Ghana guide: Change and update

By Gayle Pescud, on April 1st, 2010

We believe this is the best value download Ghana guide you’ll ever buy. Why?

You gain years of our thoughtfully distilled experience in one comprehensive, download guide: 278 pages for the Easy Read, color-coded by section, Ghana guide that makes reading on a computer a pleasure, not a pain. You also receive the same Ghana guide in the form of a 150 page, Easy Print, black and white, small font format so you can print and take it with you, if you like, or print just those pages you need. You can even upload your Ghana guide onto your iPhone or mobile handset!

We received an email from a reader from Scotland/Australia who was at Mole National Park, in the north of Ghana when he emailed us, and explained that he had just helped out other travelers who couldn’t find what they were looking for in the Bradt guide. And, he was reading our guide on his iPhone, there, while waiting to see the elephants at sunset! High praise, indeed, and the kind of feedback we’re receiving almost daily now.

You also receive 4 MP3 (audio) files to help you acclimatize to Ghana before you even touch down: 1. Daily phrases in Twi. 2. Daily phrases in Hausa. 3. How to haggle with a taxi driver. 4. How to haggle buying street food.

Our Ghana guide is different—it’s an instant, download guide—and it’s getting very good reviews from readers. This is what readers are already saying about the PDF, download Ghana guide.

“Reading your guide has been SO helpful in preparing for our trip. Your writing skills are exceptional and your knowledge shared is appreciated.” D.N. (USA)

“I’ve been to Ghana several times (9?). I consider it my second home in some ways. Such a deep love!!! What I like about your book is as I read it I’m saying to myself, ‘Yes, exactly! Amen!’ Lol!” A.G. (USA)

“The guide looks AMAZING! It will definitely come in handy for our trip to Ghana later this year. ” T.O.

“Hi Gayle and Godwin, Thanks very much for the guide. It is the best tourist guide book ever!” S.B.

“Hello, First of all I’d just like to say a massive THANK YOU!!! I’ve just finished reading the The Insider’s Guide to Ghana and The Insider’s Guide to Volunteering and found them both to be interesting, informative and helpful.” L.M. (UK)

Ghanaians have commented that they can’t believe we managed to capture the details of Ghanaian life so accurately. Other experienced guide book writers have been impressed with the level of detail and explanations about transport that are not in any other Ghana guide—these details are the key to your Ghana traveling success and a happy experience.

You will recover the cover price within your first few days in Ghana because you’ll know how to avoid the stress and hassle that eats into your time and budget when you do things the long and hard way—which most travelers do in Ghana.

You will recover this price countless times after that, whether you’re yet-to-arrive or already here.

By buying this particular Ghana guide you will, indeed, save a lot of hassle, time and money because we explain things that other guides leave out like transport and timetables for the whole country. Many old “Ghana hands” who bought the guide have commented on this positive aspect of our guide. They also said they can’t believe we got it “so right.” We’re not sure what they were expecting, but based on the excellent feedback over time at our website, we knew we were on the right track. Our guide is so much better.

We cover Ghana health, dance, traveling, hotels, hidden attractions, money, costs, budgeting, diseases, dangers, toilets (you need a guide for these alone!), working out the difference between the old and new currency, visas, volunteering (you can download our free volunteer book guide here), to name a few of the issues.

Professional writers and guide experts have said, “This should retail between twenty-seven and forty dollars.” We agree. However, in the interests of competition and fair pricing, we chose to price the guide US$21.00; an amount you will save during your first few days in Ghana.

I only wish I had my guide when I first came to Ghana!

This is why our guide is different:

It is:

Up-to-date on prices, names and numbers (You receive free updates for 12 months from the date of your purchase.)
Did you know that the research for hard-copy, paper guide books is completed 10-12 months before the guide is actually published? Even when a travel guide is newly published, the data—prices, numbers, etc— was collected 10 months, at least, earlier. (Find link about Bradt guide for this). If you read comments by experienced guide book insiders online you’ll see that many mention that guide books are out of date as soon as they’re published. (Link to my article).
We update our guide once a month, on average, and send these updates to you when completed with a personalized download guide link with the email address you used to purchase the Ghana guide.
It’s written by a Ghanaian and a foreigner who live and travel extensively in Ghana with a network of contacts across the country
Explains clearly how to get from A(ccra)-to-B(usua Beach) (or Cape Coast, Donkorkrom, Elmina, Fosua, Ghana, Ho, I, James Town, Koforidua, Kumasi and the rest of the alphabet across Ghana)
Includes the best attractions and accommodation (so you can save time and money) with tour outlines and maps that show you how attractions connect so you can plan your own tour in Ghana
That also explains what Ghana and Ghanaians are really like (so you’re not completely at a loss when eating fufu for the first time, for instance)
With extended culture, money, costs, health, preparation, packing, electronics, voltage, and dangers sections (to put you in the most prepared and confident position before you leave)
And includes our “insider’s” tips throughout every section (so you can visit “hot” spots in your first week, instead of taking months to accidentally discover them, and avoid a lot of hassle and expense)
And lists of toilets in major towns across the country (because they are few and are not immediately obvious in the beginning) which is great if you suffer from IBS or other bowel problems
With an audio file of basic greetings and words in Twi and Hausa (by Godwin!) so you can learn to say “hello,” “I’m fine,” “How much is it?” and other useful every day phrases in the two major language groups in Ghana. You can even listen to it on your ipod or MP3 player before touching down to prepare for your first encounter with a taxi driver! Don’t worry—it’s not difficult and Ghanaians really admire your attempts to speak their languages, even if you’re trying to reduce a price.
And our role plays on how to haggle so you feel confident before touching down.

Who it’s for: The Insider’s Guide to Ghana is most suited to

First-time visitors, backpackers, travelers, expats, volunteers
Second- or third-time visitors who may have spent limited time in Ghana previously
Visitors whose last trip to Ghana was more than two years ago
Ghana expats and volunteers who live principally in one area, e.g. Accra or Cape Coast or Kumasi, and who will travel to other parts of Ghana but may be unfamiliar with those areas.

The guide is not suited to

Anyone with extensive travel experience in Ghana
Anyone who has a guide that they’re already content with using

Reality check:

The guide won’t solve all your Ghana problems—Ghana is unpredictable!—but it will make life and travel a whole lot easier, especially regarding transport, visas, health, accommodation, culture, costs, currency, and how to work out how to navigate the country.

So far we’ve received only positive comments about the quality of writing. Indeed, readers have commented on the high quality and enjoyment they have received from reading the guide. Many love our informal style. Indeed, if you enjoy our writing at This is Ghana or G-lish, you will not only find our guide extremely helpful, but also fun to use.

You can download the Ghana guide by clicking on www.g-lish.org or http://gisforghana.blogspot.com

We worked very hard to create our download guides and we hope you find value in them, whether this sample alone, the free Volunteer Guide Book to Ghana at www.g-lish.org or the complete Insider’s Ghana Guide for travel and expats www.g-lish.org/ghanaguide.

We appreciate feedback. Really. So don’t be afraid to let us know if you think we can do better or something great we might have missed. Also, if you have a dangerous experience or something really concerning about Ghana we haven’t mentioned, also please do let us know.

Thank you very much or ‘Medaase Pa’ as they say in Twi or Fanti.

Happy travels and reading.