Ghana, 3rd: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The Republic of Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast) lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the western coast of tropical Africa..." (more)
Key Phrases: using common showers, lorry station, regular shared taxis, Cape Coast, Gold Coast, Lake Volta (more...)

Editorial Reviews

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"A wealth of information for travellers of all budgets."
--Footloose
-- Review

Review

"The best guidebook to the country."
--The Sunday Times

"A wealth of information for travellers of all budgets."
--Footloose

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Product Details Paperback: 424 pages Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 3rd edition (August 1, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 1841620939 ISBN-13: 978-1841620930 Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #544,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #20 in  Books > Travel > Africa > Coastal West Africa

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
The Republic of Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast) lies on the Gulf of Guinea on the western coast of tropical Africa. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
using common showers, lorry station, regular shared taxis, dropping taxi, posuban shrines, chop stalls, main tourist focus, forex bureau, savanna reserves, asafo companies, monkey sanctuary, guesthouse charges, government resthouse, bead factory, fan cost, direct public transport, stilt village, canopy walk, colourful fishing boats, nominal entrance fee, signposted junction, formal accommodation, bucket showers, adinkra cloth, fetish priest

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Cape Coast, Gold Coast, Lake Volta, Burkina Faso, West Africa, Volta River, Volta Region, Nkrumah Circle, Yaa Asantewaa, Senya Beraku, Ada Foah, Cape Three Points, Coconut Grove, Kakum National Park, Lake Bosumtwi, Afram Plains, Mole Motel, Northern Region, Barclays Bank, Black Volta, Golden Tulip, James Town, National Museum, Osei Tutu, Ancient Ghana

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 16 books:

• Sierra Leone (Command Paper) by Intelligence & Security Committee on page 16, and page 17
• History of Ghana by William Ernest F. Ward in Back Matter
• Guide to South Africa, 3rd (Bradt Travel Guide South Africa) by Philip Briggs in Front Matter
• History of Ghana by F.K. Buah in Back Matter
• Eccentric California (Bradt Travel Guide) by Jan Friedman on page 346

See all 16 books this book cites

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

East Africa by Mary Fitzpatrick

Discusses:

• forex bureau
• direct public transport
• signposted junction

Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring by George Dunford

Discusses:

• government resthouse
• stilt village
• canopy walk

Tanzania, 5th by Philip Briggs

Discusses:

• using common showers
• forex bureau
• monkey sanctuary

Africa Betrayed by George B. N. Ayittey

Discusses:

• asafo companies
• adinkra cloth
• fetish priest

Northern Tanzania by Philip Briggs

Discusses:

• using common showers
• forex bureau
• savanna reserves

Lonely Planet Africa on a Shoestring by Kevin Anglin

Discusses:

• forex bureau
• government resthouse
• bucket showers

East Africa by Mary Fitzpatrick Discusses: forex bureau direct public transport signposted junction Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring by George Dunford Discusses: government resthouse stilt village canopy walk Tanzania, 5th by Philip Briggs Discusses: using common showers forex bureau monkey sanctuary Africa Betrayed by George B. N. Ayittey Discusses: asafo companies adinkra cloth fetish priest Loading...

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	87% buy the item featured on this page: Ghana, 3rd: The Bradt Travel Guide 4.4 out of 5 stars (37)
	7% buy Ghana - Culture Smart!: the essential guide to customs & culture $9.95
	3% buy The Rough Guide to West Africa 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) 3.5 out of 5 stars (4) $23.09
	2% buy West Africa (Multi Country Guide) 4.1 out of 5 stars (14) $22.43

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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews 5 star:  (26) 4 star:  (6) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 4.4 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 23 of 23 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete, Comprehensive Guide, March 30, 2000 By  Patrick Nolen (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews This review is from: Guide to Ghana (Bradt Country Guides) (Paperback) Most Travel Guides just focus on the southern areas of Ghana, near Accra, Takoradi, Cape Coast and along the coastline. This book covers the entire country and every possible way of getting around. For example, the Lonely planet's West Africa Guide did not provide information on how to get from Bolga to Wa. This book gave us the bus company, time and price of the trip. When arriving in Bolga we asked how to get to Wa and most of the people there were not really positive, but sure enough the book was completely accurate. Another example was when we were in the Volta Region climbing Mount Afedzeto. There were no places to stay, but the guide says that if one asks for the Peace Corps on duty, that member will gladly give you a room. Sure enough we had a very comfortable place to stay for the night. This book is well written and the best on the market. There is an incredibly helpful guide to the animals one will see in Mole national Park and a great general guide about how to get around and what to are "cultural taboos." The author's writing style makes the book easy to read and allows you to know him well after only reading one section. It is the only guide book that is fitting for such a diverse and delightful country. 13 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Some thoughts on Briggs' Second edition, guide to Ghana..., June 26, 2002 By  Leverett R. Smith (San Pablo, CA United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: Ghana, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback) In that this follows a number of other reviews of Philip Briggs' "Ghana--The Bradt Travel Guide" (second edition), there may be a "coals to Newcastle" aspect to my comments. I found the first edition, recommended by a Ghanaian friend, very helpful on a trip to Ghana in February of 2001. I've since bought the second (updated and expanded) edition, and find it as readable as the first, as well as continuing to give a reasonable level of detail about getting around, places to stay, and things to see. There are some pet items that in my view would have warranted mention, such as the universities in Cape Coast and Kumasi, but it's not reasonable to expect everything about a country to show up in 354 pages. Having worked in Ghana years ago, I was not starting from zero when picking up Briggs' book. I had also been checking with a few Ghanaian friends, and had been looking into websites. Maybe that's the main point to make: No single source of information, even a very good guidebook such as this one, can be entirely complete and up-to-date. From the U.S., at least, your visa application may be your first encounter with Ghanaian bureaucracy. Unless you live close to the embassy in Washington or the consulate in New York, get started at least two months in advance. Once in Ghana, you'll need to get adjusted to some third-world realities. Those used to North American and European infrastructure and scheduling efficiency may have to remind themselves that things really will typically take longer, that power and water outages can be frequent, that transportation will not always be fully predictable, and that breakdowns should not be a surprise. Get on the road early whenever possible, make sure that you fill that bucket in the bathroom promptly on arrival, and keep a flashlight handy. Ghana is not, in short, the sort of "autofocus" vacation area that we may tend to expect, but instead qualifies as your "grittier, more economical, more authentic African experience". Keep in mind that if you have travelled all day and arrived somewhere hot, sweaty, dusty and grimy, that your initial impression of a destination will probably not be as favorable as it will be a day later, once you have had the chance to clean up, rest up, and get calibrated to the place. Ghanaians pointed out to us, and our experience verified, that transportation functions more efficiently in southern and central Ghana than it does further north, and one should plan accordingly. Philip Briggs' guide to Ghana will definitely help in that planning. 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful if you were going to Ghana 5 years ago, June 10, 2008 By  Elizabeth A. Poulsen (Lodi, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: Ghana, 4th (Bradt Travel Guide) (Paperback) This book is very detailed and helpful, the only problem is that much of the information has not been updated for quite some time. There are many places listed that are no longer in existance (restaurants, banks, etc) and many new places that are nowhere to be found in the book. It says it was updated in 2007 but I was in Ghana in early 2008 and most of these things I am referring to have been around (or not been around) for quite some time. Also, the prices mentioned in the book are about 50% lower than what can be expected when you go to Ghana, and perhaps even more given the rapid rate of inflation there; the prices of almost everything went up at least some amount during my 4-month stay there, from beach fares down to avocados at the fruit stands. A few nitpicky details: The book recommends against taking public busses without air conditioning (and therefore does not give schedules for them). However, on a tight schedule or budget (or even not) the non-air-conditioned busses are more than comfortable. Also, the book says that a taxi ride to Mole National Park from Tamale should take about 2 hours (or 2.5, I can't remember). This is WRONG, it takes about 5 hours. The fee to get into Labadi Beach was 2c on weekdays, 4c on weekends and holidays, not the .50c that the book cites. (This discrepancy is probably due to the general unreliability of prices/rapid inflation mentioned earlier.) The book mentions Macumba nightclub as a popular place in Accra. I lived across the street from Macumba, and the only people for whom it is popular are hookers and the creepy men looking for hookers. To be fair, the book does allude to this. Other popular nightspots that aren't mentioned in the book include Cinderella's, The Office, Tantra, and Aphrodesiac. Overall, the book is certainly the best on the market as far as Ghana travel goes, if not solely for the reason that it is the only book that I am aware of dedicated to Ghana and not just West Africa with a tiny section on Ghana. It provides reliable enough information to be able to get around the country, as well as valuable background information on Ghanaian culture and history. Travellers should simply be forwarned that not everything in this book can be taken at face value, and travel plans (and budgets) need to be flexible enough to accomodate for this fact.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Ghana Travel Guide This book has been very helpful in my travel plans. I placed the order and the book came quickly. Published 4 months ago by LK Savoy 5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Excellent resource. Worth noting that the restaurant and hotel scene in Ghana changes pretty quickly, as the country has a pretty dynamic, growing economy, so a guide like this... Read more Published 10 months ago by Jeffrey A. Cochrane 2.0 out of 5 stars Since there are no other viable options... On the whole I was underwhelmed by this guidebook (this was my first Bradt purchase, I usually stick to Lonely Planet or Rough Guides) It has some good basics and background... Read more Published 14 months ago by Kkeenan2 1.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book in 2000 -- Must Update it! I used the earlier edition of this book in 2000 and it was top notch. However, here in the fall of 2008, the 4th edition is not at all up to par. Read more Published 14 months ago by Kofi Francis 4.0 out of 5 stars recommended i have found this book thorough and trustworthy - and definitely much better than the lonely planet. recommended for independent-minded travellers Published 21 months ago by first-time africa visitor 5.0 out of 5 stars travel with confidence As I write I am currently traveling in Ghana. The Bradt guide is incredibly thorough and up to date. I have traveled to many different regions relatively hassle free. Read more Published 22 months ago by Charles A. Harding 5.0 out of 5 stars Best Guide to Ghana This book (I actually own the earlier edition) literally saved my life and made my trip to Ghana last summer life-changing. Read more Published 22 months ago by Rachel A. Rampil 5.0 out of 5 stars great travel guide This is a great travel guide. I recommend it to anyone traveling to Ghana. Published 22 months ago 5.0 out of 5 stars Bradt Ghana review Excellent resource for travelers to Western Ghana. Contained more and better information than books other travelers carried. Very current - included significant changes (e. Read more Published 23 months ago by Traveling Trooper 5.0 out of 5 stars ONLY THE BEST DARN GUIDEBOOK ! ! A REAL GEM ! ! ! I have been traveling to Ghana since 2003 and have been fortunate to have Mr Briggs 2nd and 3rd editions. Read more Published on November 20, 2007 by Steven M. Levin Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 3rd edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841620939
• ISBN-13: 978-1841620930
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #544,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #20 in

  Books > Travel > Africa > Coastal West Africa

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete, Comprehensive Guide, March 30, 2000

By	Patrick Nolen (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Ghana (Bradt Country Guides) (Paperback)

Most Travel Guides just focus on the southern areas of Ghana, near Accra, Takoradi, Cape Coast and along the coastline. This book covers the entire country and every possible way of getting around.

For example, the Lonely planet's West Africa Guide did not provide information on how to get from Bolga to Wa. This book gave us the bus company, time and price of the trip. When arriving in Bolga we asked how to get to Wa and most of the people there were not really positive, but sure enough the book was completely accurate.

Another example was when we were in the Volta Region climbing Mount Afedzeto. There were no places to stay, but the guide says that if one asks for the Peace Corps on duty, that member will gladly give you a room. Sure enough we had a very comfortable place to stay for the night.

This book is well written and the best on the market. There is an incredibly helpful guide to the animals one will see in Mole national Park and a great general guide about how to get around and what to are "cultural taboos."

The author's writing style makes the book easy to read and allows you to know him well after only reading one section.

It is the only guide book that is fitting for such a diverse and delightful country.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some thoughts on Briggs' Second edition, guide to Ghana..., June 26, 2002

By	Leverett R. Smith (San Pablo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghana, 2nd: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

In that this follows a number of other reviews of Philip Briggs' "Ghana--The Bradt Travel Guide" (second edition), there may be a "coals to Newcastle" aspect to my comments. I found the first edition, recommended by a Ghanaian friend, very helpful on a trip to Ghana in February of 2001. I've since bought the second (updated and expanded) edition, and find it as readable as the first, as well as continuing to give a reasonable level of detail about getting around, places to stay, and things to see. There are some pet items that in my view would have warranted mention, such as the universities in Cape Coast and Kumasi, but it's not reasonable to expect everything about a country to show up in 354 pages. Having worked in Ghana years ago, I was not starting from zero when picking up Briggs' book. I had also been checking with a few Ghanaian friends, and had been looking into websites. Maybe that's the main point to make: No single source of information, even a very good guidebook such as this one, can be entirely complete and up-to-date.

From the U.S., at least, your visa application may be your first encounter with Ghanaian bureaucracy. Unless you live close to the embassy in Washington or the consulate in New York, get started at least two months in advance. Once in Ghana, you'll need to get adjusted to some third-world realities. Those used to North American and European infrastructure and scheduling efficiency may have to remind themselves that things really will typically take longer, that power and water outages can be frequent, that transportation will not always be fully predictable, and that breakdowns should not be a surprise. Get on the road early whenever possible, make sure that you fill that bucket in the bathroom promptly on arrival, and keep a flashlight handy. Ghana is not, in short, the sort of "autofocus" vacation area that we may tend to expect, but instead qualifies as your "grittier, more economical, more authentic African experience". Keep in mind that if you have travelled all day and arrived somewhere hot, sweaty, dusty and grimy, that your initial impression of a destination will probably not be as favorable as it will be a day later, once you have had the chance to clean up, rest up, and get calibrated to the place. Ghanaians pointed out to us, and our experience verified, that transportation functions more efficiently in southern and central Ghana than it does further north, and one should plan accordingly. Philip Briggs' guide to Ghana will definitely help in that planning.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful if you were going to Ghana 5 years ago, June 10, 2008

By	Elizabeth A. Poulsen (Lodi, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ghana, 4th (Bradt Travel Guide) (Paperback)

This book is very detailed and helpful, the only problem is that much of the information has not been updated for quite some time. There are many places listed that are no longer in existance (restaurants, banks, etc) and many new places that are nowhere to be found in the book. It says it was updated in 2007 but I was in Ghana in early 2008 and most of these things I am referring to have been around (or not been around) for quite some time. Also, the prices mentioned in the book are about 50% lower than what can be expected when you go to Ghana, and perhaps even more given the rapid rate of inflation there; the prices of almost everything went up at least some amount during my 4-month stay there, from beach fares down to avocados at the fruit stands.

A few nitpicky details:
The book recommends against taking public busses without air conditioning (and therefore does not give schedules for them). However, on a tight schedule or budget (or even not) the non-air-conditioned busses are more than comfortable.
Also, the book says that a taxi ride to Mole National Park from Tamale should take about 2 hours (or 2.5, I can't remember). This is WRONG, it takes about 5 hours.
The fee to get into Labadi Beach was 2c on weekdays, 4c on weekends and holidays, not the .50c that the book cites. (This discrepancy is probably due to the general unreliability of prices/rapid inflation mentioned earlier.)
The book mentions Macumba nightclub as a popular place in Accra. I lived across the street from Macumba, and the only people for whom it is popular are hookers and the creepy men looking for hookers. To be fair, the book does allude to this. Other popular nightspots that aren't mentioned in the book include Cinderella's, The Office, Tantra, and Aphrodesiac.

Overall, the book is certainly the best on the market as far as Ghana travel goes, if not solely for the reason that it is the only book that I am aware of dedicated to Ghana and not just West Africa with a tiny section on Ghana. It provides reliable enough information to be able to get around the country, as well as valuable background information on Ghanaian culture and history. Travellers should simply be forwarned that not everything in this book can be taken at face value, and travel plans (and budgets) need to be flexible enough to accomodate for this fact.