Ghana and Belize are two beautiful, coastal countries, in two different continents. Belize is a destination spot in Central America, famed for its barrier reefs, the second largest in the world after Australia. The country attracts scores of tourists for scuba diving, snorkeling and fishing.
Ghana is a country in West Africa, famed for its vibrant culture and cuisine, beautiful beaches and forests. These two countries are separated from each other by thousands and thousands of miles of oceans but there is no distance too great for an adventure.
This article is written for those who are ready for the adventure of a lifetime and want to know how to travel from Ghana to Belize.
Part 1: Planning Your Trip
The very first step to travel from Ghana to Belize is to plan. Here’s what to plan for:
1. You Need A Visa
Except for holders of Ghanaian passports, every other person will need a visa to be able to travel to Belize. However, you may not need a visa to travel to Ghana if you are from neighboring West African countries.
It is important to find out the details about visas from the official immigration websites of Ghana and Belize. Once you have the information, apply for a visa.
2. Getting to Ghana
Since Ghana is the starting point for the trip, you need to either be living in Ghana or travel to Ghana. Thus, you have to plan your movement to Ghana.
There are many ways to get to Ghana. You can fly to Ghana or travel by water, especially if you’re coming from nearby West African countries. You could also travel to Ghana by bus from neighboring countries like Nigeria, Niger, Benin and Togo.
However, I must warn that using roads could be dangerous so you want the safest option of flight.
2. Identify The Best Time To Travel
This is important because you don’t want to be caught in unfavorable weather, political or health conditions during your travel. You should avoid traveling during rainy periods, elections, health emergencies, natural disaster aftermath and so on.
The best time to travel to and from Ghana is during the dry season from November to April, especially during the Christmas and New Year festivities. During this period, there is little or no rain, and the weather is warm. The best time to travel to Belize is between the dry seasons of January and April. However, the tourist season is from June to August.
Therefore, the best time to travel from Ghana to Belize is between November and April. However, it is up to you to choose either the dry season or the tourist season to travel.
3. What You Will Take With You
You have to make a list of what your luggage will include: clothes, money, a passport, travel documents, toiletries and personal effects.
If you’re traveling during the tourist season, you would need swimwear, snorkeling or scuba diving gear (depending on which you plan to do), swim suits, waterproof clothes and shoes.
If you’re traveling during the dry season, you would need sunshades, sunscreen, hats and light clothing.
You would also need your visa, passport and other relevant travel documents. Most especially your charger! You cannot have your phone battery die at the peak of taking a lovely photo that will break the Internet.
4. Where You Will Stay
You need a roof over your head, whether in Ghana or Belize. If you live in Ghana already, you only have to plan your lodgings in Belize, but if you are coming in from another country to Ghana, you have to arrange for accommodation’s in both countries.
Look out for travel agents and check out holiday spots in Belize. Use the Internet or those fancy brochures for the countries. Ensure you have the means to pay for the lodgings, in other words, choose within your budget. And when you find a place that ticks your boxes, go ahead and reserve the accommodation.
5. Your Feeding, Transportation and Activities
You need to budget how much you intend to spend on feeding and transportation within Ghana and Belize. This is important to ensure a smooth travel and stay in Belize.
Check for offers within your financial plan. If you have the money, go all out and spoil yourself. Plan for the best restaurants and hotel spots, use the best transportation available and sign up for as many activities as you can.
If you don’t have that much money, go for cheaper and comfortable options. The goal is to enjoy your stay and not wish for it to be over as soon as possible.
6. Book Your Means Of Travel
Once you’ve settled all the needs listed above, you go ahead and book the means for travel. I’ll talk more about this in the next point.
Part Two: How To Travel From Ghana To Belize
The hard part is planning for the trip and the easiest part is making the journey. Now that you’ve got things in order, here’s how to travel from Ghana to Belize.
The Available Modes of Transportation
Like I said earlier, Ghana and Belize are on two different continents, on different sides of the world, separated by thousands of miles of water.
The major means of transportation are by land, air or water but not all of them are accessible for the Ghana to Belize trip. You can either travel by water or by flight.
Traveling By Water From Ghana To Belize
This mode of transportation is a bit risky as it involves crossing the Atlantic Ocean but is possible.
Here’s how:
1. Cruise Ships
Cruise ships are a popular but expensive way to travel. You would have access to accommodation, food and sightseeing along the way. It is a leisurely way to enjoy your travels to Belize and sample a lot of other countries on your way.
However, except in specific circumstances, the cruise ship may not take you directly to Belize. This means you would have to transfer to another ferry to Belize from the Caribbean.
If you don’t mind long travel and water journeys, you should definitely try this method.
2. Sailing
This method is suitable for adventurers and daredevils (definitely not me, haha). If you have a yacht or love to sail, what better way to experience the leisure of your travel than to do it yourself.
You must understand, however, that this is hard work across the second largest ocean in the world, over a long distance, and requires months of preparation and practice. I love it for you, though, if that’s what you like.
In order not to feel disappointed if you’re choosing the sea route, you have to understand that this journey will be long and rough. You might be weary of the multiple customs and immigration stops along the way and might incur more costs than other methods.
Traveling By Flight From Ghana To Belize
This is the popular and easiest means of traveling from Ghana to Belize.
There are different flights options available from Ghana to Belize. Some of them are:
- Accra, Ghana to Dangriga, Belize via New York JFK, United States.
- Accra, Ghana to Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport, Belize via Casablanca, Miami, United States.
- Takoradi, Ghana to Belize City, Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport via Casablanca.
- Kumasi, Ghana to Belize City via Casablanca.
Fun Facts About Traveling From Ghana To Belize
- Flights from Ghana to Belize can last from between 24 to 48 hours or 2 days.
- Journey by sea can last between 3 weeks to months, depending on the type of vessel and the purpose of the trip.
- Ghanaian passport holders do not need a visa to Belize and can stay there for a month.
- There are different airlines you can choose from for your travel. There is Delta Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Turkish Airlines.
- There are many beautiful places in Belize you could visit such as exploring the Mayan Temples, fishing, cave tubing, riding ziplines, snorkeling, scuba diving, water cruises, food tasting, wildlife viewing.
- The time difference between Ghana and Belize is 6 hours. Ghana is 6 hours ahead of Belize.
- English is the official language of Belize and not Spanish.
- Belize is the only Commonwealth nation in Central America.
- Belize has one of the world’s top diving spots, the Belize Great Blue Hole.
- Belize has dense population of tarpons, permit and bone fish, making it one of the famous spots for fishing.
Traveling from Ghana to Belize can be daunting if you don’t know how. In simple steps, this article has outlined how to travel from Ghana to Belize. From the preliminary planning stages, through the checklist and to travel options, everything has been laid out in simple terms.
The most popular route is by flight which is both cheaper and faster but sea adventurers can travel by water though slower. With so many destination spots, Belize is a wonderful place to be.
You can enjoy a seamless and beautiful traveling experience if you prepare well, following the guidelines listed here.
