Cruising the Volta River and Returning to Accra, Ghana

After the road trip from hell the day before, we made one demand for our Lake Volta to Accra driving day: we were not waking up early. We told Daniel that, regardless of the schedule, we weren’t getting out of bed before 7:30 a.m. Thankfully, a WhatsApp message from him confirmed that the normal itinerary (with a working vehicle) was back on track, so we enjoyed a much slower morning. Breakfast at the hotel was serviceable but nothing memorable, and we packed up before meeting him in the lobby. While breakfast itself was meh, the grounds of the hotel were really gorgeous. There were also peacocks roaming around.

Oddly, I was yelled at for using my Canon 90D with a mid range zoom to take pictures of the hotel grounds, because they didn’t allow “professional photos” that could be sold. Brendan was only mildly reprimanded for using his iPhone to take pictures. We did not understand the sensitivity around tourists taking photographs.

The plan was to head out for a boat cruise on the Volta River, though we were a little annoyed to find out we’d be leaving directly from the hotel. Had we known, we could have left our luggage in the room and packed afterward instead of hauling everything down first.

Even organizing the boat ride felt a bit uncertain. It seemed like either the booking hadn’t been finalized ahead of time or there was some disagreement over the agreed price. After a few conversations, everything was sorted out, and we climbed aboard what was essentially a small barge for a leisurely cruise up the Volta River toward the Adomi Bridge. After the stress of the previous day, thirty quiet minutes drifting along one of Africa’s largest rivers was exactly what we needed. The calm water, fishermen along the banks, and peaceful scenery were a welcome reset.

Back on land, we climbed into the vehicle with cautious optimism. Daniel assured us the breakdown was truly behind us this time. As it turned out, the man who had come to our rescue the night before happened to be a Caterpillar mechanic. Not only did he know exactly what had failed, but he was also able to source the correct replacement part. Without that incredibly fortunate coincidence, we likely would have been stranded at Lake Volta for several days waiting for repairs.

Naturally, we had to ask Daniel the obvious question. Half joking, half genuinely curious, we wondered if politely declining the voodoo shaman’s consultation the previous day had somehow brought on our terrible luck. He laughed and quickly dismissed the idea, assuring us he didn’t believe the two were connected. Hmm.

The drive back toward Accra was thankfully uneventful, although “fast” would not be the word I’d use. Traffic remained relentless, even during the morning hours. With daylight on our side, though, we were finally able to appreciate the landscape we’d barely seen the night before. Rolling hills and scattered mountains appeared on the horizon, and one unexpected highlight was spotting several baboons along the roadside.

As we entered Accra, Daniel pulled over at a roadside vendor to introduce us to Agbeli Kaaklo, deep-fried cassava balls. They were surprisingly light, incredibly crunchy, and one of those simple roadside snacks that ends up becoming a memorable part of the trip. We’d happily eat them again.

Before heading to the hotel, Daniel noticed a tailor in James Town and suggested we stop. We’d bought fabric at the market in Lomé the previous day, so we were measured and ordered custom shirts to be made from it—a much more meaningful souvenir than anything we could have bought in a gift shop. This was a great experience and they could fit women even with men’s styles (I got my favorite – the Muslim cut).

Lunch required one final course correction. Daniel initially brought us to a dimly lit restaurant with a tired buffet and lounge singers performing softly in the background. The whole place had the unmistakable atmosphere of a waiting room where enthusiasm had gone to die. We’d noticed a brighter, more modern restaurant next door on our way in and, after glancing at its menu, politely suggested switching. Thankfully everyone agreed. It turned out to be an excellent decision. Brendan ordered a BLT with a banana, blueberry, and peach smoothie, while I chose a club sandwich and a ginger ale. My sandwich arrived with a breaded chicken breast instead of the grilled chicken I had expected, but it was still a much more enjoyable lunch than our first option promised.

By late afternoon we finally arrived at our hotel in Accra, La Villa Boutique Hotel. The room was comfortable, and perhaps best of all, the air conditioning actually worked. We walked over to an Ecobank ATM to withdraw enough Ghanaian cedis to repay Daniel the 200 cedis he had loaned us during yesterday’s unexpected breakdown. It was nice to be on our own a bit and to enjoy some unstructured time even spent performing errands, brief as it was. We enjoyed the hotel room and hotel grounds for the rest of the afternoon, and spent some time relaxing before dinner.

Dinner was intentionally simple: a shared salad, a pizza that turned out to be unexpectedly spicy, and I sampled a local Tale beer before we called it an early night. After the previous 48 hours, a quiet evening in a modern room felt like a luxury.