Tour Guiding Level 2

Who it is for. People who have finished Tour Guiding (Level 1), or who can show the same skills. National Proficiency II covers varied work, mostly routine, under limited supervision. You may already work as a site guide, an assistant guide on coaches, or a freelance city guide.

Bridge from Level 1: what you already know

Level 1 gave you one good, safe tour. Level 2 teaches you to research and write a full commentary, to interpret instead of reciting, to guide every type of tour in Ghana, to lead diaspora heritage-return tours with dignity, to manage groups and difficult guests, to assess risk in writing and act in an emergency, to work with drivers, hotels and operators, to welcome international visitors, and to run your guiding as a business.

How this course links to the coast course

The course Tour Guiding and Community Homestay teaches guiding on the Akwidaa coast (beaches, canoes, homestays). This course covers all of Ghana and every tour type. Where that course already has a method, this book names it and tells you where to find it, so you do not learn two versions:

How the module works

Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical.

Course method. Where this book gives a step-by-step method, a script or a rule of thumb (for example the research routine, the risk rating or the scripts for difficult guests), it is a course method written for this module from good practice. It is not copied from one source and it is not a law.

Example numbers. Every GH¢ price in a worked example is an example made up to teach the sums, unless a source is given. Real prices change. Ask first, then do your own sums.

Scripts. The model scripts are written so you can say them word for word while you learn. Once you know them, make them your own.

Competency standard

Range. A fort or castle, a museum, a national park, a city walk, a market or a festival site anywhere in Ghana. Commentary at a stop and on the move (walking or in a vehicle). Evidence. Source log; a 10-minute commentary script with source tags; a peer fact-check sheet; an observed delivery; oral questions.

What a commentary is

A commentary is the planned set of words a guide says on a tour: at each stop, on the walk between stops, and in the vehicle. It is not an essay you read out. It is a script you know so well that you can speak freely, look at the guests, and still say every fact correctly.

A professional commentary has five parts (course method):

Where your facts come from: the trust ladder

Not every source is equally safe. Use the highest step you can reach (course method).

Two real examples of why this matters.

• The Kakum canopy walkway: the Visit Ghana page says 7 suspension bridges, 333 m long and up to 27 m above the forest floor. Other sources give lengths of about 330 to 350 m. So you say: "The walkway is about 330 to 350 metres long; the park's own sign is the authority."
• Castle fees: the GMMB fee page shows tables marked "prior to the recent revision" with no date, while the Cape Coast and Elmina castle pages show the castle table marked "reviewed 1 July 2023". A newer revision is not published. So you always phone before you quote a fee.

Documented, estimated or oral: say which

You learned this in Tour Guiding and Community Homestay Level 2, Unit 2. Here it is in one line each:

The research routine

The source log

Keep one page per site, on paper and in your phone (course method).

The facts in the first three rows are from the GMMB Elmina page.

Interviewing an elder or a site keeper

How to write the commentary

On the move. Commentary in a vehicle or while walking is different. Keep it short, point out what is coming ("On your left in one minute you will see…"), and stop talking in heavy traffic or on rough paths so guests can watch their step. Never stand in a moving vehicle to talk.

A full worked example: Cape Coast Castle

This is a model commentary for practice. At many sites a site guide employed by the site leads the tour inside; ask the castle office what your role is before you guide inside (not verified as a written rule). Use this script for practice, for your own understanding, and for the parts you are allowed to lead.

Theme: "Cape Coast Castle shows how a trade in gold and goods became a trade in people, and how the people it hurt are remembered today."

Time plan: opening 3 minutes; six stops of 4 to 7 minutes; closing 3 minutes; walking between stops about 2 minutes each. About 50 minutes in all.

Opening (at the entrance, in the shade)

"Akwaaba, and welcome to Cape Coast Castle. My name is [name], and I will be your guide for the next 50 minutes. This castle is open from 9:00 to 16:30 every day, and it is cared for by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, which also has its regional office here. Visit Ghana describes it as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Today I want to show you one thing: how a trade in gold and goods became a trade in people, and how those people are remembered today.

Three things before we start. First, some rooms are dark and the floors are uneven, so please watch your step. Second, one part of our visit is very painful. I will tell you before we go in, and we will walk quietly there. Third, please stay with the group. If you need water or a rest, tell me at any time."

Stop 1 · The sea wall and the cannons (about 5 minutes)

See: the sea, the walls, the cannons. Message: this place was fought over because of trade.

"Look out at the sea. Ships came here for more than 300 years. The Portuguese had a trade lodge here from 1555; they called the place Cabo Corso. In 1653 the Swedes built a fort and named it Carlousburg, after their King Charles the Tenth. Then the Danes, with the help of a Fetu chief, captured it. The Dutch held it from 1660, and the English took it under Captain Holmes in 1665.

So in just twelve years, this one fort belonged to three different European powers. Why do you think so many nations wanted this one spot?"

[Wait for answers. Then:] "Yes. Trade. Gold, goods, and later, people."

Transition: "Let us walk into the courtyard and see how a small fort grew into a castle."

Stop 2 · The courtyard (about 5 minutes)

See: the size of the courtyard and buildings. Message: the castle became a centre of power.

"By about 1700 the English had turned the fort into a castle. In 1757 a French squadron bombarded it, and it was rebuilt after 1760. For a long time it was the seat of the British governor.

Look at the size of these buildings. Above, there were offices, stores and the rooms of the officers. This was a business, and a seat of government. Now keep that picture in your mind, because below us is the other side of the same business."

Transition: "We are now going to the dungeons. Please walk slowly and quietly. If anyone would rather wait outside, that is completely fine; [name of assistant or sweep] will stay with you."

Stop 3 · The dungeons (about 7 minutes, with silence)

See: the dark rooms, the floor, the small openings. Message: human beings were held here.

[Speak softly. Let everyone enter and settle. Wait ten seconds before you speak.]

"This is where enslaved Africans were held before they were put on ships. The slave trade was the main activity of this castle until Britain banned the trade in 1807.

How many people? The museums board's page gives an estimate of about 70,000 people a year exported by the Royal African Company around 1700. Please hear this number as an estimate. Historians count in different ways and estimates differ. What we know for certain is that every one of them was a person, with a name, a family and a home.

I will now stop talking for one minute. Please use this time as you wish."

[One full minute of silence. Then, softly:] "Thank you."

Transition: "When you are ready, we will walk to the doorway that leads to the sea."

Stop 4 · The Door of No Return (about 5 minutes)

See: the doorway, the sea beyond. Message: a door of leaving has become a place of return.

"For the people held here, this doorway led to the ships and they never came back. That is why it is called the Door of No Return.

Today the story has another side. During PANAFEST and Emancipation Day, people of African descent from around the world take part in a symbolic return through this door, followed by an Akwaba ceremony, a ceremony of welcome.

So the same door holds two meanings. What does it mean to you, standing here today?"

[Accept any answer, or silence. Do not push.]

Transition: "Let us go up into the light, to the museum."

Stop 5 · The museum and Dalzel Tower (about 6 minutes)

See: the West African Historical Museum, Dalzel Tower. Message: this castle now teaches.

"Inside the castle today is the West African Historical Museum, and over there is Dalzel Tower. The castle is now a historical museum. A building made for trade and control is now used to teach the truth about it.

Take ten minutes in the museum. Look for one object or one story that you will remember. When we meet again, I will ask you which one you chose."

Stop 6 · The ramparts (about 4 minutes)

See: the town of Cape Coast and the sea. Message: the story continues today.

"Welcome back. Which object or story did you choose?" [Listen to two or three guests.]

"In 2019 Ghana held the Year of Return, marking 400 years since the first recorded enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia, in what became the United States. Many visitors from the diaspora came to places like this one to remember and to reconnect.

Behind you is the town of Cape Coast. People live, work, go to school and pray here today. The castle is part of their town and part of their story too."

Closing (about 3 minutes)

"We began with one idea: how a trade in gold and goods became a trade in people, and how they are remembered today. You have seen the walls built for trade, the courtyard of power, the dungeons, the Door of No Return that is now a door of return, and a museum that tells the truth.

Thank you for walking with respect. If you have questions now or later, please ask me. If you would like to sit quietly before we leave, we have ten minutes. Medaase, thank you."

Fact labels in this script. Dates, owners, the British ban of 1807, opening hours and the museum: documented (GMMB-CapeCoast). The 70,000 a year: estimate, and said so. The PANAFEST return ceremony: documented in a news report (GNA-PANAFEST-2025). Nothing in this script is oral. If you add a local story, label it oral and name the teller.

Check yourself

1. What is the difference between a topic and a theme? Give an example.
2. Two sources give different numbers for the same thing. What do you do?
3. Why do you plan to speak for only about two-thirds of the time at a stop?

Competency standard

Range. Heritage sites, museums, parks, sacred and community sites. Adults, children, mixed groups and diaspora visitors. Evidence. Before-and-after rewrites; an observed interpretive stop; an observed reflection stop; oral questions.

What interpretation means

Interpretation means helping guests find the meaning of a place, not only its facts. The US National Association for Interpretation has described it, reports say, as communication that makes emotional and intellectual connections between what the audience cares about and the meanings in the place. In simple words: you connect the place to the person in front of you.

Tilden's six principles, with before-and-after examples

Freeman Tilden wrote Interpreting Our Heritage in 1957. His six principles are still used by guides and museums around the world. Below, each principle is in plain words, with a "before" (what a weak guide says) and an "after" (what a professional says). The "after" scripts are course examples.

1. Connect to the guest's own life. If what you say does not touch the guest's own life or experience, it will not stay with them.

2. Information alone is not interpretation, but interpretation is built on information. You still need correct facts; you just do something with them.

If you want to add a comparison with a world event (for example, a famous voyage of the same time), check its date in a good encyclopedia first and add it to your source log.

3. Interpretation is an art that uses many arts. Story, drama, music, pictures and silence all help.

4. The main aim is to provoke, not to instruct. Make guests think, wonder and ask, not just listen.

5. Present a whole, not a part. Help guests see the big picture that a single place belongs to.

6. Children need a different programme, not a smaller adult one. Design for them from the start.

Your interpretation toolkit

Telling sensitive history with dignity

Forts, castles, slave markets, river crossings and graves are places of suffering. Some guests have family histories tied to them. Guests may cry, go quiet, get angry or walk away. Your words and your manner matter more here than anywhere else.

Words to use and words to avoid (course advice).

Tell the whole story. European companies built and ran the castles and the ships. Some African rulers and traders took part in the trade. Many communities resisted, fled, fought and survived. Tell all of it, plainly, without using any part to excuse another. The UNESCO Slave Route project aims to break the silence on the slave trade and help people understand its causes and results.

When guests grieve or are angry

A guest is crying. Stand near, not too close. Say quietly: "Take all the time you need. I am here." Offer water and a place to sit outside. Ask your assistant or the sweep to stay with the group. Do not say "Don't cry" or "It was a long time ago."

A guest is angry with you. ("How can you work here and talk about this for money?") Stay calm. Do not argue. Say: "You are right to feel strongly. I guide here because I believe this story must be told truthfully, by people from this land. Thank you for caring enough to be angry."

A guest turns anger on another guest (for example because of race). Step between gently, face the angry guest, and say: "This place brings out strong feelings in all of us. Let us give each other space here. Come, walk with me for a moment." Separate them. Speak to each one privately later. If anyone threatens violence, end the visit and call for help.

A guest denies or mocks the history. Do not debate in front of the group. Say once, calmly: "The records of the museums board and historians around the world document what happened here. I will be happy to share the sources with you after the tour." Then continue. If they keep disturbing others: "Please, I must ask you to respect the other guests. You may wait outside."

Sacred places, chiefs and taboos

The world code. The UN Tourism (UNWTO) Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, adopted in 1999 and endorsed by the United Nations in 2001, has ten articles, including mutual understanding and respect, cultural heritage, and benefit to host communities. Respecting sacred places is part of that code.

Model scripts

Door of No Return: a reflection (about 3 minutes)

"Please gather close. Look at this doorway, and at the light of the sea beyond it.

For the people held in this castle, this was the last door they walked through on African soil. They did not know where the ships would take them. They did not come back. That is why it is called the Door of No Return.

[Pause.]

But the story did not end there. Their children, and their children's children, survived. They built lives, families, music, faith and nations across the ocean. And today some of them come back through this very door, in a ceremony of return and welcome during PANAFEST and Emancipation Day.

[Pause.]

I invite you to stand here for a moment in silence, and to remember them in your own way.

[One minute of silence.]

Thank you. When you are ready, we will walk on together."

Tafi Atome: why the monkeys are sacred (about 3 minutes)

"Akwaaba to Tafi Atome. The monkeys you will meet here are Mona monkeys. The people of this town have traditionally regarded them as sacred, and that is why the forest and the monkeys survived here.

The sanctuary was set up as a community ecotourism project, with help from a Peace Corps volunteer, so that the town earns money from protecting the monkeys. Your entrance fee includes the bananas you will use to feed them, so part of your money stays here.

The full story of why the monkeys are sacred belongs to the people of Tafi Atome, and our local guide will tell it, because it is their story to tell. [Hand over to the community guide.]

Please hold the banana out flat, stay calm, and let the monkey come to you. Do not grab, chase or tease them. And remember: this is the rule here. At other parks, like Shai Hills, feeding is not allowed."

Manhyia Palace Museum: gallery opener (about 2 minutes)

"Before we go in, one important rule. Photographs are welcome out here on the grounds, but they are not allowed inside the galleries. In some areas you may not use your own phone at all; the museum has its own photographers who can take a picture for a fee. Please put your phones away now, so you can give the galleries your full attention.

This is the Manhyia Palace Museum, in Kumasi, the seat of the Asante kingdom. It is open every day, including holidays, from 9:00 to 17:00. Inside, look for one object that tells you something about power and one that tells you something about family. When we come out, I will ask you which ones you chose."

Check yourself

1. Name three of Tilden's six principles in your own words.
2. What do you say instead of "slaves", and why?
3. A guest is crying in a dungeon. What do you do?

Competency standard

Range. At least four of the six tour types, at real sites in Ghana. Groups of 2 to 40. Evidence. A one-day plan for one tour type; observed briefings; a protocol role-play; oral questions.

What changes from one tour type to the next

(Course summary; sources for each rule are given in the sections below.)

Heritage and museum tours

Forts and castles are cared for by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB). Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle are each open 9:00 to 16:30 daily. Elmina Castle is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and Fort Coenraadsburg (St Jago), the Dutch cemetery and the Posuban shrines are within walking distance. The GMMB Central and Western Regions office is at Cape Coast Castle, phone +233-3321 32529.

Fees. The castle table on the Cape Coast and Elmina pages, marked "reviewed 1 July 2023", is: Ghanaian adult GH¢20, tertiary or volunteer with ID GH¢10; non-Ghanaian adult GH¢80, tertiary or volunteer with ID GH¢60, JHS or SHS with ID GH¢30, primary GH¢20. The fee page says fees have been reviewed again, but shows no new figures. Phone before every booking.

The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra was the most visited attraction in Ghana in 2025. It reopened in July 2023 after redevelopment, with a Presidential Library, an amphitheatre, a Freedom Hall and digital payment; 2023 fees were non-Ghanaian adult GH¢100 and Ghanaian adult GH¢25. Fees may have changed since: confirm.

Handover script. "Everyone, this is [name], who works here at the castle and knows it better than anyone. [Name] will take us through the castle now. I will walk at the back, so if you need anything, just look for me. Please give [name] your full attention. [Name], thank you; we have [number] guests from [country], and one guest who prefers to avoid the stairs."

Take-back script. "Please join me in thanking [name]. [Applause.] Let us count off: [count]. Good, all [number] here. We have 15 minutes for the bookshop and toilets. We meet at the main gate at [time]."

Nature and wildlife tours

The law. The Wildlife Resources Management Act 2023 (Act 1115), section 11(1)(b), bars disturbing, molesting or interfering with any wild animal in a protected area without authorisation. So: no chasing, calling, flashing, feeding or touching wild animals unless the site's own rules allow it.

Rangers are in charge. In a park, the ranger's word is final. You support the ranger and manage your guests.

Model script: Mole walking-safari pre-brief (with the ranger)

[At the meeting point, before 6:00. The ranger stands beside you.]

"Good morning everyone. This is Ranger [name], who will lead our walk. Ranger [name] is armed for our safety and is in charge from now until we come back. At Mole, nobody walks outside the motel grounds without a ranger.

Here are the rules for the next two hours:

One. Walk in a single line behind the ranger. Nobody walks in front of the ranger, ever. Two. Keep quiet. Speak in a whisper. Phones on silent. Three. If we see elephants, stop where you are and wait for the ranger's signal. Do not move closer for a photo. Four. If the ranger says 'back', walk backwards slowly. Do not run. Running can make an animal chase. Five. No food out of your bag. No feeding, calling or throwing anything at animals. The law protects them. Six. I will walk at the back. If you need to stop, tell me, and I will tell the ranger.

Water, hat, closed shoes: everyone has them? Good. Ranger [name], we are ready."

City walks and market tours

Kejetia Market in Kumasi is described as the largest single market in West Africa, with over 8,000 stores and stalls; it is managed by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly with the Asantehene. Markets are exciting, busy and easy to get lost in.

Model script: Kejetia market walk safety talk (about 90 seconds)

"Welcome to Kejetia. This market is huge: over 8,000 stores and stalls. It is busy, friendly and full of life, and it is easy to get lost, so please listen for one minute.

Look at my umbrella. [Hold it up.] Follow the umbrella. Stay close enough to see it.

Bags in front, zipped. Phones in your front pocket when you are not using them.

If you want to photograph a person or their stall, please ask first. A smile and 'May I?' works. If they say no, that is their right.

If you lose the group, do not search. Go to our meeting point: [name the landmark at the edge of the market] and wait. My number is on your card.

We will stop for water every half hour. Ready? Let us go."

Culture and festival tours

Festivals move. The dates below are from a 2023 travel guide. Many festivals follow traditional calendars, so confirm with the traditional council every year.

PANAFEST is held every two years and Emancipation Day every year. The 2025 programme ran from about 17 or 18 July to 2 August, along the route of the slave trade: Salaga atonement ceremonies and a Pikworo durbar (17 to 18 July), the Assin Praso river crossing (20 July), the Assin Manso crossing and travel to Cape Coast (24 July), and the symbolic return through the Door of No Return with an Akwaba ceremony (25 July).

What you must never do at a durbar or festival: walk across the space in front of the chief; take photos where it is forbidden; let guests climb onto stands or roofs; let guests drink and then drive; promise a guest a "private audience" you have not arranged.

Eco and adventure tours

Canopy walkways, waterfalls, hikes. These bring real risk. Brief before, supervise during, count after.

International good practice. ISO 21101 is an international standard for safety management in adventure tourism, for providers of any size. It is not a Ghana law, but it is a good benchmark: written risk assessments, trained staff, briefings, and emergency plans (you will do all of these in Unit 5).

Model script: canopy walkway briefing (about 2 minutes)

"In a few minutes we will walk the canopy walkway: seven bridges hanging up to 27 metres above the forest floor. It is safe when we follow the rules, so please listen.

Bags on your back, both hands free. Hold the ropes on both sides. Walk, do not run, jump or shake the bridge. Keep the gap the park staff tell you between people. No selfies while walking: stop on the platforms for photos.

If you feel afraid, that is normal. Tell me now or at the first platform: there is a way out after the first bridge. Nobody will laugh.

I will go first with [number] guests; [name] will come last. We count off at every platform. Ready? Count off now: one, two…"

Diaspora heritage-return tours

Background. Ghana's Year of Return in 2019 marked 400 years since the first recorded enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia; Ministry figures quoted about 1.1 million arrivals in 2019 against 956,372 in 2018. Beyond the Return followed from 2020, later described as a 2020 to 2030 decade.

Who comes. People of African descent from the Americas, the Caribbean and Europe; church groups; students; families. Some come to mourn, some to celebrate, some to "come home", some to find roots. Not every diaspora visitor's ancestors left through Ghana; never assume a guest's story. Ask.

What they need from you: truth told with dignity; time and space to feel; ceremonies led by the right people; and a guide who never turns their grief into a show.

Model script: preparing for the Assin Manso river crossing (about 2 minutes)

[In the bus, before arrival.]

"In about fifteen minutes we arrive at Assin Manso. During PANAFEST the programme includes a crossing here, on the long road from the north to the coast. The site has its own guides and keepers. They will tell you the story of this river, because it is their story to tell, and they will lead any ceremony.

This can be a very emotional place. Some people pray, some sing, some cry, some stay silent. All of it is right. If you need to step away, look for me or [name]; we will be close.

Please remove your hats when the keeper asks. Please do not take photos during any ceremony unless the keeper says you may. Ask before you photograph another visitor in prayer or in tears.

When we leave, we will have a quiet ride to Cape Coast. Take that time for yourself."

Model script: closing circle at the end of a heritage day

"Please make a circle. We have walked a hard road today, from Assin Manso to the Door of No Return. Thank you for walking it with respect and courage.

I would like each person who wishes to share one word, or one sentence, about what you take home from today. You may also pass. I will begin. My word is [word].

[Go round the circle. Thank each person by name.]

Akwaaba. You are welcome here. Rest well tonight."

Check yourself

1. At Mole, who leads a walking safari, and what must guests do if the ranger says "back"?
2. Why must you confirm a festival date every year?
3. Name three things you do to prepare diaspora guests before a heritage-return tour.

Competency standard

Range. Groups of 2 to 50, adults and school groups, on foot and by coach, Ghanaian and international guests. Evidence. Three scored difficult-guest role-plays; a coach seating plan; a school-trip agreement; oral questions.

How groups behave

A group is not a crowd of separate people. It changes through a tour (course method):

Roles you will meet, and what to do.

Large groups and coaches

On foot, use the front-and-sweep system from Tour Guiding and Community Homestay Level 2, Unit 3: one guide in front, one at the back, nobody ahead or behind. With coaches, add these routines (course method):

Seat rotation. On a multi-day coach tour, the front seats are the best. Rotate them so everyone gets a turn (course method): each morning, every row moves back two rows, and the back two rows move to the front. Keep the front seat behind the driver for any guest with motion sickness or limited mobility, with the group's agreement.

School groups

School groups need extra care. The school is responsible for its pupils; you are responsible for the tour.

Difficult guests: exact words to use

These are course method scripts. Learn the words, then use your own voice. In every case: stay calm, keep your voice low, protect the group, and write what happened in your log the same day.

1. A guest refuses the dress rule at a palace or shrine

"Sir, I understand it is hot. This palace asks all visitors to dress decently, and I must respect their rule, as their guest. I have a spare wrap in my bag that you can use over your shorts. Or, if you prefer, you can wait in the shade with [name] and join us at the next stop."

If he refuses again: "I am sorry, I cannot take you in like this. That is the palace's rule, not mine. Please wait here; we will be back in 30 minutes."

2. A guest films in a no-photo gallery

[Quietly, beside the guest, not in front of the group:] "Excuse me, madam. Photos and filming are not allowed inside the galleries here. Please put the phone away. Out on the grounds you may take as many photos as you like, and I will show you the best spot."

If staff have seen it: "Please delete the video now, in front of the officer, so we can continue." Never argue with the site staff in front of the guest.

3. A guest is always late

First time, privately: "We waited for you for ten minutes, and the group missed time at the falls. Please be back on time from now on; the coach leaves at exactly [time]."

Second time, privately: "I must be fair to everyone. Next stop, the coach leaves at [time] exactly. If you are not here, I will phone you and tell you where to meet us, but the group cannot wait." Then do what you said, after telling your operator.

4. A guest is drunk

"Let us get you some water and a seat in the shade. You will not do the canopy walk today; it is not safe after drinking. [Name] will stay with you." If the guest becomes aggressive: keep your distance, keep the group away, phone the operator, and if there is any danger to others, call 112.

5. A guest is rude or shouts at you

"I can see you are upset, and I want to help. Please speak to me calmly, and I will do my best to fix this." If it continues: "I am not able to continue this conversation while you are shouting. I will talk with you at the next break." Walk the group on. Phone your operator.

6. A guest harasses you or another guest (touching, sexual comments)

Clear and firm, loud enough for others to hear: "Stop. That is not acceptable." Then: "Please move to the front of the bus/group, away from her." Report it to your operator the same day in writing. If the guest touches anyone again, end their tour with the operator's support; if there is assault or threat, call 112. Never "laugh it off" to keep the peace. Never leave a harassed guest alone with the harasser.

7. A guest wants to wander off alone in a park

"At Mole, nobody walks outside the motel grounds without a ranger. It is the park's rule and it is for your safety. I can book a ranger walk for you at 16:00. Shall I do that?"

8. A guest wants to buy ivory, a trophy or an antique

"I am sorry, I cannot help you buy that. Under the Tourism Act, a tourist may not export a trophy except under the wildlife law, or antiquities except under the museum law. If you are caught, it can be taken and you can be charged. Let me show you a shop where the carvers make new pieces and give receipts."

9. A guest wants to feed the baboons

"Please keep the food in your bag. Here, feeding the baboons is not permitted, and the law protects them. A baboon that learns to grab food can become dangerous and may have to be removed."

10. A guest says "You are wrong" in front of everyone

"Thank you, that is interesting. My source for that is [GMMB / the park sign]. If you have another source, I would love to see it after the tour, and if I am wrong, I will correct my notes." Then check it. If you were wrong, tell the guest and the group the next day.

11. A guest asks you for a "side deal" (cheaper ticket, skip the fee, private tour behind the operator's back)

"I am sorry, I cannot do that. The fees go to the site and the community, and I work honestly for [operator]. If you would like an extra tour, I will ask [operator] to arrange it properly."

12. A school pupil runs off at a market

Stop the group. Tell the teachers at once. Send one teacher and one assistant to the meeting point and the last place the pupil was seen. Keep everyone else together and counted. If the pupil is not found within 15 minutes, call 112 and the market's security office (course rule). Never leave the rest of the group alone to search.

Cultural misunderstandings

Many problems are not "difficult guests". They are guests who do not know local customs. Prevent them in your welcome briefing (course advice):

Complaints

Use L-A-S-T (Listen, Apologise, Solve, Thank) from Tour Guiding and Community Homestay Level 2, Unit 4. Two extra rules at this level:

Check yourself

1. Name two things you do at every coach stop.
2. A guest films in a no-photo gallery. What exactly do you say?
3. Within how many days may a dissatisfied customer complain in writing to the GTA?

Competency standard

Range. A heritage site, a park or waterfall, a city walk, a festival and a road journey. Evidence. A written risk assessment; an emergency card; a table-top exercise; an incident report; oral questions.

Why write it down?

A risk you keep in your head is easy to forget when you are busy with 30 guests. A written risk assessment can be checked by your operator, shared with your assistant, and improved after every tour. International good practice for adventure tourism (ISO 21101) expects a written safety management system with risk assessments and emergency plans. Before the GTA licenses a tourism enterprise, it must be satisfied about health and safety, and that the applicant has insurance covering fire and public liability.

The five steps of a risk assessment (course method)

A written example: Boti Falls day visit

Group: 18 adults (example), one aged 72 who walks with a stick. Season: rainy (example). Guide team: 1 lead guide, 1 assistant.

Boti Falls is in Yilo Krobo Municipality, about 17 km from Koforidua and about 90 minutes from Accra; visitors go down over 70 steps to twin falls that join in the rainy season; the local authority urged care to avoid accidents. The ratings below are course examples for practice.

Decision: go, with all controls in place. Stop rule: if the steps are flooded or the rain is heavy, do not go down; use plan B. Review date: after this visit.

Umbrella Rock is a nearby attraction. Whether the falls have a lifeguard, rails on all steps, or a first-aid post was not verified: ask the site before you finalise the assessment.

The emergency plan

Every tour needs a short written plan (course method):

Guest medical information is private. Collect only what you need for safety, keep it safe, show it only to people who need it in an emergency, and destroy or return it after the tour (course rule).

Emergency numbers in Ghana

Call 112 first. It is Ghana's general emergency number. Older numbers are still listed by foreign travel advice as backups: police 191 or 18555, ambulance 193, fire 192. The same advice says emergency services exist but may be limited. That is why you must know where the nearest hospital is and how to get there yourself.

The emergency procedure card

Copy this onto a card, fill in the blanks for every tour, and carry it in your pocket (course template).

What to do in common emergencies (course method)

A lost guest.

An injury or sudden illness. Make the scene safe; call 112; give first aid only within your training; do not move a person with a possible neck or back injury unless there is immediate danger; do not give tablets or medicine; send someone to guide the ambulance; keep the group away; call the operator. Take a hands-on first-aid course (see the First Aid and Community Helper course). This book is not a first-aid certificate.

Vehicle breakdown on a highway. Ask the driver to stop well off the road with hazard lights; get guests out on the side away from traffic only if it is safe, and stand well behind a barrier or far from the road; never let guests stand behind the vehicle or on the road; place warning triangles (the driver's job); phone the operator for a replacement vehicle; keep guests in shade with water; keep counting.

Bad weather. Thunder or lightning: off canopy walkways, away from water and lone trees, into a building or vehicle. Heavy rain: no waterfalls, no steep steps, no river crossings. Use plan B; never "push through" to keep to the schedule.

Crowds at festivals and durbars. Before: find two exits; set a meeting point outside the crowd; keep the group small and close. During: stay at the edge, not the middle; if the crowd starts to push or surge, move sideways out of the flow, not against it; keep children by the hand. If someone falls, shout for space and help them up at once. If the crowd becomes dangerous, leave.

A guest with a known condition (diabetes, asthma, severe allergy, heart problem). Ask before the tour; know where they keep their own medicine; know what the guest says to do; plan meals and rests; tell your assistant. You do not give medicine, but you can help a guest use their own as they direct.

Writing an incident report

Write it the same day, while you remember. Facts only, no blame, no guesses (course template).

Worked example (example names and times). "21 October 2026, 10:40, Boti Falls, lower steps. Guide: Ama Mensah (example), for [operator]. Guest Mr J. Brown (example), aged 72, slipped on a wet step about 20 steps from the bottom and fell onto his left side. 10:41 I stopped the group and asked the assistant, Kofi, to keep them at the bottom platform. 10:42 Mr Brown was awake and talking; he said his left wrist hurt; no bleeding. I supported his wrist with a scarf as I was trained. 10:45 I phoned the site office; a staff member came with a chair. 10:50 I phoned the operator. 11:20 Mr Brown reached the top with help; the operator arranged a car to the hospital in Koforidua, with Kofi. Witnesses: Mrs Brown; site staff member Yaw (example). Result: X-ray at hospital, sprain. Prevention: add 'stop at the platform and rest' rule on wet days; ask the site about a second rail."

Check yourself

1. What are the five steps of a risk assessment?
2. What six things do you say when you call 112?
3. A crowd surges at a durbar. Which way do you move?

Competency standard

Range. Day tours and overnight tours with a driver and a hotel; guests from at least two language groups. Evidence. A completed job-sheet check; a hotel check-in role-play; a phrase card in two languages; oral questions.

Who does what in the tour chain

Operators must be licensed. A person may not organise or operate a tour in Ghana without a licence; applicants give the proposed routes, the start date, the estimated all-inclusive price per tourist, and accommodation and refreshment arrangements. Before you work for an operator, ask to see their GTA licence. If something goes wrong on an unlicensed tour, you have no protection.

Market size. Licensed travel trade enterprises in Ghana rose from 678 in 2024 to 804 in 2025, according to the Minister. Those are your potential employers and partners.

The job sheet

A job sheet (or "tour order") is the operator's written instruction for your tour. Read every line. A voucher is a document that shows a service is already paid for (for example a hotel room or a site entry).

Sample job sheet (all names, numbers and times are examples).

Working with drivers

The driver is your partner, not your servant. A good team of guide and driver is the heart of a good tour.

Script: calling the driver the day before. "Good evening, Kwesi, this is [name], the guide for tour GH-2611 tomorrow. I want to agree the plan with you. Pick-up at the hotel at 6:30; I will be there at 6:00. First stop Assin Manso, about 10:00. Where do you like to stop for fuel and a toilet break on the way? … Good. Lunch is at 12:30 in Cape Coast; please eat with us, it is on the voucher. One guest uses a wheelchair, so we need space for it in the luggage hold, and a stop close to the entrance at each site. Is there anything you need from me? … Thank you. See you at 6:00."

Working with hotels

Group check-out: tell guests the night before what they pay themselves (drinks, laundry, phone) and what is on the voucher; collect keys; check bills are settled; count luggage onto the vehicle; check rooms for left items if the hotel allows; count guests on board.

Hotels as partners. Hotel concierges and front desks are asked "what can we do today?" every day. Treat them with respect, bring guests back on time, and they will recommend you (Unit 7).

Pay, commission and tips

International visitors

International arrivals to Ghana were 1,288,804 in 2024 and 1,306,962 in 2025. Many speak French, Spanish, German, Portuguese or Chinese. The GTA's guide registration form asks about your language skills, spoken and written, in English, French, Spanish and others. A few words in the guest's language open hearts; a second language opens jobs.

What international guests often need to know (course advice):

Phrase lists

These are course-written phrase lists for practice. Spelling and pronunciation were not checked by a native speaker: ask a speaker of each language to check them before you print a card, and learn the pronunciation from them or from a recorded source.

French

Spanish

German

Portuguese

Mandarin Chinese (in pinyin)

Numbers 1 to 10 (for headcounts and times): French un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix; Spanish uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez; German eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn (course list; check with a speaker).

Twi words to teach your guests (they love learning them): Akwaaba (welcome), Medaase (thank you), Maakye (good morning). Fante and Ewe forms: ask a speaker and add them.

Check yourself

1. What is the difference between a tour leader and a tour guide?
2. Your coach is running one hour late. The driver offers to drive faster. What do you say?
3. Why must you ask to see an operator's GTA licence before working for them?

Competency standard

Range. A freelance guide working for several operators, hotels and direct guests. Evidence. A guide log page in the annual-return format; a costed city walk; a hotel pitch; an access audit of one site; oral questions.

Your registration and your log

Registering as a guide. The GTA's Form One D, "Application for Registration of Tour/Site Guide", asks for: the type of service (tour guide or site guide); citizenship; ID (national ID, voter's ID, passport or driver's licence); education; a summary of your tourism experience; your languages, spoken and written; your trade association (TOUGHA, TORGAG or other); two references; and a declaration to follow GTA rules. You attach a CV, certificates or testimonials, a police (CID) report on criminal record, and a copy of your ID. The form has an official box for an "Interview Mark". The fee was not found: ask the GTA.

Licences last 12 months. Under Act 817 a licence lasts 12 months, and you apply to renew it not later than one month before it expires. Put the date in your phone with a reminder two months ahead.

Annual returns. The regulations include Form Three D, "Annual Operational Returns for Licensed Tour Guide". It asks for your Tour Guide ID number and "valid until" date, the number of international tourists you handled, the number of groups, the average group size, any tours outside Ghana, the three most-visited sites, and tourists' general impressions. The GTA may suspend a licence for consistent complaints from patrons or for failure to submit returns. So keep a log that collects these numbers as you go.

Guide log page (course template, matches Form Three D).

At the end of the year, add up the columns: total international tourists, total groups, average group size (total guests ÷ groups), and your three most-visited sites.

Your associations. The Tour Guides Association of Ghana (TORGAG) brings together trained and licensed guides, is a member of the Ghana Tourism Federation (GHATOF), has regional branches, helps members renew licences, and organises familiarisation tours and training. In 2022 its Greater Accra chairman asked the GTA to remove "charlatans" and make sure all guides renew their licences. The Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) inaugurated new national executives in May 2025. In April 2026 GHATOF and the GTA launched a national training and certification programme for frontline tourism workers, including guides, and a programme to train and certify 200 graduates as professional tour guides. Join, train, and use these networks for work.

Setting a day rate

No published Ghana day rates for freelance guides were found (see Unit 6). So build your rate from your own costs and the pay you need (course method). Use the online pay surveys only as a rough check.

Worked example (all numbers are examples).

Working days a month: 12 (example). Day rate = 4,100 ÷ 12 = 341.67, round up to GH¢350 a day. Break-even days (costs only) = 1,100 ÷ 350 = 3.14, so 4 days a month just to cover business costs. Check: 12 days × 350 = GH¢4,200, which is GH¢100 more than the 4,100 needed.

Pricing a freelance city walk (examples). A 3-hour walk for 6 guests: guide time GH¢200 (half your day rate, rounded up from 175); water 6 × 5 = 30; a food-tasting stop 6 × 15 = 90; transport GH¢50. Total cost = 200 + 30 + 90 + 50 = GH¢370. Add a 20% margin: 370 × 1.20 = GH¢444, which is GH¢74 per guest. Fixed costs = 200 + 50 = 250; variable = 5 + 15 = 20 per guest. Break-even = 250 ÷ (74 − 20) = 250 ÷ 54 = 4.63, so 5 guests. Check at 5 guests: income 370, cost 250 + 100 = 350, profit GH¢20. At 4 guests: income 296, cost 330, loss GH¢34.

Registering a small business. If you trade under a business name, registering a business name (sole proprietor) with the Office of the Registrar of Companies costs GH¢130, with a renewal of GH¢70 a year. Tax: VAT on services has no turnover threshold, so a taxable person supplying taxable services registers within 30 days of starting. Whether tour guiding is a taxable service for VAT was not verified: ask the Ghana Revenue Authority in writing. Level 3 teaches business registration, tax and bookkeeping in full.

Market yourself honestly

The law on advertising. Under Act 817 section 44, an advertisement or promotion of tourism information "shall be certified by the Authority" and must not mislead consumers; breaking this rule is an offence. How certification works in practice (form, fee, time) was not found: ask the GTA before you print or post adverts.

Where you work best. The top ten attractions in 2025 were the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Kakum National Park, Bonsu Arboretum/Eco Park, Cape Coast Castle, Manhyia Palace, Kumasi Zoo, Accra Zoo, Elmina Castle, Shai Hills Resource Reserve and Aburi Botanical Gardens. Guides who live near these, and near the hotels that serve them, have more work. Domestic visits also grew, from 1.68 million to 1.79 million: Ghanaian families, schools and churches are customers too.

Ideas to stand out: a second language; diaspora heritage-return tours (with an operator); birding at Kakum; festival tours; school-trip guiding with worksheets; accessible tours; food and market walks; night-sky or village-life walks with community permission.

Your tools: a WhatsApp Business profile, a Google Business Profile and TripAdvisor (step-by-step in Tour Guiding and Community Homestay Level 2, Unit 7); a printed card with your name, GTA ID, languages, phone and the tours you offer.

Partnerships with hotels and operators

Script: pitching to a hotel concierge. "Good morning. My name is [name]. I am a GTA-registered tour guide, [ID number], and a member of TORGAG. I guide in English and French. I know your guests often ask what to do in the city. I offer a three-hour walking tour of [area], with a food tasting, starting from your lobby at 9:00 or 15:00, for small groups. I bring water and a first-aid kit, and I always bring guests back on time. Here is my card and my tour list. I would like to give you and your team a free walk next week, so you can see it for yourselves. Would Tuesday or Thursday suit you?"

Accessibility: every guest is welcome

Ghana's Persons with Disability Act 2006 (Act 715) protects the rights of persons with disabilities; reports in 2025 said many still face discrimination in access to public facilities. UN Tourism (UNWTO) recommends that tourism staff be trained to serve persons with disabilities courteously and quickly, give complete information about accessible services, and help with access to services that are not accessible. European training frameworks cover types of disability, barriers and "design for all", customer service and etiquette, and service animals and personal supports.

Ask, do not assume. Before the tour: "Is there anything I can do to make this tour easier or more enjoyable for you or anyone in your group?" Then ask specific questions: steps, distance, rest, toilets, hearing, sight, medicines, a support person.

Model script: describing a dungeon for a visually impaired guest

This is a model. Before you use it, stand in the real room and check every detail; change anything that is not true of that room.

"We are standing at the entrance to the dungeon. The floor slopes down slightly, and it is uneven stone, so please hold my arm. [Walk slowly.] We are inside now. The air is cooler and heavier than outside, and it smells damp. The room is dim; the only light comes from small openings high in the wall, far above our heads. The ceiling is low and curved. The walls are rough. If you would like, and it is allowed here, you may touch the wall on your right. [Wait.]

This is where captives were held before they were taken to the ships. The room is about [size: measure it in steps]. Many people were held here together.

I will be silent now for one minute. I am right beside you."

Guides with disabilities. Guiding is not only walking. A guide with a disability can lead or support: museum and gallery talks from a fixed point; storytelling sessions at the hotel or the bus; sign-language tours for deaf visitors, led by a deaf guide; booking and WhatsApp desk work for an operator; school-trip worksheets and research for commentaries (Unit 1); phrase-card and map design. Adjustments that help: a sweep or assistant for rough ground; seated stops; written scripts; rest breaks; a vehicle to the start. For sign language, see the Sign Language and Assistive Technology course.

Check yourself

1. Name four things the Form One D guide registration asks for or needs attached.
2. Monthly costs are GH¢1,100 and your day rate is GH¢350. How many days must you work to cover your costs?
3. Name two adjustments for a deaf guest and two for a blind guest.

1. What are the five parts of a professional commentary?
2. Name the six steps of the trust ladder, from most to least trusted.
3. Why must you phone before quoting a castle fee?
4. Give one "before" and "after" example of Tilden's principle "provoke, not instruct".
5. Name three things you do at a reflection stop in a dungeon.
6. At Mole, what must guests do on a walking safari?
7. What do you say to a guest who wants to buy an antique to take home?
8. A school brings 64 pupils and the rule is one teacher per 10 pupils. How many teachers must come?
9. A hazard has likelihood 2 and severity 3. What is its score and band?
10. What six things do you say when you call 112?
11. Name three things you check the day before a tour with a job sheet.
12. Business costs are GH¢1,200 a month, you need pay of GH¢3,000, and you work 14 days a month. What is your day rate, rounded up to the next GH¢10?

Best next reads: the Tourism Act 2011 (Act 817) and the travel trade regulations (L.I. 2389) on the GTA website; the GMMB pages for each fort and castle; Freeman Tilden's Interpreting Our Heritage; the UN Tourism Global Code of Ethics for Tourism; Tour Guiding and Community Homestay Level 2 for the coast methods.

What this module does not cover: the GTA guide licence fee and exam (not found; ask the GTA); setting up and registering a tour company, tax and bookkeeping (Level 3); multi-day tour management, product design and training other guides (Level 3); a first-aid certificate; boat, vehicle or water-sport licences; and any Ghana-specific official guide to interpreting the slave trade (none found).

Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.