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TH C
2023.01.08
Verified
Excellent Excursion
Our family of four (parents plus 13yo and 11yo) went on a 21 day tour of sites in both northern and southern Ghana -- including the Pikworo Slave Camp, the Slave Defence Wall, Kintampo Falls, the Ashanti Palace in Kumasi, the Ancestral slave river site at Assin Manso, Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle, and more. And, overall, we had an absolutely amazing experience and a wonderful time. Easy Track Ghana took care of all of our accomodations -- not only room and board, but also water and snacks. Our guides and drivers -- Ebenezer, Adams, Philip, Tim, and Mohammed -- were all absolutely wonderful and very kind, and went out of their way each day to help us have the best experience we could. They were a pleasure to work with.Ghana itself is absolutely gorgeous, and encompasses a diversity of climates and terrains. Our trip was in the drier season (although many folks mentioned that it was wetter than normal -- most likely due to climate change), which I personally think contributed to how well our trip went -- for the most part we did not have to deal with mud. By far the people we met were quite friendly overall; however, I found the folks in the north (Bolgatanga area especially) to be authentically curious about us, whereas it felt more like folks in the south were more wise in the ways of interacting with tourists -- especially those who might have disposable income to share. I would highly recommend visiting the northern regions for these reasons. If you are considering going, here are some things that we wish we'd known before we'd left:1. Exchanging money is not quite as easy or straightforward in Ghana as it is in the US or Europe; make sure you have recent bills, as we found that the exchange rate would change based upon how long ago our bills had been printed -- sometimes by more than 25%.2. Tipping (or "dash") is an entire cultural point; in this, your guide(s) may not be as helpful as you might like in providing feedback. In general I would suggest that you ask your guide directly if they will be providing tips at the locations you visit. You may still want to add your own supplemental tip in addition, but it's good information to have regardless. Tips for your local guides (at specific attractions) are separate from those for your tour guides and drivers.3. Food takes a long time to prepare at restaurants. We generally found the food to be absolutely wonderful, but we were often waiting a half-hour or more for it to arrive. Don't wait until you're starving to eat.4. Mosquitos are a huge concern. One of the "resorts" we stayed at did not have mosquito nets over the beds (just cans of bug spray), and the door had large gaps and holes (directly to outside); needless to say, our entire family was covered in bites the entire time we were there. Make sure you have adequate protection against bug borne diseases, as you may not always have nets.