Crime and personal safety

Violent crime against visitors is uncommon, but petty crime is real. Pickpockets work crowded markets like Makola, lorry stations and beaches. Phones are snatched through open car windows in Accra traffic. Bags are taken from beaches while the owner is swimming.

• Carry a copy of your passport; leave the original locked at your hotel.
• Keep phones out of sight at car windows and in crowds.
• Avoid walking alone on empty beaches and unlit streets at night.
• Use ATMs inside banks, malls or hotels.
• If you are robbed, hand over what is asked for. Nothing in your bag is worth an injury.

Health

Yellow fever

A vaccination certificate is required for entry and can be checked at the airport. Get the jab at a registered centre at least ten days before you fly.

Malaria

Present throughout Ghana, in Accra as well as the north, and the most serious health risk for visitors. Take antimalarials as prescribed, use repellent, sleep under a net or in screened rooms, and treat any fever during or after your trip as possible malaria until a test says otherwise. Tell your UK doctor you have been to West Africa. Diaspora travellers lose their childhood immunity after years in Britain; this catches out many returning visitors.

The sun and the heat

Ghana is a few degrees north of the equator. Drink far more water than you think you need, especially in the north and during the Harmattan.

Healthcare

Good private hospitals and clinics exist in Accra and Kumasi; public hospitals are stretched. Travel insurance with medical cover and evacuation is not optional. Bring enough of any regular medication for the whole trip, in its original packaging.

Manners and customs

Ghanaians value courtesy, and a few habits will open doors for you:

• Greet first. Before asking for anything, a price, directions, help, say good morning or good afternoon and ask how the person is. Skipping the greeting is rude.
• Use your right hand for eating, giving and receiving. The left hand is considered unclean.
• Respect elders and chiefs. Visiting a village often means greeting the chief first, sometimes with a small gift or drink money. Ask your guide.
• Dress modestly away from the beach, especially in the north, in mosques and in churches. Sunday is church day, and many towns are quiet until afternoon.
• Bargain with good humour in markets, never in shops with fixed prices, and never aggressively.
• "Obroni" means foreigner, and you will hear it often, especially from children. It is usually a description, not an insult.

The law

• Drugs: penalties for possession and trafficking are severe, including long prison sentences. Never carry a package for anyone else.
• Same-sex relationships: same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Ghana, and public attitudes are often hostile. LGBT visitors should be discreet and read the UK government's advice before travelling.
• Identification: carry a copy of your passport and visa at all times. Police checkpoints are common on the roads.
• Currency and imports: large amounts of cash and commercial quantities of goods must be declared.

If you are asked for money at a checkpoint, stay calm and polite, and ask for a receipt or the officer's name. Many such requests are dropped when politely questioned.

Emergencies

• National emergency number: 112
• Police: 191 · Fire: 192 · Ambulance: 193
• British nationals in trouble: contact the British High Commission in Accra; details are on the UK government's Ghana travel advice page.

Emergency services outside the cities are limited and slow. Save your hotel's number, your insurer's emergency line and a trusted local contact in your phone before you need them.