In what can only be described as an extraordinary tale of adventure and determination, a group of philanthropists and tourism enthusiasts from Ghana, known as Wanderlust Ghana, have succesfully accomplished its ambitious road trip from Accra – London.
This incredible journey covered approximately 10,000 kilometers, taking them from the vibrant city of Accra, Ghana, through several African countries, to the metropolis of London, United Kingdom.
The group, led by Kwabena Peprah, is a diverse mix of individuals with a shared passion for exploration and a desire to experience new cultures and landscapes.
Among the participants are Richard Anim, Kwadwo Saka, Kwame Peprah, Kofi Peprah, Kwadwo Prakah-Asante, Franklin Peters, his son Quincy, Joseph, Cyprian Ed, Kwabena Ayirebi, his brother Kojo, and the sole female member, Nana Afua Serwaa, affectionately known as “Shecanic” due to her role as an adept auto repair technician.
Breaking away from the conventional tales of Europeans traveling to Ghana by road, this bold group of Ghanaians is embarking on a reverse expedition. Their journey commenced in Accra on a sunny Sunday, July 23, 2023, and has since taken them through Aburi, Nsawam, Kumasi, Sunyani, Dormaa, and into Cote d’Ivoire via Gonokrom.
Although they began as a group of twelve, three members had to drop off during the trip – one in Senegal due to work commitments, and two more in Morocco.
The group’s progress has been awe-inspiring as they traversed through five African countries, namely Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco, before crossing the Mediterranean via a ferry to Algeciras in Spain. From there, they continued their journey, driving through Valencia and eventually reaching the outskirts of Monaco in Europe.
A fleet of five Ghanaian registered vehicles has been their loyal companion throughout the expedition. These sturdy automobiles include a Mercedez Benz G-Wagon, two Toyota Landcruisers (V8), a Lexus RX 350, and a Ford F150 Raptor.
Fuel consumption has been no small matter, with each vehicle guzzling approximately 250 liters of fuel daily, covering an impressive average distance of 800km to 900km per day.
The group arrived at their final destination, the city of London, on Sunday, August 6, 2023 amidst welcoming celebrations from the Ghanaian community in London.
Ghana Card
Kwabena Peprah explains that all they needed was their Ghana Card [ECOWAS card] which they used to travel through West African countries until their entry into Mauritania where they had to pay to get visa on arrival. It is 60 Euros but they had to pay 120 Euros due to what they termed as extortion by security officers.
They entered Morocco from Mauritania with visa on arrival at US$10 and entered Europe through Spain via the Mediterranean with Shengen visas and then heading towards London with their UK visa.
They started the journey as a team of 12 Ghanaians and expecting to cover a total of about 10,000 km by the time they reach London.
The expedition is also being used to raise funds for rural primary schools in Ghana, according to Kwabena Peprah.
BBC interview
Asked why they decided to do “this epic journey” in a BBC television interview monitored by Graphic Online when they reached the outskirts of Monaco on Friday, Kwabena Peprah answered; “the simplest answer is why not. We are adventure enthusiasts and tourism enthusiasts. We’ve been driving around our continent, we’ve been driving around our country and we decided to take it to the next level.”
“But most importantly we knew we will get some traction with the media and we’d use it to raise funds to help under served communities in our country through EduSpots, which is a philanthropy organization, which creates educational hotspots for schools in deprived areas.
