For long distances in Ghana you might want to take the bus. The busses in Ghana are touring cars, mostly with comfortable seats and enough space (but it is always a bit of a surprise). You can get the tickets (in advance) at the bus stations. In Accra the most common bus station is “Circle”. From here you can take a bus to for example Kumasi and Tamale. But what do you need to know before getting on a bus?
Buy a ticket
Depending on your destination it might be good to buy the bus ticket in advance, for example for the night bus to Tamale to make sure you will have a seat. In Ghana busses (and mostly also trotros, mini busses) leave when all the seats are sold out. This can mean you are lucky and buy the last seat so you will immediately leave, but if you are not so lucky it means you have to wait for hours to depart.
There are a few bus companies in Ghana, STC, VIP and MetroMass are the most common. The first two are comfortable (and STC often has police escort in the night for extra safety reasons), we don’t recommend the last one since their seats are hard and there is no air-condition. During a STC or VIP drive there is on-board entertainment, but you probably want to bring your own Netflix movies and music as well.
During the bus trip
During a long trip there will be several rest stops. Bring a few coins to pay for the toilet, and also money to buy some snacks or drinks. A rest stop can be chaotic since your bus is not the only one having a break there, so remind the license plate of your bus to avoid getting into the wrong one. The stop will take about 10-15 minutes.
In STC and VIP the airco-condition can be very strong, so bring a sweater or blanket and socks if you wear sandals. You might also want to bring a travel pillow, since some seats are more comfortable then others.
We love travelling by bus (and other public transportation) so during a The Ghana Traveller trip you will probably end up taking one. When you are travelling with a guide he/she will explain everything for you, if you book one of our travel itineraries we are always stand by if you need our support.
Looking for new destinations? Check our ebook with 40+ of our favourite spots in Ghana, including discount codes.