Weekend Outings

If you have come from a country with lots of parks, outdoor activities and places to go at the weekends you might struggle a little when you first arrive in Accra. The good news is that there are some great places to explore with family or with friends. Here are some suggestions from the No Worries team:

Aburi Botanical Gardens and Hillburi for lunch

Although these gardens have lost their former glory its a great opportunity for kids to run around some green open space. Its worth while walking around the gardens and reading the signs next to the trees as you may find some trees or shrubs from your country!

It's best to arrive early in the morning as especially on Sunday's as it can be very popular with church groups. After you have explored the gardens drive back down to Hillburi Resort where you can have lunch and a swim.

Artists Alliance Gallery followed by lunch at either La Palm or Labadi beach

The National Theatre 

Has interesting shows, sometimes a child-themed program with events and sessions for children.

Alliance Francaise 

Often has classes or shows that are appropriate for all ages. Also good outdoor music events and casual pizza venue.

Biking and exploring the University Gardens

They are a little tricky to find but worthwhile once you get there. There is a small playground suitable particularly for bigger kids with a great tyre swing. You can go onto the small lake on a boat. It's also worthwhile packing the bikes and a picnic as there are some great gardens behind the lake to explore with lots of termite mounds. A good place for dog walking too.

Sailing at Ada Foah

For those of you who love to sail this is a great place with a sailing club.

Ghana Sailing Club, A slice of paradise far from the madding crowd... stated on their website (http://ghanasailingclub.com). The first Sunday of the month is Regatta day! One and a half hours drive from Accra (up to 2 hours on a busier day). From Osu it's 114km to Ada Foah (East of Accra on the Volta estuary).
10 GHS/adult for non member if you want to have a day trip there. Speed boat for sightseeing (one hour 100 GHS) and Water skiing (150 GHS). Canoeing (10 GHS) and Laser sailing boat ((15 GHS) on rental basis are available for non member to try. Club has a bar only (Outside drink is not allowed) but a large-fully-equipped communal kitchen and BBQ is available (call to confirm first).

Day trip beaches:

The further you can travel out of Accra the slightly cleaner the beaches get! Bojo beach is about a 45 minute drive from Accra and is a great place to spend the day. Other beaches include Kokrobite & Tills Beach.

Bowling at Harbin bowling followed by an Lebanese feast at Le Bouquet

Watching a movie at the air-conditioned cinema at Accra Mall followed by hot dogs & ice cream at Frankies (in the food court)

Akosombo Dam followed by lunch at the Volta hotel for amazing views. There are a number of fun things to do in this area in addition to touring the dam. Many of the lakeside hotels offer 1-2 hour canoe trips which will take you around the lake area below the dam for some truly breathtaking views of local wildlife, the Adome Bridge, and fishing communities. Sajuna Beach Club is a favorite and has a well-kept pool, volleyball, swingset, and boat tours available. While in this area, be sure to also visit:

-Cedi Beads in Odumasi. Mr. Cedi has a very warm personality and does a fantastic job of demonstrating all the art that goes into creating traditional Krobo beads made from glass. You can schedule a session with him to make your own beads if you wish, or simply observe his methods. He has a lovely shop with all sorts of bead-based jewelry and trinkets.

- Shai Hills reserve [on the way to Akosombo on the Tema road], is a great day trip with the kids. The Shai Hills Lodge down the road offers clean accommodations for fair rates if you wanted to get an early tour in to see the animals. Troops of Baboons are often seen early in the mornings lounging by the side of the road, but can also be seen during the evenings deeper in the park as well. While there is not a plethora of wildlife, there is enough of a variety of things to do to make it interesting for a day. A park ranger can guide you to the bat caves, historic Krobo caves, and Monkey Rock. Some spots conducive to rock climbing and bouldering.

Boti Falls (Koforidua), if you can keep the kids entertained with an iPad or a good book it's well worth the 2.5 hour drive. You can cool off in the pools below the waterfalls and have a picnic back at the top. Close by is Umbrella rock for some amazing views of the valley.

More information on these locations can be found in the Exploring Ghana/Travel section