Table of Contents
In the summer of 2021, we found ourselves in a city at the heart of Ghana known as Kumasi. I and my colleagues were on a travel/work trip to Africa. And found ourselves arriving at the Barekese Odumase Guesthouse in Ghana. Which was a wonderful location for a city which was as densely populated as Kumasi. The city comes to life in the evening. And sees the locals and tourists flocking to the local bars and restaurants. But, this blog is about our sudden and eventful journey or rather a road trip from Accra to Abuja.
A Magical Road Trip From Accra To Abuja
Kumasi
We were able to participate in a local weekend celebration. As one of our colleagues from the South African branch named Mark had been to Kumasi earlier. We settled down around a popular restaurant known as Ike’s cafe. Local musicians sang popular songs from the ’90s and the crowd seemed to enjoy the casual ambience of the cafe. We ordered a few local specials and ordered a few drinks till we waited for the food.
Accra
The next afternoon, we were on a flight to Accra. And reached just a few minutes later than the actual arrival time. On reaching Accra, Mark had already arranged for a cab that would take us to our lodge in Accra. The ride was an eventful one as we were driven through the city of Accra. And into the outskirts to where our lodge was. On reaching the lodge me and my colleagues were excited. As the lodge was set in the heart of the African wilderness away from the hustle of city life.
Exploring Accra
Our stay in Accra was extremely wonderful. And we were able to click and document some interesting facts and traditions of the locals of Ghana. We were also invited for lunch by a local tribes chief to his house, all courtesy to Mark. Who arranged the lunch, especially for us travel writers. To help us gain a better understanding of Ghana’s rich tribal culture and heritage. The last night in Accra, Ghana was one of the best nights that we have had since our arrival in Africa.
The Tragedy
But, the actual surprise was waiting for us the next morning. In the form of a goof-up caused by the hired agent who had not booked our flight tickets to Abuja. And the next flights for the entire week was booked out. Our trip to Abuja was important as our return flight to UAE was in 6 days from the day of the goof up. Mark was already on top of the entire situation. And was able to come up with a solution that was cheaper, but time-consuming.
The Grand Plan
So the plan was to do a road trip from Accra to Abuja. Which would take us around 3 days to cover with a few stops along the way. Mark had arranged for 2 ranger rovers for our travel as we were not to make any overnight stops. So all our resting was to happen in the 4×4’s. The lodge manager was kind enough to loan us his 2 extra drivers. To make sure the trip could complete as smoothly as possible.
Day 1 – Road Trip Begins
We started our travel the very same evening. As there was no time if we were to catch our flights back to UAE. The cost of the road trip would be just 3/4th of the flight ticket. Which was the only positive thing about the entire trip. We were not sure how the trip would turn out and were hoping to reach Abuja safely. We all were both excited and scared about how the trip would pan out.
Day 2 – Our First Stop
Our first stop happened at 3 pm in the afternoon of our 2nd day into the journey. As we were given packed breakfast and tea by the lodge manager and the in-house chef. And that too free of charge. Our first stop took happened in a place known as Agouenyive which was a city in the African country of Logo. The break was an overnight refreshment and freshening up break. Mark was able to convince one of the local motel owners. To allow us to use one of his rooms for freshening up and change clothes.
Day 3 – A New Day, A New Adventure
Once we switched into our set of new and fresh clothes, we rested the night. The next morning, the travel bug in us was refreshed for another long haul. The trip resumed in the morning. And we were able to capture some great shots even though the car was moving at cruising speeds. By the time we reached the final leg of our destination. We were in desperate need of some delicious meals. For which we stopped at our next stop known as Grand Popo.
Lunch Stop
After a satisfying meal and some rest, we resumed our journey at 3 PM. The ride from Agouenyive to Grand Popo was quite heart-melting. As we were able to witness the sunset on the eastern horizon in front of us. Which put me and my colleagues in a very happy mood. We were able to take some wonderful pictures of the sunset. The travel was also quite fun as we had enough room to stretch in our 4×4’s. While we continued our travel and work.
Welcome To Lagos
Finally, at the days’ end, we reached our second last destination which was the Nigerian city of Lagos. Which was the first city we touched after crossing the Benin and Nigeria border. The city welcomed us in the dead of the night. And we decided to crash at a local motel to catch some much-needed sleep. The travel had taken a toll on us and the drivers. So, all of us voted to crash there for the night.
Day 4 – Abuja
The next morning we began our final trip to the capital city of Abuja in Nigeria. With over 1216 km of travel covered in 4 days. We were able to experience an exciting road trip in Africa. And in the end, we were able to catch our flight from Abuja to Dubai, without any further hassle. We were pretty certain that such travel would have been more fun if we had more time on our hands. And that is the reason we called this trip an accidental, but pleasant one. Because our journey through the west coast of Africa had given us memories that we would cherish forever.
