Tamale Travel Guide: Things to Do & Best Time to Visit

Tamale offers a window onto northern Ghana’s savannah life, crafts and traditions, with some of the country’s best wildlife viewing within reach.

• Tamale Central Market — A vast, busy market selling shea butter, smocks, spices, grains and everyday goods.
• Centre for National Culture — A cultural centre with craft stalls, art and occasional performances of traditional music and dance.
• Mole National Park — Ghana’s largest national park, famous for walking and vehicle safaris to see elephants, antelopes and baboons.
• Larabanga Mosque — A centuries-old mud-and-timber mosque in the Sudano-Sahelian style, near the entrance to Mole.
• Northern smocks — Look out for the hand-woven striped smocks, a symbol of northern Ghanaian dress, sold in markets and workshops.
• Shea butter cooperatives — Learn how shea butter is traditionally produced, often by women’s groups in nearby villages.
• Dagomba festivals — If timing allows, experience festivals such as the Fire Festival or Damba, which follow the lunar calendar.

Tamale has a tropical savannah climate with one main rainy season, usually from about May to October. The dry season runs from November to April, when the Harmattan wind from the Sahara brings dusty, hazy skies and cooler nights from December to February. March and April are the hottest months.

November to February is generally the best time to visit, with dry roads and comfortable mornings. It is also the best period for wildlife viewing in Mole, as animals gather near waterholes and vegetation is thinner. Festival dates vary each year, so check locally if you hope to attend one.

Tamale Airport lies north of the city, and the drive into the centre typically takes around half an hour depending on traffic. It handles domestic flights, mainly to and from Accra and Kumasi, and is also used by the Ghana Air Force.

Taxis wait outside the terminal and are the usual way into town; many hotels can also arrange pick-ups. Within Tamale, taxis, motorbike taxis and tricycles are common. To reach Mole National Park, most visitors hire a car with driver or arrange transport through their lodge.

Tamale has a growing range of hotels and guesthouses, mostly simple to mid-range.

• Central Tamale — Close to the market, banks and restaurants; convenient for short and business stays.
• Quieter residential areas — Guesthouses and hotels with gardens and parking, suited to longer stays and NGO or business travellers.
• Along the main highways — Larger hotels that are practical for road trips and onward travel.
• Mole National Park — The park’s lodge overlooks a waterhole and suits travellers focused on wildlife.

• Money: Carry cash in cedis for markets and transport; mobile money is widely used, and cards are accepted mainly in larger hotels.
• Getting around: Tamale is flat and known for its many bicycles and motorbikes; use registered taxis and agree fares in advance.
• Etiquette: Northern Ghana is largely Muslim, so dress modestly, greet people warmly and ask before taking photographs.
• Health: Use mosquito repellent, drink bottled or treated water and protect yourself from the sun and dusty Harmattan air.
• Language: English is widely understood, and a few words of Dagbani greeting are much appreciated.