Unusual Holiday Destinations

Unusual Holiday Destinations - Ghana & Norway.

Ghana

• Beaches: The coastline glitters with sandy beaches and secluded palm fringed coves. For a tranquil beach holiday head east towards the fishing village of Ada where you can chill out in charming beach chalets or a luxury villa. If you head west Takoradi is a renowned resort that is flanked by forts and beachside resorts. You can drive all the way west to Cape Three Point which is the most southerly point in Ghana.
• Glorious food: Ghanaian cuisine is heralded worldwide. Spices are integral to most recipes so be sure to ask for “mild” if your palate doesn’t want a roasting. Peanut soup is a delicious filling dish that is served with rice balls. Try grilled snapper, grouper or barracuda served with jelof rice.. For a cosmopolitan meal in Accra nowhere compares to Monsoon, and if you are visiting Takoradi, visit The Pub for the best steak and grouper in town.
• Bargains at the market: Take a day or two to test out your haggling skills at one of Accra’s many markets. Makola market is excellent for paintings and local crafts while the government run Cultural Centre has all this and more.
• After Dark: Nightlife in Ghana is similar to the Mediterranean in that it comes alive at midnight when bars and clubs are packed with locals, ex-pats and tourists in search of a good time. For an authentic night out head for bars like Baywell Bar where Ghanaian singers serenade the crowd and enthusiastic African dancers shake their booty on the dance floor, showing the tourists how its done.
• Experience Safari: Ghana is an ideal destination for a wildlife safari holiday. The National Parks in Ghana are home to a dazzling array of wildlife. Mole National Park alone has over 93 mammal species. Ghana also has over 755 species of birds.
• Volunteer while on holiday : Ghana is one of many African countries that volunteers swarm to from all over the world. There are a variety of projects to try your hand at, including environmental, Aids awareness and working with street kids programmes. www.osuchildrenshome.com
• Preparation for Ghana: A visa is required which can be obtained for €40 through the Ghana Visa Office in London. Vaccinations are necessary including one for Yellow Fever. You need to show this card proving you have had this vaccine on arrival. Also malaria tablets are essential for whatever part of Ghana you visit. It is wise to visit the tropical medical bureau before travelling www.tmb.ie
• Getting there: Flights to Ghana via London and Amsterdam are on a daily basis with British Airways and KLM respectively. Prices are from €530 depending on time of travel. Available direct through the airlines websites or travel agents like Club Travel and USIT.www.usit.ie

Norway - The Lofoten Islands

• The Lofoten Islands are an archipelago of over one thousand islands within the arctic circle off the north coast of Norway.
• They are famous for the winter lights - but the past decade has seen them become a very popular summer destination, especially for French, Spanish and Italian travellers looking for wide open spaces and to escape the crowded med.
• The Hurtigruten (HURT-I-GRU-TEN) is the Express boat service that runs from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes, right up around the top of Norway to the Russian border.
• 12 ships run in a shuttle service that leaves every day from Bergen, winter and summer. The ships call into 34 towns and fishing inlets twice a day, carrying everything from fresh vegetables and milk to tourists, fishermen and the post.
• But as a summer destination, when it boasts 24-sunshine, temperatures in the low twenties and pristine, spectacular islands, fjords, mountains and beaches, it makes a enticing alternative to the sun-traps of the Med or the more established back-packer trails of Europe and further afield.
• The Lofoten islands and the Helgeland coast have one of the most unique climates in the world.
• In island towns like Svolvær, the sun is above the horizon from May 25 to July 17. That’s 24 hours of sunshine.
• Temperatures in mid-summer can rise to around the low-to-mid-20s and the sun shines for hour after hour, day after day, week after week.
• You can get more information and book on hurtigruten.com and SAS fly daily between Dublin and Oslo in the summer.
• Also, the regional airline in Norway - their Aer Arann - is called Wideroe airlines and they will do an unlimited, two week island hopping ticket starting at €316.