What transport actually exists
Ghana moves on minibuses, long-distance coaches, taxis, a small domestic flight network and a very limited railway. There is no single timetable you can trust, and the apps that work in Accra do not reach everywhere.
Rough travel times from Accra: Cape Coast two and a half to four hours, Kumasi four and a half to six, Ho three to four, Tamale nine to twelve by road or about an hour by air, and Mole National Park eleven to fourteen hours with a change at Tamale.
Start early. A 6am departure beats a 9am one by hours, because traffic builds through the morning and the roads outside the cities are slow after dark.
- Fares here are GHS planning ranges. They rise with fuel, so confirm locally.
Tro-tros: cheap but slow to leave
A tro-tro is a minibus, usually a Toyota Hiace, with a driver and a mate who hangs out of the door, calls the destination and collects fares. They run fixed routes between stations. There is no schedule. The vehicle leaves when it is full, which can be 15 minutes on a busy route or two hours on a quiet one.
City fares are GHS 3 to GHS 10. Long-distance tro-tros such as Accra to Cape Coast run GHS 40 to GHS 70 and take longer than a coach because of the stops. The mate calls out something like Circle, Circle, and you hand your money forward through the seats. Change comes back the same way.
To use tro-tros well you need the station and the local name for your destination. In Accra the main ones are Kaneshie, Circle, Tema Station, Tudu and Lapaz. Ask at your accommodation, then ask again at the station. Do not rely on a map app for this.
- Have your fare ready. Fumbling for coins blocks the whole vehicle.
- Avoid unfamiliar routes late at night, and never count on a tro-tro for a flight.
Long-distance buses
For anything over two hours, take a coach. Intercity STC, VIP, OA and Metro Mass run from Kaneshie and Circle in Accra to Kumasi, Cape Coast, Takoradi, Ho, Tamale and beyond. Coaches leave on a schedule rather than when full, have assigned seats, and many have air conditioning set to arctic.
Accra to Kumasi is roughly GHS 60 to GHS 120 for four and a half to six hours. Accra to Cape Coast is GHS 60 to GHS 100 for two and a half to four hours. Accra to Tamale is GHS 120 to GHS 250 for nine to twelve hours. Overnight buses to Tamale and Wa save a hotel night at the cost of arriving wrecked.
Book ahead for holidays and the December rush. Luggage goes in the hold with a ticket, so keep valuables with you.
- Arrive 30 to 45 minutes before departure. Loading takes longer than the timetable suggests.
- Take a jacket. The air conditioning is often much colder than the weather.
Taxis, Uber, Bolt and Yango
In Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and, to a lesser extent, Cape Coast and Tamale, the ride-hailing apps work. Uber, Bolt and Yango all operate, prices are fixed by the app, and a cross-town trip is usually GHS 25 to GHS 80. An airport run is GHS 60 to GHS 150. Outside the big cities, the apps thin out fast.
Traditional taxis have no meter. Agree the price before you get in, and the first number is almost always inflated. A short city hop should be GHS 30 to GHS 80.
Shared taxis, called dropping, charge per seat and pick up other passengers until the car is full. At night, use the app rather than a street taxi, check the plate against the app, and sit in the back.
- Screenshot the trip details. Data can drop mid-trip.
- Airport touts quote high. Walk to the rank or book in the app.
Domestic flights
Africa World Airlines and Passion Air fly from Accra to Kumasi, Tamale and Takoradi. Flight times are short: about 45 minutes to Kumasi, about 45 minutes to Takoradi, and roughly an hour and a quarter to Tamale. Fares commonly run GHS 900 to GHS 1,800 one way and rise in December.
For Tamale, the flight is usually worth it. It turns a nine to twelve hour road trip into a morning. For Kumasi the arithmetic is closer: a flight plus airport time against four and a half to six hours on a decent highway. For Takoradi, the road is fine and the flight only pays if your time is very tight.
Schedules change, so do not book a same-day international connection after a domestic flight. The domestic terminal at Kotoka is separate from the international one, and baggage allowances are tighter than on long-haul carriers.
- Harmattan dust can reduce visibility and delay flights in December and January.
- Ask whether the fare includes a checked bag or only a cabin bag.
Trains and ferries
Passenger rail in Ghana is limited and intermittent. The Accra to Tema commuter line and the Accra to Nsawam line have run on and off in recent years. None of it is reliable enough to build an itinerary on. Check with the Ghana Railway Company for current services rather than trusting an old blog post.
On Lake Volta, ferries connect Akosombo with lakeside towns including Yeji, but they do not run daily and the crossings take many hours. Small boat crossings operate on the Ada estuary and along the lagoons. Timetables are not dependable online, so confirm locally a few days ahead and have a road alternative.
Short boat trips are worth doing: the crossing to Bojo Beach, canoe rides on the Benya Lagoon, and the boat to Nzulezo stilt village. Agree the price before you board.
- For Nzulezo, the boat and guide are usually one package. Agree what it includes.
- If a ferry is the only way to your destination, build in a spare day.
Hiring a car, with or without a driver
Self-driving is possible but not for everyone. You need your home licence plus an international driving permit, and the confidence to handle Accra traffic and two-lane highways. Rental rates run GHS 500 to GHS 1,500 a day with a deposit and insurance terms you should read. Check whether the excess is capped, because a scrape on a bad road can cost more than the rental.
Hiring a car with a driver is better for most visitors. A saloon with a driver is GHS 500 to GHS 900 a day in the south, and a 4x4 for the north or the rainy season is GHS 900 to GHS 1,600. Agree in advance whether fuel, tolls, parking and the driver's meals and accommodation are included. Those are the items that turn a cheap quote into an argument.
Main corridors like Accra to Kumasi, Accra to Cape Coast and Accra to Ho are sealed and reasonable. Feeder roads to Mole, Wli and parts of the Volta can be rough in the rains. Ask about the last 20 kilometres of any park or waterfall and whether a saloon can manage it. Police checkpoints are routine, so carry your passport and licence.
- Take photographs of the car before you drive away, including the spare tyre.
- For multi-day trips, drivers expect to be fed and housed or given an allowance.
Rules that save time and money
Travel in daylight where you can. Night driving outside the cities is genuinely risky: unlit vehicles, pedestrians in dark clothing, potholes and animals on the road. If a trip cannot be done in daylight, take the overnight bus instead of driving yourself.
Start early, carry small money, and keep a screenshot of your destination plus the phone number of where you are staying. Data coverage is good in towns and patchy in between. When you take a taxi to a remote site, arrange the return trip and take the driver's number.
Ask locals which station serves your route rather than trusting a map app, because local names and map names often differ. Do not trust an online tro-tro timetable, because there is not one. Fares and fuel prices change often, so confirm current prices before you set out.
- Keep a paper note of your hotel address in case your phone dies.
- If you feel unsafe in a vehicle, ask to stop somewhere public and get out.