Wave hello to Ghana’s best beaches

Palm trees and smooth, gently sloping shores are a given on most of the beaches in Ghana, and many are among the best places to visit in West Africa. As a destination still on the cusp of mainstream tourism, the coastal areas of Ghana are either wild and untouched or bursting with culture. Lapping ashore its 550km (340 mi) coastline, along the country’s southern edge, are the 23°C (73°F) tropical Atlantic waters of the Gulf of Guinea.

Ghana beach safety

Because Ghana doesn't use safety flags and the busiest beaches only have the odd lifeguard, assess the situation before you head in for a swim. Rip tides and powerful undercurrents are renowned in the Gulf of Guinea, especially in the areas between Cape Coast and Elmina. If there’s been a recent storm or it’s the rainy season (April to June), it’s best to avoid the water. Otherwise, decide based on how it looks from shore, whether others are swimming nearby, and if it feels safe in shallow water.

Labadi Beach Ghana

It’s always an open invitation at Labadi Beach. The vibrant hospitality of Ghana’s capital spills onto its city shoreline, where waterfront restaurants serve delicious Ghanian food, such as goat soup, seafood, and jollof rice. Nicknamed La Pleasure Beach, it’s a place to indulge in an uplifting atmosphere with a few beers or even a saunter through the shallows on horseback. As the sun disappears, bonfires begin to glow, and Afrobeat rhythms set the tempo for the night.

Brenu Akyinim

Brenu Akyinim is a beach village with a wholesome sense of community, where local people share stories of family and tradition. It’s near Cape Coast, beside a lagoon teeming with wildlife. Slow down, fill up on hearty West African cuisine, and relax on the peaceful seafront. If you get the chance, join in with creating some Ghanaian music or art.

Experience it on: Ghana, Togo, & Benin: Castles, Coastlines and Voodoo Discoveries

Bojo Beach Ghana

It’s a mini adventure getting to the country’s best ocean sunset point. Bojo Beach is surrounded by water on a slender 100m-wide (328 ft) sandbar island. Hop in a canoe from the Tsokomey docks for a guided meander along the Densu River, 30km (18.5 mi) west of Accra. Free from buildings and vegetation, this spot offers a special kind of solitude, with nothing but sand, sea, and colour-changing skies around you, yet it’s still delightfully easy to get hold of refreshments and sunloungers.

Kokrobite Beach Ghana

While the charm of its former life as a sleepy fishing village will reel you in, it’s the reggae beach parties that’ll make you stay until the early hours. Kokrobite Beach is a chilled-out expanse of fine, honey-hued sand with surfable waves and colourful hand-carved boats. Throughout the town, you’ll find pockets of creativity in the live music bars, art galleries, and its main hub for artistic expression and culture, the Kokrobitey Institute.

Ada Foah Ghana

Away from the cafés and eco-lodges where the Volta River meets the sea sits Ada Foah Beach, you can watch salt-sprayed fishers teasing in their nets filled with yellowfins for the morning market in town. Rent a kayak and explore the upstream islands and mangroves along the edge of Keta Lagoon Protected Area. On land, the first week of August brings the Ada people’s annual Asafotufiami Festival, which is held in remembrance of their ancient wars with neighbouring tribes. The town celebrates with speeches, musket firing by the Asafotu warriors, boat races, and soccer games.

Ankobra Beach

It almost feels like you’re on a remote tropical island at Ankobra Beach. Backing the sand is a wall of trees, expanding into 100 sq km (62 sq mi) of wet evergreen forest, quenched by the heaviest rainfall in the country. Amansuri Conservation Area is alive with 26 different kinds of reptiles and amphibians, 27 types of mammals, and 105 bird species. You can see black and white colobus monkeys, red river hogs, and slender-snouted crocodiles on a hike along the Ankobra River Trail. Back on the beach, sea turtles, including the elusive leatherback, come to lay their eggs between September and February.

Awangazule Beach

Your footprints might be the first on the quiet, golden cove. Hidden by vegetation at the bottom of a hill below Axim Beach Resort are the palm-shaded sands of Awangazule Beach. It’s the perfect place for a daytime snooze, and just around the corner is the busy little town of Axim. Past the shops and restaurants at the far end of the town are the white walls of Fort St Anthony, built in 1515 and the second-oldest fort in West Africa.

Busua Beach

With a continual laid-back buzz, Busua Beach is one of the best things to do in Ghana, and it's known for street food, ocean-weathered wooden shacks, and the best waves in Ghana. Grab some gear at one of the surfboard rental shops, or if you’re a rookie, sign up for beginner lessons. Crystal-clear water makes it a great area for snorkelling, but if you like to have both feet on dry land, a walk up Butre Hill is worth the thigh burn for its elevated coastal views. Back on the sand, a fresh juice from the pop-up stalls is an energizing pick-me-up ahead of a stroll to the local organic farm serving homegrown produce.

Elmina Beach Resort

If you want to try your hand at fishing, Elmina is the place for boats close to shore and for deep-sea fishing trips. At the water’s edge of Elmina town, sloping banks disappear into the sea, and the imposing white Elmina Castle sits on a protruding corner of the coastline. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was once a major transatlantic slave trade site and is the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa.

Experience it for yourself on: West African Adventure: Highlights of Ghana, Togo & Benin

Cape Three Points

On a remote western peninsula peaking through bushy overgrowth, the red beacon of Cape Three Points’ lighthouse watches over one of the country’s most pristine shores. While these views are undeniably dreamy, you’ll be just as captivated beneath the waves. Journeying humpback whales and twinkling bioluminescent plankton are often sighted here in the cooler months, and its lively reefs make it a top area for scuba diving and snorkelling in Ghana.

Sakumono Beach

On the cusp of the capital’s suburbs, Sakumono Beach is easy to get to, and it doesn’t get overwhelmingly crowded, except during holidays. After a game of volleyball, head to Nungua Junction Mall, close enough to grab some takeaway fried chicken to feast on while watching the waves. Glance east along the shores to see the boats coming and going around Africa’s biggest man-made harbour in Tema, 7.5km (4.5 mi) away.