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There isn’t a large list of tourist attractions and museums in the city limits of Accra. Venturing out to many places outside the city, I had only visited a couple of markets and one of the beaches within its boundaries.
Having read about the Jamestown lighthouse, I knew that it wasn’t very far from my hotel and maybe a cool place to get some pictures.
Hailing a cab outside the hotel was easy…getting the driver to understand where we were going was another story! A short drive later, we were in Osu, Accra’s downtown area. Realizing that he had not understood me, I finally had to show him a picture of the lighthouse on my phone. Another short drive and we were headed past my hotel again toward the coast and Jamestown.
Finding the brightly painted, red and white lighthouse locked, a woman finally appeared and informed us that she was the keeper of the structure. We each paid a 10 cedi entry fee and were allowed access to the interior. No longer functioning and in various states of disrepair, the lighthouse interior is not very impressive. After climbing the winding rickety stairs, however, we were rewarded with sweeping views of the coast, Fort St. James and the Jamestown fishing village directly below.
Quite windy at the top, it was a refreshing respite from the intense African heat. The walkway around the top felt sound although we tended to steer clear of the railing, unaware as to how often the lighthouse is inspected and maintained. We were able to see the light within the structure as it was still intact, although we were told it is inoperable.
Soon after our arrival at the the top of the structure, we were joined by a young Ghanaian man who introduced himself as Nice One. I was extremely skeptical of his offers to be our guide (for a donation) as we were already there and were really only interested in taking photos. Knowing full well how things sometimes work in Ghana, I continually rebuffed his offers, although he insisted on giving us the history of the lighthouse.
Built by the British in 1871 at James Fort, the lighthouse was replaced by the current structure in the 1930’s. Standing at 112 feet above sea level, it has a visibility of 16 nautical miles. It has stood tall and proud and been a part of the Jamestown community for many years.
Curious about the village below, I began to ask Nice One about the community and the seawall that extended adjacent to it. An extremely personable man, he answered my questions and eventually won over my trust. Speaking with my colleagues, we agreed to have him lead us on a tour of the adjacent fishing village.
Leading us down the road toward the village, he briefed us on village life and instructed us that if we wanted to take pictures, to ask him first. Without thinking, one of my coworkers lifted her camera to take a picture of a boat and was met with yells and cursing by some of the village men who thought that she was taking a picture of them. After a few minutes of fast-talking, Nice One thankfully seemed to calm them down and we were allowed to continue with our tour.
The villagers stayed mostly to themselves, but occasionally we were met with curious glances and more often than not, very suspicious glances. Everyone was busy with the tasks of the day. Racks of fish were drying and being smoked. Mountains of coconuts husks sat near bottles of coconut oils. Fish were being cooked on numerous grills. Some men were carving boats. Others, we could see out on the water, making their catch.
The children were very welcoming and we were able to snap some photos of them playing. We were then brought to the school where we were introduced to some of the children. A simple structure, the school had no walls, only a roof and a dirt floor, however, the teacher was quite proud to show us around.
As our tour came to an end, we decided upon a tip to Nice One of 20 cedi for his time showing us a side of Ghana that many are not fortunate to see. He walked us to the main road and insisted upon hailing a cab for us and gave me his phone number so that I could call if we needed anything.
Feeling quite fortunate to have things work out for our visit to the lighthouse, I do realize that many people may find themselves in an uncomfortable situation when visiting this area. Reading reviews by other travelers, I learned of those hassled by young men insisting that the entrance fee be paid to them or that they were the official tour guides for the light house. Others told tales of having knives pulled on them. Definitely not a place to be wandering alone, one should arrange for a tour prior to their arrival with official city tour guides or hope to find someone as reliable as Nice One, as we did. Never would I ever recommend to anyone to enter the Jamestown village on their own. The people are quite suspicious of outsiders and seem to resent tourists treating their town as a tourist attraction.
Additionally, the Fort Christiansborg, across the street from Jamestown fishing village, is often listed as an attraction on some travel sites, as it was the place that Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first prime minister and president was held for three years beginning in 1950. The place has not been maintained and the fort is not open for visits.
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Jamestown Lighthouse
- Cleland Road, Accra, Ghana
- Hours: not published
- Admission: varied