Tamale
A tamale is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaves.
A tamale is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaves. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, herbs, chilies, or any preparation according to taste, and both the filling and the cooking liquid may be seasoned.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Tamale
5 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium
The Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium, formerly Tamale Sports Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Tamale, Ghana, mostly used for football matches as well as a place for hosting events such as entertainment concerts and album shows and serves as the home stadium of Real Tamale United, Tamale City FC, Northern City FC and Steadfast FC. The stadium was completed in 2008 by the Shanghai Construction Group of China. The stadium looks similar to the Sekondi-Takoradi Stadium.
2.6 km · football stadium in Tamale, Ghana · Wikipedia - 02Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tamale
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tamale ) is the Metropolitan See for the ecclesiastical province of Tamale in Ghana.
500 m · archdiocese of the Catholic Church · Wikipedia - 03University for Development Studies
The University for Development Studies, popularly known as UDS, was established in 1992 as a multi-campus higher education institution with its central administration at Tamale. It is the fifth public university to be established in Ghana.
5.8 km · public university in Tamale, Ghana · Wikipedia - 04Bagabaga College of Education
Bagabaga College of Education is a teacher education college in Tamale. The college is located in Northern Zone zone.
4.2 km · college in Northern Region, Ghana · Wikipedia - 05Tamale College of Education
Tamale College of Education is a teacher education college in Tamale. The college is located in Northern Zone zone.
3.2 km · college in Northern Region, Ghana · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
Good point from which to visit Bongo (Moon Landscape) Tongo and Congo or if heading to Burkina Faso (neighboring country). Visit the Paga crocodile pond and all the slave camps near Paga. Also visit Sirigu Art Village to learn about all the arts and craft of the northern people of Ghana.
- 01Red Clay
- 02Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art
- 03Nkrumah Voli-ni
- 04Ahmadiyya Central Mosque
The main mosque of the Ahmadiyya movement in Ghana.
- 05Ambariya Sunni Community
This is the headquarters of the Sunni community in Ghana.
- 06Masjid Bayaan Institute
Headquarters for Masjidul Bayaan.
From Wikivoyage: Tamale, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Koose is a local snack made from deep fried bean flour dough which can be bought just off the main street across from the taxi station. Note that there is a risk of food poisoning from roadside food stalls. As always, make sure the food you buy is hot.This local snack compliments with Koko for breakfast.
- 01Zaachi Ice Cream
- 02De Shallot Eatery
They sell all kinds of local foods, including a selection of rice and meats.
- 03Asanka Local Chop Bar
A very low-key restaurant without any "Asanka Local" signage – but it is the only restaurant in the vicinity.
- 04Oasis Lounge Bar & Restaurant
The managers are very friendly and accommodating.
- 05Kamara's Chop Bar Nyabɔtrɛ
From Wikivoyage: Tamale, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Tamale
- Airports
- Yakubu Tali (TML), 17 km
- Kumasi → Tamale314 km · quickest by road, 6h 1m · GH₵205–270
- Accra → Tamale433 km · quickest by air, 4h 38m · GH₵890–1,390
- Ouagadougou → Tamale338 km · quickest by road, 5h 48m · $30–41
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Tamale
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Tamale. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inDuring the annual Hajj pilgrimage season, special charters, frequently flown by airlines like EgyptAir or other chartered carriers, operate direct flights to Tamale from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, allowing pilgrims from northern Ghana to bypass Accra entirely.
- Get inIf you want to secure a ride-share or private transport, you can check local tour operators like Uprise Travel or Grassroot Tours Ghana for specialized ground handling and regional transfers.
- Get aroundYellow-yellows (motorised cycle rickshaws) are ubiquitous, and for a shared ride you can get from "town" (the centre) to anywhere in Tamale for GH₵6 or less.
- Get aroundMake sure you tell the driver that you want a shared ride, otherwise prices will skyrocket.
From Wikivoyage: Tamale, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 011,258 km
- 022,435 km
- 032,765 km
- 042,901 km
- 053,578 km
If you know how people move in Tamale – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Tamale
- Tamale Metropolitan Districtdistrict in the northern part of Ghana900 m
- Sagnarigu Municipal Districtmunicipal district in Northern Region, Ghana8.1 km
- Sagnarigucapital of Sagnarigu District, Ghana4.4 km
- Jisonaayilia community in Sagnarigu Municipal in the Northern part of Ghana6.2 km
- Kanvilia community Tamale in Sagnarigu Municipal in the Northern part of Ghana.6.4 km
- Gumanithis is a community Tamale in the Northern part of Ghana.9.7 km