GHANA | Laura and Stefan visit family and old internship

We took a trip outside Europe. We are to Africa flown and have Ghana visited. So this time not with the camper, but with the plane. Through this blog we would like to give you an insight into our journey. Are you also planning to travel to Ghana/Tamale? Then read on anyway, because we also share some tips!

Travel

As we indicated in the introduction, we traveled by plane Ghana flown. We flew with KLM from Amsterdam to Accra in six hours. If you want to book a flight with KLM, remember that KLM (in principle) has the 'KLM World Deal Weeks' twice a year. The airline tickets can then be (slightly) cheaper. Several airlines fly to Accra, sometimes with a stopover and/or not from Schiphol Amsterdam, but also from Brussels, for example.

Also read: Skyscanner | How to save (a lot of) money on flights | 2023 UPDATE

In Accra we took a domestic flight to Tamale, the place where we stayed. We flew with Africa World Airlines in 50 minutes to Tamale. There is also a bus connection between Accra and Tamale. This is slightly cheaper than flying, but it will take you a lot more time. You are on the road for many hours depending on the condition of the bus, the road and the like.

Back we also took a domestic flight from Tamale to Accra and then flew back to Amsterdam with KLM from Accra, again directly.

General Information

The time difference between The Netherlands en Ghana only differs by one or two hours depending on summer/winter time. Ghana is located in West Africa and Accra is the capital. We stayed in Tamale, northern Ghana.

The currency of Ghana is the Ghanaian Cedi. The exchange rate changes regularly, so it is advisable to check the current exchange rate before you leave. On average, you can count that 1 euro is worth about 10 cedi.

In Ghana, mainly English is spoken, in addition to the languages ​​that the population speaks among themselves. In 2022, Ghana had a population of 32 million. We experience the Ghanaians as very friendly people and hospitable.

Ghana has two seasons, the dry season and the rainy season. The average temperature in Ghana is around 30 degrees, although it is often (especially when the sun is shining) a lot warmer. During our trip it was about 37 degrees in the shade.

Tamale

Why did we stay in one place, Tamale? To start with, I (Laura) did an internship 10 years ago at a (primary) school in Tamale. Laura's stepbrother and his family have now been living in Tamale for several years. We found two good reasons to visit Tamale (again), together with family. For me it was the third time in Ghana and Stefan was there for the first time.

The Lodge

If you are going to visit Tamale, it is recommended to spend the night in the Dawadawa Lodge. The owner is a Dutchman with his Ghanaian wife and their children. It is a nice place to stay, especially for Ghanaian standards. There are four rooms with a fan and/or air conditioning, two of which have a shared bathroom. There is also access to a nice outdoor area and kitchen area.

Would you like to book a room in the lodge? Then take direct contact on with the owner via Facebook.

We stayed with the family for the first time in this lodge. For all of us this was the most luxurious and nice place we've had so far in Tamale, Ghana.

During our stay, a camper spent the night on the site. It was a German couple who are making a tour. They had found the lodge through iOverlander. If you are planning to travel to Ghana by camper, we would definitely recommend a 4×4 camper because of the state of the roads.

Mole National Park

Travel Route

We took a trip to it Mole National Park (Location here). With the family we rented a van with a driver who took us to the park in about 2,5 hours. The road to it is (currently) in reasonably good condition. Most of it is paved. Quite a difference from years ago. Then it took me five hours, because the road was hardly paved then.

Access and safari

To access the Mole National Park you pay entrance fees. You can choose to explore the area on foot, but you can also book a Jeep Safari. And if I may advise you, book a Jeep Safari! The first time, years ago, I explored the area on foot. This time we did a Jeep Safari and I can assure you, this is what you want! What an experience. We sat on top of the jeep and had a perfect view.

Rangers

Rangers go along during the Jeep Safari and every now and then we were allowed to leave the Jeep for a while to walk with the Rangers into the area.
And then suddenly we were very close to an elephant, wow! The Rangers said they could tell by the animals' moods and how close we could get. We never felt unsafe for a moment. We relied on the knowledge of the Rangers and in an emergency they have resources with us for everyone's safety…

Accommodation

You can also spend the night in Mole National Park and opt for an evening/night safari. We did not use this and drove back and forth in one day.

bingo card

In the end we filled in a nice bingo card! Elephants, crocodiles, monkeys, boars, mongooses, antelopes and many different birds. We've seen them all! It is truly an experience you will never forget.

If you are in Ghana, the Mole National Park is definitely worth a visit. For the latest information and entrance fees, click here the website .

Watch out, in it Mole National Park closed shoes are required!

Bamboo plantation

The cuttings

Can bamboo grow in Ghana, even with the drought? Yes, you can! Laura's stepbrother, his girlfriend and a friend work with the bamboo. The girlfriend (Ghanaian) takes care of the bamboo cuttings. She once started with a number of small cuttings that she bought. She now has many cuttings that she takes care of. These will eventually grow into large bamboo sticks. In addition, part of the cuttings are sold to other plantations.

Working for a foundation

A bamboo cutting is purchased for 5 cedi (currently €0.37). This is then split / cuttings, resulting in several cuttings. In the end it is profitable. My stepbrother, his girlfriend and the boyfriend work for the foundation barbarugo. The first cuttings and a polytank are paid for by the foundation. The polytank is filled with water from a lake and the cuttings are watered from this.

Mature bamboo

Currently there are about 400 large bamboo plants on this plantation. This type of bamboo grows between 12 and 15 meters high. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant in the world and grows fastest in the rainy season. The soil on which the bamboo stands comes from farmers in the area. It takes at least a year before a bamboo plant is harvested and then sold.

What is made from the bamboo?

A lot is made of bamboo. This includes furniture, but also toothbrushes and socks. The bamboo is also used in construction. Experiments are being carried out to make charcoal with the leftovers of the bamboo sticks. In this way, hardly anything is wasted.

Education

Intership

Ten years ago I did an internship in primary education in Tamale. A year later I visited the school again, but I hadn't been there since then. Now it was finally that time again. It was fantastic to be back! We were warmly welcomed and serenaded by the teachers and children.

New school

In addition to the above school, we visited the school my stepbrother founded with a friend a number of times. The school is not completely finished yet. Currently it is still under construction. There are already a number of classrooms that have been in use for some time where education is given. The school is built from donations from the Netherlands.

Chance of education

Unfortunately, not all children in Ghana get the chance to go to school. Not all parents have the financial resources to send their children to school. Hopefully the school will be successful and an opportunity may be created in the future to offer a number of children free education. However, much is still needed for this…

Lesson given

My stepbrother had asked me to prepare a lesson for the teachers at his school. Education in Ghana differs from that in the Netherlands. He wanted a lesson on learning through play in order to be able to offer education in various forms in Ghana as well. It was nice to be able to contribute in this way.

Poverty

Distribute stuff

Unfortunately, there is a lot of poverty in Ghana. Part of the population lives below the poverty line. Together with our family we had many suitcases with mostly stuff in it that we distributed to the people who can use it well. We brought clothes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, school bags, shoes, old Ipads, etc. that can still be used at the school.

Balloons

We always bring balloons to hand out to the children. Also this time there were very poor children who we gave a balloon. Some children had never had a balloon before. It is touching to see how happy the children were with such a small thing…

A beautiful memory

This trip has become a beautiful (family) memory. It will undoubtedly not have been our last visit to this beautiful country. For now we exchange the plane for the camper. Soon we will leave again to continue our camper trip. Where we going? Probably direction Spain, Portugal and / or Morocco? You will read this another time!