Sekondi-Takoradi

Navigating the sleepy channels of Ghana's Amansuri Lagoon to reach Nzulezo Stilt Village feels equal parts Apocalypse Now river quest and National Geographic special-minus the budget, plus a dozen curious kids heckling your paddling skills from the safety of their parents' porch stilts. Legend insists the village was established centuries ago by ancestors guided here by a mystical snail, proof that sometimes mollusks give better guidance than TripAdvisor. Go at sunrise when mist curls romantically around the huts, or at dusk when fishermen glide silently home, silhouetted against the fiery West African sky as if photoshopped for maximum envy-inducing Instagram potential. Plan a few days ahead with locals in Beyin, budget around 50-100 Ghanaian cedis (bring extra to score handmade crafts), and pack bug spray-lots of it, as the resident mosquitoes don't discriminate between wide-eyed tourists and stoic fishermen. Ultimately, despite the humidity and precarious planks underfoot, visiting Nzulezo rewards you with an undeniably fetching tale of floating villages, mythological snails, and the enduring resilience of humans who looked at dry land and said, "No thanks, we'll build over there."

Cape Three Points is exactly the sort of place you'd end up if you trusted a pirate's treasure map-or, indeed, Google Maps on patchy Ghanaian WiFi. As the southernmost tip of Ghana, it thrusts itself boldly into the Atlantic like an enthusiastic drunk diving headlong into karaoke. Here, beauty flirts audaciously with isolation: pristine palm-fringed beaches stretch lazily beneath a weathered lighthouse that whispers salty tales of colonial escapades and maritime misadventures. For the ideal experience, show up early in the morning when fishermen haul in nets brimming with silvery bounty, or around dusk when the sun dips theatrically into the ocean, offering Instagrammable visuals to accompany your smug bragging later. Planning ahead a couple of weeks is wise-access is notoriously unpredictable (think potholes deep enough to swallow hatchbacks whole). Bring sturdy sneakers, mosquito repellent, and enough cedis to cover transport, a cold Star beer, and a grilled seafood feast-roughly 150-200 Ghanaian cedis should suffice. Sure, it takes some commitment and sweat-but trust me, standing at the edge of Ghana, staring out over an impossibly vast ocean, you'll find yourself grinning idiotically at the absurdity and wonder of your own existence.