BromleyBoy
Member
I may need to go to Ghana in the next few months for family reasons, and am considering doing some cycle-touring around the country (north and south) for 3/4 weeks before spending a few days in Kumasi. I've not been to sub-Saharan Africa before (only backpacking in Egypt in the mid 80s and Tunisia in the mid 90s). I've searched on this website, Cycling UK, and CrazyOnYourBike for recent cycling trips but could only find one from around start of Covid19 in 2020 (https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o= ... 22663&v=Iu - which was fairly useful).
My main queries are:
- I'm thinking of flying with British Airways from London to Accra. BA's policy on bikes (https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/in ... -equipment) states "..... tell us firstly how big your bike container is and, secondly, how much it weighs. Clothes and other personal items must not be packed in your bike cover/box Your bicycle can be transported in a hard shell box, padded case or heavy-duty polythene bike bag up to 190 x 95 x 65cm (75 x 37.5 x 25.5in)." Is BA strict about the weight (23kg), size, material, and content of the container? I usually get a large cardboard bike box (approx. 147 x 22 x 90 cm, 3kg) from my local bike shop, and stuff some clothes and bike tools and accessories inside. Keeping to 23kgs might be difficult with my touring bike, the weight of the box, padding, some clothes, bike tools and accessories. But I'll do a dry run soon.
- What type of bike would be best for Ghana's variable roads? (I'm mindful of a couple of photos Accra-based @Cycleops posted a few years ago about the variable state of Ghana's roads.) I've got a flatbar Condor Heritage (26 inch tyres) and a Ridgeback World Panorama (700 x 35 tyres} with drop handlebars. The couple in the above COYB blog toured a few weeks in early 2020 (mainly in the south I think) on drop handle tourers.
- How easy is it to find clean, safe, reasonably okay hotels for say £15 or less a night outside Accra and Kumasi?
- What are the roads like re safety (e.g. theft and robberies) traffic and road quality?
- I've read the Foreign Office website advice about Ghana, and listened to a couple of recent radio programmes about Ghana on BBC Sounds and am aware of the recent demonstrations about inflation, the high cost of living, alleged mismanagement by the government and Bank of Ghana, and IMF intervention. Is there much tension in the towns and cities, in the country generally?
- Are there any recent cycle-touring blogs/articles about Ghana you can send me the links to?
In recent years I've cycle-toured alone on my flatbar Condor Heritage (26" wheels) in Vietnam (HCMC to Danang in 2020, and around the Mekong Delta in March) and with a friend in Cambodia (2018) in trips of 3/4 weeks. Ghana it seems would be more of a challenge......(?)
My main queries are:
- I'm thinking of flying with British Airways from London to Accra. BA's policy on bikes (https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/in ... -equipment) states "..... tell us firstly how big your bike container is and, secondly, how much it weighs. Clothes and other personal items must not be packed in your bike cover/box Your bicycle can be transported in a hard shell box, padded case or heavy-duty polythene bike bag up to 190 x 95 x 65cm (75 x 37.5 x 25.5in)." Is BA strict about the weight (23kg), size, material, and content of the container? I usually get a large cardboard bike box (approx. 147 x 22 x 90 cm, 3kg) from my local bike shop, and stuff some clothes and bike tools and accessories inside. Keeping to 23kgs might be difficult with my touring bike, the weight of the box, padding, some clothes, bike tools and accessories. But I'll do a dry run soon.
- What type of bike would be best for Ghana's variable roads? (I'm mindful of a couple of photos Accra-based @Cycleops posted a few years ago about the variable state of Ghana's roads.) I've got a flatbar Condor Heritage (26 inch tyres) and a Ridgeback World Panorama (700 x 35 tyres} with drop handlebars. The couple in the above COYB blog toured a few weeks in early 2020 (mainly in the south I think) on drop handle tourers.
- How easy is it to find clean, safe, reasonably okay hotels for say £15 or less a night outside Accra and Kumasi?
- What are the roads like re safety (e.g. theft and robberies) traffic and road quality?
- I've read the Foreign Office website advice about Ghana, and listened to a couple of recent radio programmes about Ghana on BBC Sounds and am aware of the recent demonstrations about inflation, the high cost of living, alleged mismanagement by the government and Bank of Ghana, and IMF intervention. Is there much tension in the towns and cities, in the country generally?
- Are there any recent cycle-touring blogs/articles about Ghana you can send me the links to?
In recent years I've cycle-toured alone on my flatbar Condor Heritage (26" wheels) in Vietnam (HCMC to Danang in 2020, and around the Mekong Delta in March) and with a friend in Cambodia (2018) in trips of 3/4 weeks. Ghana it seems would be more of a challenge......(?)
