Accommodation, VISA & Getting Around Accra

VISA

For your invitation letters to Idlelo and for visa purposes, please send the following information:

Surname (as it appears on Passport)

Other names

City, Country

Contact (including fax if possible)

Email address

Passport number

Valid till:

To adake@africaonline.com.gh

Please note that WEST AFRICAN citizens do not need a visa for Ghana.

Accommodation

IDLELO 4 Conference Participants are advised to make reservations directly

with the under-listed recommended hotels and guest houses.

Please quote the reservation code “IDLELO 4”.

Please copy all reservations to the IDLELO 4Events Manager

at the following email address

adake@africaonline.com.gh

Do not hesitate to send him an email if you are having difficulty contacting the hotel or guest house.

The rates quoted below are special discounted rates

negotiated for IDLELO 4.

The rates are for Bed & Breakfast unless otherwise indicated and include all taxes.

Please note that payment by credit card is accepted

at some of the hotels and guest houses,

but is generally subject to a surcharge.

Please also note the cut-off date for reservations at the respective hotels. After the cut-off date, reservation can be made based on availability of rooms.

Reservation dates have been quoted as follows:

ARRIVAL: 16^th May, 2010

DEPARTURE: 22^nd May 2010

If your itinerary requires different dates; either arriving earlier or departing later, please make the indication in your reservation. The hotels and guest houses have been sensitized about those possibilities and also about the pre-conference training programmes and other event.dates.

NOTE THAT RESERVATION FOR THE CENTRAL HOTEL IS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM 17^TH MAY, 2010.

Getting around Accra

Hotel – Conference Pick-ups

Participants at approved hotels shall be picked up by the conference organisers. 

Taxis

Taxis are available in the city. The fare for short distances costs 2 GHS on average.

Safety

Ghana is a safe country by African standards. However, when in Accra, please consider the following:

• Try to go out in groups
• Try to avoid city centres and hotspots after hours • Keep in well?lit and populated areas
• Be aware of where your belongings are at all times (bags, wallets, etc.)

Local Customs 

Using your left hand to take anything, eat, shake hands or give someone something is seen as a sign of great disrespect. 

Restuarants

Restaurants in Accra are of a varied standards. Hotel restaurants and restaurants that look busy are generally advisable. An average meal should cost between 6 and 20 GHS. Prices lie between 30 and 50 GHS for a high class meals. Below is a list of some of the recommended restaurants.

Tourist Attractions

Accra has many attractions. These include: 

• The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum Independence Square
• The National Museum
• Accra Handicraft Market (Arts Centre)
• Christianborg Castle 

If you are interested in submersing yourself in the local culture, Oxford Street in Osu and the Arts centre are good options. They offer all kind of souvenirs including crafts and kente. The Woodin shops in Osu & Accra Mall offer authentic African fabrics.  

Listed below are some of the popular sights outside Accra that are popular places of interest: 

• Kakum National Park – also has a canopy walkway (about 333m above sea level)
• Cape Coast Castle – ancient castles used for slave trade
• Nzulezu – village on stilts
• Lake Bosomtwe – the only natural lake in Ghana
• Wli Waterfalls
• Tagbo falls
• Kintanpo falls
• Kumasi Zoo
• Paga Crocodile Pond
• Aburi Botanical Gardens
• Bonwire – Kente weaving village

For more information on these tourist sites or to book a pre- or post-conference tour please visit http://www.touringghana.com/tourist_sites.asp

IDLELO Tours 

There will be 3 main Idlelo Tours during the conference.

• Cape Coast Castle Tour
• Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum & Independence Square Accra Shopping Tour:
• Accra Mall, Arts Centre and Woodin.

Participants are advised to register for any tour they are interested in during the on-site conference registration to prevent disappointments.