Ghana is a small English speaking West African country wedged between three French speaking countries. Burkina Faso in the north, the Ivory Coast to the west and Togo shares a border with Ghana on the east. The country is bounded by the beautiful gulf of Guinea in the South, affectionately nicknamed the "Gateway to Africa". Ghana was one of the first countries in South Saharan Africa to gain independence from their colonial masters, the British, in 1957.

Though Ghana is a quite small country when measured by land mass, it has a great diversity of ethnic groups and culture. Similar to its diverse culture, ethnicity and heritage, Ghana also has tourist spots, just as diverse, which are quite pleasing and refreshing to visit. These tourist spots range from castles and forts built by colonial masters to majestic waterfalls and beautiful sandy beaches.

The tourist sites epitomize the diverse cultural heritage and tradition that the people of Ghana have. Indeed, Ghana is quite a popular country for tourists due its stable political and economic environment and the ease of accessibility to tourist sites coupled with the warm, colourful and vibrant people. Revenues from tourism form a substantial part of Ghanas total GDP.

One of the major concerns that has cropped up in a lot of West African countries is the spread of the Ebola virus. Luckily, as I am writing this article there is no reported case of Ebola in Ghana and its neighbouring countries have not reported any cases, either. The governments of the countries which have not been affected by the virus, including Ghana, are doing everything in their power to keep the disease out of their respective countries.

Tourists who visit Ghana have a plethora of options at their disposal upon arriving to the country. The tourist attractions in the southern part of Ghana are famous and more pronounced because they are easily accessible and closer to the nation’s capital, Accra. Travel sites and magazines do not put a lot of emphasis on tourism in northern part of the country. Yet, the northern Ghana is a jewel of Eco-tourism and interesting sightseeing. For example, there is the Mole National Park located in the northern region of Ghana. This national park is a hub for wildlife viewing and safaris. Tourists usually particularly enjoy the Safari tours and the varieties of animals which can be seen. The national park is home to animals such as lions, elephants, hyenas, deer and so on. National parks in Ghana are best visited during the ‘dry season’ which is usually between the months of November and April.

Close to the Mole National park, about 10 kilometres away, is the Larabanga Mosque. The mosque is an ancient work of art built by an Islamic trader in the 15th century. Larabanga is one of Ghana's revered tourist sites and receives lots of visitors both nationals and non-nationals, alike. It also features prominently on some post stamps from Ghana. Over the years it has gone through several repair works because it was built with mud but the essential design that set the mosque apart has been maintained.

Near the Larabanga mosque is the Mysterious Stone, legend has it that during the colonial era in Ghana, a road was to be constructed where the Mysterious Stone is situated, therefore the stone was removed and displaced but it was found again at the exact spot from which it had been removed the following day. The stone somehow found its way back when it was removed even the second time. This by any standards is not normal, hence the name 'mysterious'. The said stone is believed to have healing powers because of this pilgrims en route to the Larabanga mosque also touch the mysterious stone for healing and spiritual purification. The road has since been diverted around the stone and a wall built around it.

Paga is a town located in the northern part of Ghana. The town is famous for its crocodile pond known as the Paga Crocodile Pond which has over 50 crocodiles living in it. The pond is in the centre of town and is opened throughout the week. Visitors are allowed to straddle the crocodiles and hold their tails and take as many photos as they like. The story of how the crocodiles ended up in the town is quite beguiling, legend has it that the first person who settled in the town wanted to cross the pond which was quite big at that time and these crocodiles helped him cross therefore the personal bond between him and the crocodiles was formed and this bond has evolved to 'spiritual'. It is believed in Paga that when an ancestor dies, they metamorphose into one of the crocodiles in the pond. At night some of these crocodiles go to various houses in town and if a crocodile comes to a house it is believed to be an ancestor.

The final popular tourist destination is the Tongo Whistling Rocks. These rocks can be found in Tongo in the upper east region of Ghana. The rocks make ghostly whistling noises during the harmattan season when the weather is generally dry and airy.

These are only the popular tourist centres that people visit in the northern part of Ghana. The list of tourist centres is far from complete, indeed, there are far more places to visit - such as the Bolgatanga Cultural Centre, the Salaga Slave Market, the Tono Irrigation Dam etc; but, more on that on another occasion.

Northern Ghana is indeed a tourist gem.