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Traveling to Ghana
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Sandino ScheideggerTraduit del’Anglais
Ghana is a soft landing if you're new to Africa. Friendly, easy to navigate, and forgiving of beginners. You can land jet lagged and still find your hotel with ease.
To keep things familiar, this guide follows the same structure as our other travel guides: preparing for the trip, arriving, departing, and a few tips for Social Income volunteers.
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par author (media outlet) le juillet 15, 2026
New York times
Preparing for the trip
Visa: Most travelers need a visa to enter Ghana. Check whether you qualify for a visa on arrival. If you do, lucky you. If not, find the nearest Ghanaian consulate and get in touch. For Swiss citizens, the paperwork takes 2 to 3 hours to put together, then roughly a week until your passport is back in your hands. Always include a copy of your yellow fever certificate. If you send the original and it gets lost, good luck. It happened to us once, and things got complicated fast.
Money: US dollars are king, euros are queen. You can exchange both at the airport or in hotels. Larger bills get better rates, so don't be shy with the 100s.
ATM: You can withdraw cash from ATMs in Accra and other bigger cities with a debit or credit card. Tell your bank in advance to whitelist Ghana, or the machine might just swallow your card.
Mobile Internet: Highly recommended. It makes moving around much easier. If your phone only takes one physical SIM, ask your provider whether you can switch your home number to eSIM. That way you can pop in a local Ghanaian SIM for calls and data once you land (see "What to do at the airport" below).
Passport: If you have dual citizenship, bring both passports. Just don't keep them in the same place. Obviously. If one disappears, you'll be glad you did. Replacing a lost passport in Ghana is painless if your country has an embassy in Accra, and a nightmare if it doesn't.
Malaria meds: To take or not to take, that's the question. Some swear by them, others like to live on the edge. Joking aside, Ghana is a malaria risk area, so talk to your doctor. It's a tradeoff: lower risk of malaria versus the side effects of the pills.
Yellow fever vaccination: This one is required. The shot is valid for life, but get it at least 10 days before your trip. If someone at the airport tells you there's a problem with your certificate and asks for cash, hold your ground. Everything is fine. You'll save money and avoid funding bribery.
Arriving in Ghana
You'll land in Accra, where international flights come in. The airport recently changed its name again. This happens every few years, depending on who's in power. Since 2026 it's back to Accra International Airport instead of Kotoka International Airport, a switch with some political weight. Worth knowing so you're not thrown off by the old signs still floating around.
What to do at airport:
Exchange money: There are exchange booths at luggage claim and just outside. They may look a little sketchy. They're safe.
Buy a SIM card: Look for people in shirts branded MTN or Telecel. They walk around luggage claim and sell physical SIM cards with data packages (around USD 15 for 20GB).
Get to the hotel: If you want to be at your hotel with a drink in hand as fast as possible, grab an Uber or a Bolt. Bolt tends to be a bit quicker.
A few more things
Most of these go without saying, but here we go.
Stay charged: Ghana uses the Type G plug (the famously oversized UK one), so bring an adapter. A power bank helps too.
Bumps and bites: Pack antiseptic cream, sun protection, and mosquito repellent.
Food, coffee, and curiosities:
Mansa Gold Chocolate Shop & Cafe: A great spot to work and drink excellent coffee. (Map)
The Buka Restaurant: Tasty food, well located, good for social evenings. (Map)
Zen Garden: Come for the music, stay for the music. The food is just there to keep you upright. (Map)
Hippest hood: Grab a drink and order some freshly grilled spicy Tilapia while watching the nightlife evolve in Accra's hippest neighbourhood (Map)
Dot.ateliers: Striking paintings in an even more striking building. (Map)
Erico Coffins: Discover how creative a coffin can be. You could go out inside a giant shrimp, if that's your thing. (Insta)
Mausoleum: Learn about the architect of Ghana's independence movement in a peculiar building. (Map)
Departing from Ghana
For reasons no one can fully explain, check-in ends 4 hours before your flight. Even if you checked in online, you still have to stop by the check-in desk. Don't argue, just show up 4 hours early. If you're feeling lucky and have no suitcase to drop, 3 hours has worked too.
Tips for Social Income volunteers
Stay connected: We set up a WhatsApp group with everyone traveling and the country office team. That's how we stay in touch. If you normally boycott WhatsApp on principle, time to make an exception for a good cause.
Accra versus the north: Poverty levels in Ghana vary sharply between the north and the south (where Accra sits), so most likely your trip includes a visit up north to meet NGOs, programs, or recipients.
Private side trips: If you plan something outside of Social Income, ask the country office how to get around. They know what's fast, safe, and not a tourist trap. If you pass through Tamale, two good options:
Mole National Park: Worth it, as long as elephants and hyenas don't scare you off. Two hotels inside the park: a pricey one where elephants wander past your cabin, and a more affordable one down the road. (Map)
Red Clay Studio: 30 minutes from Tamale Airport. The massive studio of one of Ghana's best known contemporary artists (Ibrahim Mahama). It feels more like Documenta or the Venice Biennale than a casual studio visit. (Map)
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