horntools heroes: Niko's return to Ghana

What has happened so far: Nikolai Fromm has already covered 8,900 kilometers on his journey from Germany to Ghana and is currently in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. So far he has overcome challenges such as heavy rain in Morocco, sandstorms in Mauritania and a stuck car in Guinea-Bissau. His highlight so far was the off-road drive through the desert near Merzouga and the lonely waterfalls in Guinea. He is about to enter Ghana and is waiting for his visa to continue his journey.

🌍🤫 But that's not all! Niko is already planning his next trip. Because he's not stopping in Ghana. You'll find out where he's going next at the end of the blog post.

After more than two weeks of waiting and countless calls to the Ghanaian embassy, ​​Nikolai finally received his visa - literally five minutes before closing time. Without hesitation, he packed his things and left Conakry that same day to continue his journey. After a long time in the noisy and hectic capital, he longed for some peace and quiet in nature and returned to a familiar place to sleep. The poor road conditions made the journey the next day lengthy, but it was good to be on the road again. Before he reached the border, he treated himself to a little off-road adventure in the mountains - the perfect place to relax for a few days and enjoy the fresh, cool mountain air.

Finally at the destination: Niko's entry into Ghana

Crossing the border from Guinea into Ivory Coast went smoothly for Nikolai. After the border, he saw a familiar sight - the roads were much better and the atmosphere was similar to Ghana, apart from the French language. Equipped with a new SIM card, he also took care of malaria prevention and bought tests and tablets to be prepared in case of an emergency.

His stay in the Ivory Coast was short. Nikolai spent a few days on the coast, visited the impressive basilica in Yamoussoukro and enjoyed the vast palm plantations. "In total, I was only here for about a week because I finally wanted to go to Ghana," he says.

Finally, the time had come - after more than three months and 10,000 kilometers, Nikolai reached his destination Ghana. "I was just so incredibly happy to be back in Ghana!" he rejoiced. With loud music and an ice cream in his hand, he covered the last 50 kilometers to an idyllic place to sleep on the beach. He spent the first few days relaxing on various beaches before setting off for one of his favorite places: Cape Three Points, the southernmost point of West Africa, and Kakum National Park, where he hiked across the suspension bridges of the rainforest with an old friend early in the morning.

Projects in Ghana: Video production Beach Resort and visit to Smile House

Niko used his time on the coast of Ghana for an exciting video project. After contacting various resorts and hotels, he quickly received positive feedback from the Lemon Beach Resort in Elmina. The owner was enthusiastic about the idea of ​​producing a new promotional video. Together they developed a concept that would highlight the special features of the resort. With his FPV drone, he took impressive shots in a short sunny window - the video is already available online.

Nikolai also visited the Smile House, a project run by the Send A Smile association, which offers a home to up to 50 street children. The children were fascinated by his journey and asked many questions about his adventures. "First there was a tour of my car, followed by a long and exciting question and answer session", remembers Niko. After spending the night on site, he visited the children's school in Kasoa and continued his journey through the traffic chaos of Accra to a friend's house.

Reunion and new adventures: Niko's journey across Ghana

Nikolai spent over nine weeks traveling in Ghana, meeting old friends and treating himself to a break from everyday travel. "Such a long trip is more than just a vacation," he says. "There are new challenges to overcome every day."

From Accra, his journey took him to Akim Oda, a small town where he lived during a year of volunteering. "Not much has changed since my last visit in 2020," he says. "It was pure African hustle and bustle and life on the streets, except that the only traffic light in the entire city was working again, which didn't really make the traffic chaos any better." He then headed further and further north, where the roads are getting worse and the landscapes drier. On the way, he visited some old friends and was able to immerse himself in simple African life again.

His destination: Bolgatanga, just before the border of Burkina Faso. There is an organization there, Nongre Craft and Culture Foundation Bolgatanga, which he has been supporting for over 5 years. Together with the children, he took new photos and made a video in order to attract more attention and donations for education and cultural projects in the future. "The organization is happy about any support," adds Niko.

An unforgettable adventure in the Togo Hills: rescue operation with unexpected twists

On his last day in the north, Nikolai planned a short hike in the Togo Hills with a Ghanaian friend. But the hike did not go as expected and ended in a six-hour rescue operation for his car. "Just before the foot of the mountain, the ground suddenly gave way beneath the tires," he says. When he got out, the rear tire was already half buried in the mud. With the help of his recovery boards and some shovels, he managed to free the car - but only for a short time.

"I was stuck again," Nikolai remembers. A helpful farmer from the neighboring village came to his aid, and together they tried to create a stable surface with branches and twigs. After three hours and many failed attempts, Nikolai realized that he could not continue without another vehicle. "The first two 'recovery vehicles' were not really ideal," he says, describing how he had to argue against 20 men who had other ideas. Finally, they managed to organize a tractor from a nearby village. "After a short briefing, it was able to pull my car out of the mud in just a few minutes without any problems," Nikolai says happily. After a strenuous day, the next morning saw a thorough car wash - luckily, his faithful travel companion had survived everything unscathed.

Challenges on the way south: ferry and vehicle service

After a warm farewell, Nikolai set off south again. Via Tamale he went to the Kwahu Mountains, where he spent two cool days in the fog. His next destination was the Volta Reservoir, which he wanted to cross by ferry in two places. "When I arrived, I must have missed the ferry by a few minutes," he says, describing how he had to wait on the road for over two hours. Finally arriving on the other side, 100 kilometers of very bad roads awaited him until he reached the second ferry. But there he learned that the ferry had broken down and was not running. "Great... and now what?" he asked himself before deciding to drive back along the bad route when the ferry was still not ready for use after two days.

Back in Accra, the next steps were an oil change, cleaning and a check-up of his car. He quickly found the right oil for his BMW through his new partner Liqui Moly and was able to pick it up without any problems. "In Ghana, you can hardly do anything yourself," he says, but eventually he found a petrol station with a pit where he could carry out his own oil service. In the days that followed, he cleaned all of his equipment and got the interior of his vehicle back into a habitable condition. When he had finally done everything, he finalised his travel plan and exchanged ideas with other travellers. "The adventure continues!" he commented enthusiastically.

A journey between chaos and hospitality: An interim conclusion

Niko has been on the road for almost six months now and has experienced a lot. The trip went largely as planned, but traveling in Africa is not easy - especially by car. Traffic in big cities is chaotic and often dangerous. "The main roads are in acceptable condition and can be driven by any car," he notes, but there are also challenging places that require driving skills and an off-road vehicle. "You can never have enough ground clearance."

So far, he has not been in any dangerous situations and has never felt unsafe. Everyday life with the Africans is often exhausting, as people are constantly coming up to you, whether to talk, ask for money or sell you something. "Things are different in Africa," he explains. On the one hand, you can buy something to eat almost anywhere, but on the other hand, punctuality is often a problem. " Time is not taken so seriously here. 9 a.m. can also be 11 or 12 p.m." This is annoying when you have important things to do, as you often have to wait a long time. "But with the right attitude and a little adaptation, you can master anything."

His stay in Ghana was wonderful and he will definitely come back – next time by plane.

👉 Now Niko is heading further south to South Africa. He is currently in Cameroon and in his next update he will tell us about the challenging crossing of Nigeria - we'll stay tuned!

If you want to take part in his adventure, you can always find exciting insights on his Instagram profile _nfphotography_ or his YouTube channel.

Would you like to be the next horntools hero and tell your story? Then contact us at adventure@horntools.com.