Sekondi travel guide

Sekondi, Ghana

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Sekondi

Introduction

Sekondi-Takoradi is a city in Ghana made up of two twin cities, Sekondi and Takoradi. It serves as the capital of both the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan District and the Western Region of Ghana, and it is the largest city in the region as well as an industrial and commercial centre.

As a twin city, Sekondi-Takoradi pairs two distinct urban areas under one administration, with the wider metropolitan area led by a mayor and each of the two cities represented in parliament.

Before you go

Sekondi-Takoradi is a twin city on Ghana's western coast, formed from the sites of 17th-century Dutch, Swedish and English forts and combined into a single municipality in 1946. It is an industrial and commercial centre, with timber, plywood, shipbuilding and railroad repair among its chief industries, and the main railway lines to Accra and Kumasi pass through it. The discovery of large crude oil reserves in the western region has drawn people from all over the world, so expect a working port city rather than a resort town.

The everyday language you will hear is Akan, particularly Fante, so a few words of Fante go a long way; a Fante phrasebook is a useful thing to have with you. On the safety side, note that some hotels employ security guards.

Getting there

By air, flights from Accra to Takoradi Airport, which sits at Airport Ridge along the Agona Nkwanta/Axim Road, take roughly 40 to 50 minutes. Standard domestic luggage limits apply, but flying is the fastest option if you want a quick, comfortable trip on a regional aircraft. By road, the journey from Accra to Takoradi usually takes around 4 to 5 hours, with private long-distance coach operators such as VIP Jeoun frequently serving the highway route. Car rental is also readily available in Takoradi if you prefer to drive yourself or hire a driver. Once you arrive, the city's road network makes it easy to get around by public trotro on set routes, or by hailing a drop or chartered taxi to take you straight to your destination.

Getting around

Sekondi is the older half of the twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi, and the two centres are far enough apart that most visitors won't walk between them. Instead, use the commuter train, which runs several times a day between Sekondi and Takoradi and the stations in between — a straightforward alternative to a long road trip if you're staying in one half and visiting the other. Takoradi railway station is the main rail point. Note that this is a conventional commuter service, not a metro or tram network; there is no metro or tram system here. Within a single neighbourhood, walking is a reasonable way to reach markets, restaurants and nearby landmarks, but plan around the heat and the wet season, which brings heavy rain and flooding near the Anankwari, Kansawura and Whin rivers. Be ready to switch to a taxi when it rains.

Public transport is dominated by trotros, shared minibuses on set routes — the cheapest and most frequent option, though you'll need to ask which route serves your destination and where to pick it up. Fares are paid in cash to the mate on board, and there is no citywide ticket or travel pass to buy in advance. Taxis come as shared taxis along common routes or as drop/chartered taxis for door-to-door trips; agree the fare before you set off, since chartered taxis are negotiated rather than metered. Car rental is readily available in Takoradi, with or without a driver. For longer journeys, there are connections to major cities including Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Tema, Tamale, Sunyani, Ho, Wa, Bolgatanga, Techiman, Mim, Elubo and Aflao, and private coach operators such as VIP Jeoun run the highway route to Accra with executive and standard classes. If you arrive by air, Takoradi Airport sits at Airport Ridge along the Agona Nkwanta/Axim Road, close to Sekondi, so the transfer into town is short — take a taxi or chartered drop taxi, or a trotro if you know which route heads your way.

Where to stay

For a splurge stay, the city's upscale options cluster along the coast and the main roads leading out of town. On Beach Road you'll find the Best Western Plus Atlantic Hotel, while the Alliance Hotel By Eagles on Axim Road offers an elegant pool and ocean views. The Palms by Eagles sits in the hotel zone favoured by the petrodollar crowd, with the full range of full-service amenities: pool, hot tub, spa, gym, restaurant and bar, and wifi. Planters Lodge and Spa on Dixcove Road occupies an estate built by the British Air Force in the 1930s, now a 44-bedroom hotel.

If you're watching your budget, the SuperStar Hotel is the practical choice, conveniently close to Takoradi Market Circle and staffed around the clock.

Food & drink

Local food is the main event here, and you will find people eating dishes such as fante kenkey with fried fish and hot pepper. For a filling meal, try a chopbar serving soup dotted with hunks of meat alongside fufu — a popular option in the area. If you are after international cuisine instead, there is an Indian restaurant where you can find biryanis and veg pokharas. To cool down, head to the beach outside town, a good spot to enjoy the surroundings. There you will find African drinks such as pitoo and palm wine.

What to see and do

In Sekondi you can visit Fort Orange, built by the Dutch as a lodge and later converted into a trading post and then a fort, after attacks by the Ahantas. It stands near the naval dockyard, close to the site of the British Fort Sekondi, also known as Fort George, which the Dutch heavily damaged; Fort Orange itself later passed to the British crown. It is now dilapidated, serving in part as a lighthouse and in part as a place where people dry their clothes. East of the city, near the coast in Shama, Fort San Sebastian is the third oldest fortification on the Ghanaian coast, built by the Portuguese to deter British interference before being ceded to the Dutch and then the British; it was used in the African slave trade and is where the first Black European professor is interred. The Takoradi European Public Cemetery holds the graves of a number of South African airmen who died in World War II. For sport, the Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium is a multi-purpose ground used primarily for football and home to Sekondi Hasaacas FC; it also hosted matches during the African Cup of Nations.

When to go

Sekondi-Takoradi has a hot tropical savanna climate, with high temperatures all year and a short dry season followed by a wet one. If you want the driest conditions, plan around January to May: this stretch is hot and dry, with rain scarce and humidity at its lowest in December. Be prepared for the heat, which peaks during this same period.

The wet season falls between May and June, with June the wettest month. Heavy rain can make the Anankwari, Kansawura and Whin rivers overflow, and past floods have displaced large numbers of residents, so travel with caution around rivers and low-lying areas. August brings the year's highest humidity, when the air feels muggy and sticky; rain is less intense than in the wet season, but conditions stay heavy.

Three days in Sekondi

Day one: Start in Sekondi, the older half of the twin city, and get your bearings along the coast before crossing to Takoradi. The two are joined in the Takoradi Metropolitan District of Ghana's Western Region, and the contrast between them is the point of the trip. Sekondi's history runs through Dutch, Swedish and English trading presence, while Takoradi grew as the modern port and commercial centre. Use the day to walk the older streets and the harbourfront, then move across to Takoradi for the evening. If you arrive by air, Takoradi Airport sits close to the city, with Airport Ridge nearby.

Day two: Head inland and along the coast roads. Agona Nkwanta is a junction town within reach, and the Axim Road runs west toward the coast. The Akan and Fante character of the region shows in markets, food and language. If you would rather stay in town, spend the day between the two cities, noting how Sekondi and Takoradi divide their roles. Car hire is one option; VIP Jeoun and Standard are among the transport names you may come across, and public transport links the twin city with Cape Coast, Tema, Tamale, Sunyani, Accra and Kumasi.

Day three: Use your last day for the parts of the twin city you have not yet seen. The Anankwari and Kansawura are local streams worth knowing as landmarks, and Whin is another name you may hear in the area. Fares for taxis are negotiable, so agree before you set off. If you are flying out, Takoradi Airport is the departure point; otherwise the road links to Cape Coast, Accra and beyond make onward travel straightforward. Keep the morning slow and the afternoon for errands before you leave.

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