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Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, Africa

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, Africa

Accra is the capital as well as the largest city of Ghana, situated on the coastline in the southern part of the country. It is economic hub of Ghana, getting its larger proportion of economy from industries, mainly from manufacturing and electricity plants and tourism is also one of the major sources of the Accra’s revenue. The tourism industry of Ghana holds all types of attractions including churches, beaches, theatres, forts and museums. Accra is also the site of the University of Ghana. Accra experiences a tropical savanna climate with around 730 millimeters of average annual rainfall.

History of Accra:

The name of Accra may be derived from the Akan language term ‘nkran’ which means “ants”. Accra witnessed the rule of many powerful European empires in its long and grand history, including Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch and British. Accra has been serving as the capital of Ghana since 1877, including Gold Coast colony during British rule.

How to reach Accra:

Accra is served by the Kotoka International Airport with scheduled flights from New York City, London, Milan, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Istanbul, Johannesburg and many other prime destinations in the world. The airport is situated around 7 km northeast of the heart of Accra, which can be crossed by bus or airport taxi.

The local transportation of Accra is served by minivans, taxis, rental cars and luxury public buses.

Food and Shopping in Accra:

Accra is home to the country’s two prime educational and cultural centres, the Central Library of Ghana and the University of Ghana.

Makola Market in Accra is famous for traditional shopping and tourist favor restaurants found in Accra at the suburb of Osu.

Things to do in Accra:

Beach exploration
Ghana Nima Tours
BlasTours
Jamestown Walking Tours

What to see in Accra?

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park:

The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park commemorates the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, who was also the prime independence leader during Ghana’s independence movement against the British. The highlights of the park are Kwame Nkrumah’s monument, mausoleum and museum dedicated to him.

Labadi Beach:

The Labadi Beach is one of the top tourist attractions of Accra, lying between La Palm and La Badi Beach, which are the most expensive hotels of the city. The entrance fee is 5 Gh¢.

The National Theatre of Ghana:

The National Theatre is housed in a uniquely constructed structure, constructed by the Chinese as a present to Ghana. The theatre houses the National Symphony Orchestra Ghana, is situated in the Victoriaborg district of Accra.

Parliament House of Ghana:

The Parliament House of Ghana is a planned project of the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah. It features the Eclectic style of architecture and is located in the East Ridge district of Ghana. It was inaugurated in 1965.

W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Centre:

The W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Centre in Accra was named after an American author and Civil Rights activist, W.E.B. DuBois, who spent final days of his life in Accra. It is used as a research library with lots of interesting things.

List of other places of interest in Accra includes:

National Museum of Ghana
Bojo Beach
Kwame Nkrumah’s Mausoleum
Kokrobite Beach
Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity
Academy for African Music and Arts
Aburi Botanical Gardens
Coco Beach
Resurrection Presbyterian Church
Kane Kwei Carpentry Workshop
The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences
Artists Alliance Gallery
The National Archives of Ghana

When to visit Accra?

Probably from July to August and November to March is the best time to visit Accra in Ghana.

Where to stay in Accra?

Accra is home to around 300 standard accommodation centres ranging from budget options like vacation rentals to star rated resorts and hotels with all modern and basic facilities. Advance booking is preferred. The major hotels in Accra are listed below:

Holiday Inn Accra Airport
La Palm Royal Beach Hotel
Bojo Beach Resort
Labadi Beach Hotel
Hotel Elegance
Mahogany Lodge
Pemicsa Hotel
Tulip Inn Accra Hotel
African Sun Amber Hotel
Coconut Grove Regency Hotel
Villa Monticello
La Villa Boutique Hotel
Gye Nyame Hotel
Novotel Accra City Centre

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Ghana, West Africa, Africa

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Ghana, West Africa, Africa

Ghana is an African country situated in the Western part of the country, having borders with Burkina Faso towards the north, the Ivory Coast towards the west, Togo towards the east and its southern border lies on the coastline of the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean. Ghana is a sovereign state following the unitary presidential constitutional republic system. Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana. Ghana sprawls over an area of 238,535 sq. km, making it the 81^st largest country in the universe and the population of Ghana measures around 24.2 million people. Ghana is leading countries in Africa in terms of economic stability, owing mainly from petroleum, natural gas, gold and diamond productions.

History of Ghana:

The name Ghana literally means “Warrior King”, referring the kings of the medieval Ghana Empire. Colonization began in Ghana by British in the mid-19th century and gained emancipation from the British in the year 1957 as the first African country to get liberty from the European powers. Since then, Ghana has been developing towards becoming one of the developed countries in the globe.

Getting Ghana:

The Kotoka International Airport is the main gateway for Ghana, situated around 7 km northeast of the national capital, Accra. The airport has a good connectivity to many global destinations including New York City, London, Milan, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Istanbul and Johannesburg.

The State Transport Corporatio is the national bus company of Ghana, serving all the major cities of the country with regular luxury and general bus services.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Ghana:

Akan people dominate the population of Ghana, covering around 47% of the total population of the country. Whitebait, smoked fish and crayfish are the most popular dishes among both locals and tourists in Ghana. Ghana cedi is the currency used in Ghana. The capital city, Accra is the shopping hub of Ghana.

Must see in Ghana:

Lake Volta:

Being the world’s largest reservoir in terms of surface area (around 8,502 km²), the Lake Volta is one of the identities of Ghana. It is the focal point of the Ghana’s tourism, which highly attracts tourists for ferry riding to have natural wonders.

Cape Coast Castle:

The Cape Coast Castle is a historic castle, situated on the Gold Coast line of Ghana. It was originally constructed by Swedes for trading and later continuously changed the hands of many European empires including British. It is must a visit.

National Museum of Ghana:

The National Museum of Ghana is the largest as well as the oldest museum of Ghana, situated in the capital city, Accra. The collections include archaeology, fine art and ethnographical history of Ghana. It was opened on 5 March 1957.

Mole National Park:

The Mole National Park is situated in the northwestern part of Ghana, covering an area of 4,840 km². It is the largest wildlife refuge of Ghana, mainly home to elephants as well as hippos, buffalo, and warthogs. Vegetation is also rich.

Labadi Beach:

The Labadi Beach is the busiest beach of Ghana, located in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Performances like reggae, hiplife, playback and drumming are common to see here during weekends. It is also called as La Pleasure Beach.

Other places of interest in Ghana include:

Bojo Beach
Kwame Nkrumah’s Mausoleum
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
The National Theatre of Ghana
E.B. Dubois Center
Kokrobite Beach
Cathedral Church of the Most Holy Trinity
Academy for African Music and Arts
Aburi Botanical Gardens

Ideal time to visit Ghana:

Ghana generally experiences a hot and humid climate year round and the best and most popular time to visit Ghana is from November to April.

Accommodation options in Ghana:

Being a paradise of tourists, Ghana owns an upgraded hospitably industry with dozens of world class hotels with world class amenities, of which the most are located in the coastal city and capital, Accra. Some internationally recognized hotels in Accra in Ghana include:

Coconut Grove Regency Hotel
Villa Monticello
La Villa Boutique Hotel
Labadi Beach Hotel
Hotel Elegance
Mahogany Lodge
African Sun Amber Hotel
Pemicsa Hotel
Tulip Inn Accra Hotel
Niagara Hotel
Gye Nyame Hotel
Novotel Accra City Centre
Holiday Inn Accra Airport
La Palm Royal Beach Hotel
Bojo Beach Resort

Tourist Places to Visit in Zouerate, Tiris Zemmour, Western Africa, Africa

Tourist Places to Visit in Zouerate, Tiris Zemmour, Western Africa, Africa

Zouerate is the capital of Tiris Zemmour region, lying around 380 meters above sea level, between 22°41′ N latitude and 12°28′ W longitude. It is the heart of mining in Mauritania, mainly for iron ore mining and holds three different mine sites, Tazadit, Rouessa and Fderîck. Zouerate is the north Mauritania’s largest town in terms of population. Zouerate generally experiences a hot and dry climate year round. Iron ore was first discovered in the region near the mountain Kediet ej Jill in the year 1952. Later, in 1981 and 1990, two other iron deposits came to limelight at guelb el Rhein and Guelb M’Haoudat respectively. The town of Zouerate houses a club, a pool, a school, a shops and a health facility as well.

How to reach Zouerate?

Zouerate is located near the border of Western Sahara with Mauritania, around 760 km northeast of Nouakchott, the capital and largest city of Mauritania and around 600 km northeast of Nouadhibou, the second largest city and commercial centre of Mauritania.

Zouerate hosts an airport with frequent flights from Nouadhibou. The country’s primary airport, the Nouakchott International Airport is situated around 760 km away from Zouerate and operates flights from and to Istanbul, Dakar, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Abidjan, Casablanca, Bamako, Brazzaville, Casablanca, Conakry, Paris, Algiers and many other European and African cities.

To move within Zouerate, visitors can use rental vehicles like car and bikes rented from natives.

Shopping and Food in Zouerate:

Zouerate is home to all basic facilities like clinic, club, pool, school and shops. Shops in the town offer some locally produced handicraft products at reasonable prices for visitors. There are some traditional restaurants.

Things to do in Zouerate:

Visiting mining sites
Shopping
Hiking

Places of interest in Zouerate:

Mining sites in Zouerate:

Being the mining capital of Mauritania, Zouerate houses many internationally recognized mining sites with decades of history. Visitors are allowed for mining sites with the prior permission only, where visitors can know mining processes of Mauritania.

Kediet ej Jill:

Kediet ej Jill is a mountain within the city premise of Zouerate and is the Mauritania’s highest peak with a height of 915 meters. It features blue color as the whole peak is made of magnetite. Near Kediet ej Jill, the first mining ore deposits of Zouerate were discovered in the year 1952.

Atar:

Atar is a town, situated around 320 km south of Zouerate, housing a museum describing the local history and culture. There is also a historic mosque and a large traditional market in Atar. Atar can be reached by a rental vehicle from Zouerate.

List of other places of interest near Zouerate includes:

Chinguetti
Atar Mosque
Atar Museum
Ouadane
Terjit
Atar Market
National Library in Nouakchott
Beaches in Nouakchott
National Museum of Mauritania
Stade Olympique
Banc d’Arguin National Park
Nouakchott Museum
Cathedral of St. Joseph
University of Nouakchott
Franco-Mauritanian Cultural Center
Nouakchott Silver Market

Best time to visit Zouerate:

Probably the best time to visit Zouerate is from January to March while the weather in condition.

Accommodation options in Zouerate:

Zouerate houses a less number of hotels. In the below list, the first eight hotels are in Nouadhibou (around 600 km from Zouerate) and the rest of hotels are located in the national capital, Nouakchott (around 760 km from Zouerate):

Auberge Sahara
Camping Baie du Lévrier
Camping Sahara
Camping Abba
Inal Camping Auberge
Hotel Sahel
Hotel El-Aljazeera
The Oasean Hotel
Hotel Atlantique Nouakchott
Monotel Hotel
Boudarge & Inimich Apart-Hotel
Chambres d’Hotes Naga
Auberge Diaguili
Residence IMAN
Hotel Semiramis Nouakchott

Places to Visit in Tidjikja, Tagant, Mauritania, Western Africa, Africa

Places to Visit in Tidjikja, Tagant, Mauritania, Western Africa, Africa

Tidjikja is a town and the capital of the Tagant region, situated in the heart of the western African country, Mauritania. It is located on the Tagant plateau, between 18°33′ N latitude and 11°26′ W longitude, around 500 km east of the national capital, Nouakchott. Due to its position on the Tagant plateau, Tidjikja receives a substantial number of tourists, especially nature lovers for typical palm trees in the region. Tidjikja’s vernacular architecture is also popular among visitors.

The nearby settlements of Tidjikja are Ksar el Barka, Moudjeria, Ksar el Khali, Boumdeit, Ouadane, Serotandi and Rachid, of which some settlements have gained prominence for archeological importance that attract tourists from the different regions of the country throughout the year.

How to reach Tidjikja?

As like the most airports in Mauritania, the Tidjikja Airport is also not in operation. So intercontinental tourists are needed to reach the Nouakchott International Airport, which is the prime airport of Mauritania. The airport handles flights from many European and African cities like Istanbul, Dakar, Gran Canaria, Madrid, Abidjan, Casablanca, Bamako, Brazzaville, Casablanca, Conakry, Paris, and Algiers.

Taxis are always gettable at the airport and in addition of availing taxis, visitors can also choose minibuses for inexpensive travel. Between Tidjikja and Nouakchott, public buses are rare, so hiring a car in Nouakchott would be helpful to reach Tidjikja comfortably.

Shopping and Food in Tidjikja:

There are shops and food corners less in number, so it is advised for visitors to bring essentials before to leaving the city where they start journey.

Things to do in Tidjikja:

Walking
Shopping
Day tours

Places of interest in Tidjikja:

Tagant Plateau:

Tagant Plateau is a stony area belonging to the Sahara Desert, attracting tourists for scenic sites with archeological importance. The town of Tidjikdja is situated on the Tagant Plateau.

Ksar el Barka:

Ksar el Barka is an ancient town, now in ruined condition, situated around 45 miles away from Tidjikja. The Kounta tribe was a known settler and founder of Ksar el Barka.

Ouadane:

Ouadane is a famous archeological site, situated around 140 miles away from the town of Tidjikja. The old town of Ouadane was designated as a World Heritage Site. Also there is a famous huge Richat Structure, situated in the vicinity of Ouadane.

Tichitt:

Tichitt is a World Heritage Site, situated around 220 km east of Tidjikja. As like other central Mauritanian cities, Tichitt is famous for archeological sites, especially for vernacular architecture. There is a museum, grand mosque and airport in Tichitt.

List of other places of interest in Tidjikja includes:

Archeological sites in Tichit
Museum in Tichit
Tichit Mosque
The port of Nouadhibou
Parc Naturel Du Cap Blanc
French coastal gun emplacement in Nouadhibou
Nouakchott Museum
Nouakchott Silver Market
University of Nouakchott
National Museum of Mauritania
Franco-Mauritanian Cultural Center
Banc d’Arguin National Park
Beaches in Nouakchott
Cathedral of St. Joseph

Best time to visit Tidjikja:

Best time to visit Tidjikja depends on visitors’ interest, although to enjoy outdoor activities in Tidjikja, visitors can choose any beginning month of the year.

Accommodation options in Tidjikja:

As like the rest of Mauritania, Tidjikja houses few upgraded hotels, so visitors are advised to consider hotels in the national capital, Nouakchott for accommodation purpose. The prominent hotels in Nouakchott (around 500 km from Tidjikja):