22 Feb Travelling To Ghana In A Pandemic: All You Should Know

I really wanted to make a youtube video about this topic but between dealing with ill-health for over two weeks to laziness, here we are- blogging about it.

It is quite surprising, the number of people still willing to travel in a pandemic and to me, if you’re going to do it, you better do it right.

I happen to be one of those people that did it right by travelling to Ghana so here is all you need to know to make your trip a reality.

Travelling To Ghana In A Pandemic: All You Should Know

Documents

The two most important documents you need before travellings are your international passport and yellow card.

Your international passport is a given, I renewed mine in 2019 at the Ikoyi Passport office for N40,000 (it was fast-tracked, so I got it the next day).

For a yellow card, you have to pay a visit to the Ministry of Health at the airport road(Ikeja). I also did this for the first time in 2019 and I paid N2,000 for it.

The yellow card is a document that certifies that you are free of yellow fever and in some cases, tuberculosis. This document is compulsory for every traveller from an African country, visiting another.

The process is pretty straight-forward as you have to make payment online, here’s the website: https://yellowcardnigeria.com/users/adduser before going for the test.

I recommend that you go early because the crowd increases, but then again, it’s a pandemic so the crowd wouldn’t/should not be a lot.

The collection process is also simple, I remember I came back for mine the following day.

Book Your Flight

I hope you’ve secured a date and locked it in your calendar and with an airline. For African countries, I have only used AWA Airline to travel.

Their flight and process are pretty affordable and convenient. Here’s their site for your booking: https://www.flyafricaworld.com/

COVID-19 Test

Now, this is the hail mary. For the total of my trip, I did four COVID-19 tests, watch the process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3r1s0oJr3k&t=3s

I had my first test taken a day before I left, my flight was in the morning so I went early. Results are sent/taken between 24-48hrs after the test is done.

Here is the process:
1. Register on Lagos Biobank: https://covid19.lagosstatebiobank.com/home
2. Select a clinic of your choice
3. Make payment- it costs N50,000
4. Get assigned a clinic and a date
5. Get tested
6. Receive result

FYI: You need to print out your Negative COVID-19 result as a part of your documents to show at the airport.

IMPORTANT: As an effort to ensure that travellers get tested, some countries have the COVID-19 test on arrival method and Ghana is one of them. This means that you would need to make payment at the airport before you can get tested.

At the time I travelled, this test cost $150 however, there has been some speculation about it being reduced to $50. Also note that you would be required to show your cash at the airport before you get boarded, so withdraw some dollars.

Once you are cleared at the airport, you only need to take another test 24-48hrs before your departure date and another 7 days after arrival to Nigeria. Don’t forget to read the instructions on the site and also upload your test results here: https://nitp.ncdc.gov.ng/onboarding/homepage in order to receive your permit to travel.

AirBnB/ Accommodation

My favourite part! I love me some beautiful houses.

Here is a tour video of the apartment I stayed at during my stay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ssBy8U2G04&t=166s

So if you do not have someone hosting you, you should definitely look into getting an AirBnB as you can find apartments within your budget.

Cost Of Living

I have lived in Lagos for almost 3 years and I can say that nowhere is this expensive, so trust me Ghana’s cost of living isn’t high.

For the most part, I ate the foods ordered in bulk from a vendor on Instagram that makes Nigerian dishes, here’s her page: https://instagram.com/tastypotghana?igshid=ixkap1xk8sa7 And also stocked the fridge with some snacks, so I was good.

FAQS

Do They Practice Social Distancing?

This is dependent on the establishment you walk into and also your personal practice I would say. However, your facemask has to be on every time you step outside, else you might be arrested.

Are The Restaurants Any Good?

I didn’t do a lot of restaurant hopping on this visit but I know in comparison to Lagos, there aren’t as many restaurants. And out of the handful you may find, only a few have a social media presence, so it was pretty difficult deciding on what their menu was like.

One of the restaurants I visited was Bistro22, and I highly recommend.

How Did You move Around?

UBER!

Did You Get A Ghanaian Phone Number?

Yes, I did but I really didn’t have to because I know someone who lives there. I think it depends on you.

What Does The Night Life Feel Like?

Crowded. It feels like everyone wants to go out but one of the few places I enjoyed being at was Allie Bar, you should try their pork and yam chips.

Is The Airport Really As Beautiful As People Say?

Darling, yes it is. It is absolutely gorgeous and obviously well maintained.

Well, that’s it and I hope you found this piece helpful. Do read more on my travel experiences here: https://goldgerry.com/2020/09/26/all-you-need-to-know-about-ikogosi-warm-springs-resort/