Ghana

Ghana is an amazing place to tap into West African culture, and a beacon for the continent, lauded for its political and economic vitality. Not to mention its abundance of world-class beaches along the Gulf of Guinea.

From the great market of Kumasi to the numerous clubs of Accra, cultural tourism in Ghana paints an unforgettable portrait of West Africa’s rich and tremendously diverse traditions of artistic expression. Whether you’re watching a timeless performance of drum-and-dance or swaying to the irresistible guitar runs of highlife, Ghanaian music throbs with energy. If you happen to visit during the biennial Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST), you’ll experience dance, music, theatrical performances, and other artistic explorations of slavery’s legacy and African resilience.

Encompassing dozens of ethnic groups and the sober legacy of centuries of European trade and colonialism, Ghana’s history is on display at sites such as the Asante Traditional Buildings near Kumasi, which showcases historic shrines of the Asante Empire; and Cape Coast, which includes one of the colonial “castles” used for staging slaves ahead of transatlantic voyages.

If you like your vacation to be anchored by plenty of beach time, Ghana’s a superb choice: Some of the prettiest and most inviting tracts of sandy seashore in the tropics belt the country’s Gold Coast. They range from thrumming urban beaches—such as the greater Accra area’s Labadi and Kokrobite—to more far flung oceanfront essentially devoid of fellow tourists. Surfers, meanwhile, can ride first-class but uncrowded breaks along sublime shores; it’s hard to dispute the Ghana Surfing Association’s assertion that the country “is among the last places on Earth where the tropical surfing dream is still a reality.”

For the nature-inclined, Ghana has a collection of national parks and preserves that provide the increasingly rare pleasure of seeing West African ecosystems with a nearly full complement of native wildlife. Probably the standout refuge, from a safari perspective, is Mole National Park in the northern savannas; here you can scout for African elephants, hartebeest, roan antelope, lions, monkeys and spotted hyenas. Fast against the Cote d’Ivoire border, Bia National Park protects Ghana’s grandest remaining stand of Eastern Guinean Lowland Forest and some of its only chimpanzees, though you’ll find more developed tourist facilities—including a unique canopy walkway—in coastal Kakum National Park, another important rainforest holding.

To taste the cultural spirit of West Africa in full flower—and to marvel at some beautiful savanna, rain forest, and seashore—head for Ghana!