ABOUT GHANA & WEST AFRICA

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
You need a visa to travel to Ghana and other West African countries. This can be obtained from the appropriate embassy in your country of residence. A valid international yellow fever vaccination certificate is required as proof of vaccination within the past 10 years. You are also advised to consult your doctor well in advance of your visit so that you may begin malaria prevention treatment. This is usually in tablet form.

CLIMATE/CLOTHES
As a typical tropical region, West Africa has an average monthly temperature ranging of between 21°c and 45°c (70f - 110f). It is important therefore to travel with appropriate clothing for protection e.g. light cotton clothes, sunscreens, lip balm, insect repellent, open canvass shoes and hiking boots, sunglasses and hats. The air conditioned vehicles can become quite cool during mornings and evenings, therefore we suggest that you bring along a sweater to wear when needed. Once in West Africa you are advised to drink as much bottled water as possible. This will help to prevent dehydration.

MEDICAL REMINDERS
We suggest that you let Foxy World Travel & Tour know about any ailment that you have in case of any emergency. Please bring along any medicines you are taking because you may not find the same kind here in West Africa. It is important that you keep your medicine on you at all times.

FOOD & WHAT TO EAT
West Africa has an abundance of food grown locally or imported and you can usually find a wide variety of continental and local African dishes in most African restaurants. There are also many international restaurants, which specialize in food from countries such as American, India, China and Indonesia, European as well as other African countries. There are fast food chains that serve fried hamburgers, chicken, French fries etc. Visitors are encouraged to sample the local dishes. But a word of caution here: Please be careful with the local hot pepper, also called shito. Do not eat food from street vendors. Drink only sealed bottled mineral water, which is readily available at most grocery and shell shops throughout West Africa.

CHRISTIAN AND ISLAMIC WORSHIPS
Church worship on Sundays and Islamic worship on Fridays are fully participated by the locals. Those who may wish to share fellowship with the locals are invited. There are various churches (different denominations) as well as numerous mosques.

FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE
The currency used in Ghana is known as the Cedi. Foreign currency can be exchanged at Forex bureau and banks. Forex bureau generally give a better rate and these rates vary from place to place however, the difference is normally very minimal. Larger bill denominations attract a higher rate and vice versa. Travelers’ checks are changed at a much lower rate than notes in a few forex bureaux and banks. Visa, American Express and other ATM cards can be used to obtain cash advances at banks but are not widely used for purchasing goods outside the major cities and international hotels.

BARGAINING
An interesting aspect of shopping in West Africa is that apart from fixed prices of items on sale, there is the bargaining system, where the buyer and the seller negotiate on the price. Usually, the seller starts the price sometimes between 50% - 100% above the normal price. This means the buyer should have strong bargaining skills to be able to beat the price down to appreciable level. It is advisable that you do some window shopping first to establish the price range of an item before you decide to buy. But as the saying goes, a good price is what the item is worth to you!

ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
Please note that Ghana operates on 220 volts. If you are coming from the Americas (US) you will need to bring an adaptor, the three pronged or two pronged plugs can be used.

ENTRANCE FEE FOR CAMERAS/VIDEOS
Pictures are allowed to be taken in most tourist attraction sites. However, you are required to pay between $2.00 to $5.00 for taking cameras and videos into some of these tour sites.

PACKING TO DEPART
For quick identification of your luggage, all group members are advised to use the same bright coloured ribbon/tags. As a precaution, you should tag all luggages with your name, business address, your destination, dates of stay and the name of the Airline and Flight number as well. Remember to remove all old luggage tags so that airline luggage handlers neither do nor get confused. Make a list of contents of each bag, especially if you will be switching airlines during transits. If you have to force your luggage shut, it means you have over packed. Do not risk this as it may burst open.

CARRY ON LUGGAGE
Your carry on luggage should include extra clothing and items like medicine, eyeglasses and valuables such as cameras, jewelleries, and cash that you can use in an instance where your larger luggage does not come with you or arrive on time.

PACKING TO LEAVE WEST AFRICA
If you buy items that need packing this can be handled in two ways:
By buying local bags and checking it in with your luggage. This bag comes in three different sizes. It is commonly used by tourist to ship stools and other artefacts.
By hiring a professional packing company. This will cost you a little more money but in using a packing company, you are assured that your items will not get damaged. You can still check in your package as part of your luggage. However please bear in mind that you are only allowed two pieces of luggage. Extra piece of luggage attracts a range $100.00 to $200.00 depending on the size.

GIFTS GIVING
Most tourists enjoy giving out gifts, especially to those that live in villages. We commend this generosity; however we would ask you not to give gifts in situations where there are more than five people around. If you do so, you may attract a crowd and you could be mobbed. It is recommended that you ask your tour guide for assistance before dispensing gifts.

HOTELS
For the purpose of prevention of fire and safety of our guests, which is most important to us, the following should be strictly observed: That is do not smoke in bed and remember to turn off all electrical appliances before going outside the hotel or to bed at night.

SAFETY OF VALUABLE ITEMS
Thefts are very rare in the hotels, but for the purpose of certainty and to protect your valuables from pilferage; an item such as gold trinkets, necklaces, rings and money should never be left casually in the room. Safe deposit box is available in the rooms or can be acquired on request at the hotel front desk.

COMMUNICATIONS
At your hotel you will have access to phones with international lines, faxes and email; however, this may be different once you leave cities to the countryside. There are also many communication and business centres in most cities where you can make and receive calls or check your mails.

TIPS
Tips are encouraged for better relationships. You may carry smaller denominations in your pocket to satisfy those who offer services. The amount you give depends on the quality of the service received.

PHOTOGRAPHY
You may take photographs anywhere except at military and police installations, zones and residences. The Airports, police and military installations and the official residence of Presidents are prohibited. Pictures of individuals may be taken with their permission. When in doubt consult your tour guide.

SOCIAL ETHICS
West Africa like every other region in the world has its own code of social ethics. In West Africa, it is considered a gross insult or taboo to receive, give or point at someone with your left hand.

TRADE AND BUSINESS
We suggest that you do not enter into trade or business transactions with casual friends, they may not be genuine. Those who wish to do so must seek the advice of consultants. We suggest that you do not buy precious minerals from unlicensed dealers, they may be fake.

NIGHT CLUBS
There are many clubs and discos in the capital cities in West Africa. Your guide will give you the names of the most popular ones. It would interest you to see how the West African party and jazz music are organized.

MISSING LUGGAGE
If your luggage does not arrive on your flight alert airline personnel immediately, it may still be on board. If your luggage is not found you should fill out a copy of a baggage claim form from the Airline, and return it to the airline officials. If your luggage has been damaged, check if all its contents are intact right away. If you notice something, report to the airline representative and s/he will write a written report known as a Property Irregularity Report.

WHAT TO DO TO ENJOY YOUR AFRICAN TRIP
Africa is still developing so a three star or a four star hotel in the US or Europe will be different from that of Africa. Your trip will be pleasant if you do not compare things with the US or Europe. In other words you should appreciate West Africa the way it is. There are possibilities that your itinerary might change but this however happens on rare occasions, and if it happens the changes are normally very minor. So you will still have a great trip. Service may be a bit slow, so it is always advisable to place your orders for meals early, relax and have the patience to wait. Africa is unique in its culture and you will definitely notice a lot of cultural differences. For further information that is accurate, update and unbiased, we suggest you read the Rough Guide for West Africa.