Planning Ghana, Togo and Benin

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Air? This involved flying to and from Accra, Ghana. We flew Chicago to Frankfurt on United, and used miles for the Frankfurt-Accra portion on Lufthansa. Lufthansa has a superb web of routes all over the world and we’ve found it to be more cost-effective (especially in the Winter) to buy a ticket to Europe and then use miles for the next leg of the trip. Other airlines: Alitalia, American Airlines, British Airways, Northwest – many choices. (Lowest International airfares Economy Travel

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Visas? You need for all three countries including multiple entries for Ghana and Togo. None of these countries let you get visas upon arrival. We used Zierer Visa Service rather than Fedexing back and forth to consulates in Washington, DC, eliminating the entire hassle-factor.

Travel Insurance? The price of this trip included the cost of a baseline insurance pakage for medical coverage and emergency evacuation. It did not include trip cancellation. As I’ve stated before, we always buy travel insurance for peace of mind. All it takes is one incident where you lose all money paid for the trip and you’ll be a convert. (Your worldwide travel needs worldwide coverage. Travel insurance travels with you. Get a free quote now!

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Health & Immunizations? You are required to have a Yellow Fever vaccination. You must present your International Certificate of Vaccination showing the yellow fever vaccine in order to get a visa. Only Yellow Fever Vaccination clinics are allowed to administer this. Check out where in your area at the Centers for Disease Control and also their recommendations for other immunizations.

Recommended were: Meningitis type A, Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A, and Polio. We also needed to take Malaria pills – our drug of choice is Lariam, (Mefloquine is the generic). (We prefer the once-a-week Lariam to the once-a-day Malarone - but it’s your choice). Sub-continental travel requires lots of medical necessities…but it is worth it!

Weather and Clothing? It was going to be very hot and humid! Long shorts, lightweight clothing, sandals were all we needed.

Included? Airport transfers, sightseeing, expert leadership, accommodation in hotels when possible and group camping equipment (we did have to bring a sleeping bag), all meals, bottled water, tips for camp, hotel staff, almost all meals, guides, cook, etc. The reason that this this trip involved some camping was simple. Tents are almost always preferable to available hotels in remote accommodations. A big amen to that!

Last – bring money! If, like me, you can get into “obsessive-compulsive shopping” mode — bring lots of money. There was seemingly no end to the unusual, ethnic crafts seen in these countries and unlike Western Art, all true African Art has a use. Don’t pass them by because you will never see anything like them again! Major buyer’s remorse will set in after the trip is over…trust me on this.

Another real “Adventure Trip.” This would require lots of patience and ability “to go with the flow” but we were psyched and excited about revisiting West Africa…

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