Ghana Getting There & Away

Getting There & Away

By plane

All International flights are through Kotoka International airport at Accra, it is very central and there are always lots of taxis available, a taxi ride anywhere in the city shouldn't cost more than 40,000 cedis (August 2006)eqv of $4.35. North American Airlines flies non-stop once a week from New York City (JFK) and Delta Airlines will also begin serving Accra from Kennedy Airport on December 11th, 2006 with four flights per week. British Airways flies from London Heathrow, and Ghana International Airlines and Astraeus fly from London Gatwick. The Royal Dutch airlines (KLM) flies daily from Schiphol, Amsterdam. Lufthansa and Alitalia maintain daily direct flights from Frankfurt and Milan respectively, with a short stop in Lagos, Nigeria. Emirates flies daily non-stop from Dubai in the Middle East (with connections to Asia and the Far East). Ethiopian Airlines flies four weekly non-stops from Addis Ababa (with stopover, you can visit another African country). Also, South African Airways flies four times a week non-stop from Johannesburg -- though this will involve substantial backtracking (an extra 10,000 km each way!) unless you live in Australia or somewhere down under. If coming from Brazil or nearby, the flight from Rio to Luanda, Angola on Angola Airlines would be the shortest. From there, you can go non-stop to Accra.

The lowest fares to Ghana outside of Africa are usually from London, but that doesn't necessarily mean British Airways is the cheapest (i.e. a transfer inside continental Europe may be required). Those living in North America might be able to save by getting a cheap ticket to London from their home country. (Beware that there are two separate international airports, Gatwick and Heathrow, and allow lots of connection time.)

By train

No international rail connections exist.

By car

The border at Aflao with Togo is an entertaining scene. It appears very disorderly and human traffic seems to flow freely. However it is unlikely that a white person can pass thorugh without all the formalities. The process of filling out forms and checking visas can take quite a while for non-diplomats. Soldiers on the Togo side are likely to ask for a bribe but need not be paid if all of your documents are in order.

The border with Cote d'Ivoire at Elubo takes less time to cross but Ivorian guards seem much more keen on the rules.

By bus

Ghana's national bus company, Metro Mass Company, run services within the capital city, Accrra, and within other Regions in Ghana. STC run bus services to & from cities within Ghana and some nearby countries.