Stig Nygaard · Source

Attraction · Old Ningo

Fort Fredensborg

Fort Fredensborg is a ruined 1734 Danish-Norwegian slave-trading fort at Old Ningo on Ghana's Gulf of Guinea coast, part of a UNESCO World Heritage serial property.

Photo: Owula kpakpo · Source

Attraction · Senya Beraku

Fort Good Hope

Fort Good Hope (Fort de Goede Hoop) is a restored Dutch coastal fort at Senya Beraku, Central Region, Ghana, now a rest house, bed-and-breakfast and visitor attraction.

Photo: Nandi D · Source

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