Shama Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Shama is a coastal town in the Shama district in the Ghanaian Coastal Plain. It is known for its lush beaches and vegetation. It is about 25 km away from Takoradi and 160 km from Ivoiro, the border town between Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire.

Getting to Shama from Accra is straightforward. You can use an intercity bus traveling to Takoradi from Accra or Tema. The top operators are Intercity STC bus, VIP bus at Circle, close to the Odaw Railway station, and VVIP intercity transport. There are also a host of small minibusses at vantage points under the Kaneshie footbridge that journey to Takoradi daily.

These buses do not directly take you to Sharma. Your stop will be at Sharma junction, and the bus will get you there, where there will be taxis and local minivans called trotro to take you to the centre of the town. Taxis can either be classified as "loading" or "dropping".

Loading taxis are shared taxis, where you join other passengers heading in the same direction and the taximeter cost is shared equally amongst riders.

A dropping, on the other hand, is a taxi that you take as the sole passenger and bear all the ride costs. Such taxis are more flexible and drivers are willing to drive you anywhere provided you can pay for it, unlike loading taxis which have designated start and end points.

As Sharma is a relatively small town, the few options for getting around are tricycles, motorcycles, and taxis. The roads are in good condition but most are tertiary. Also, traffic is rare so transit time will be short.

It is quite hard to avoid but the ocean is in view in most parts of the town.

• 5.010825-1.6291991 Fort St. Sebastian (Fort São Sebastião de Xama). The third oldest fort in Ghana was built by the Portuguese and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a historical architectural delight, reflecting the distinctive styles and preferences of both its Portuguese and Dutch sculpturing.