The Agbogbloshie (Accra E-waste and Recycling experience) Private Tour
Description
Embark on the world’s largest e-waste sites private guided tour through Accra’s Agbogbloshie community. Gain firsthand insight into how discarded electronics are repurposed, recycled, and transformed into useful materials by local youth, demonstrating remarkable resilience, creativity, and resourcefulness in the face of challenging conditions. This eye-opening experience is ideal for those seeking a deeper understanding of global waste systems and their environmental and social impact. By booking this tour, you directly contribute to supporting livelihoods within the community, as a portion of the fee goes to local guides and residents. Tips are also warmly appreciated for those who feel inspired to offer additional support. YouTubers, researchers, and documentary makers, please contact the tour operator in advance to arrange the necessary filming permits. Respectful and mindful engagement is essential to ensure a meaningful and positive experience for both visitors and the community.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This is a flexible tour with pick-up and drop-off available from your hotel, residence, or any preferred location at a time that suits you best. However, we recommend starting either before 10:00 AM or after 3:00 PM, as the experience includes both walking and driving. These times help avoid the peak heat of the day, ensuring a more comfortable and enjoyable tour.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(42)
Humbling and eye opening experience. We were amazed at the amount of material that is generated and how it is reused.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience
Toufic was terrific, and an excellent guide. I was pleased to learn about Ghana's electronic sustainability; one man's trash really is hundreds of others' treasure/livelihood. Wear closed-toed shoes! Be prepared to feel the privilege of the life you live by the end. I was able to buy groceries at the market and stock up on much-needed water at the end of the tour. I was picked up right at my hotel, and the air conditioning in the vehicle felt great! We were met by a kind local man who showed us his world; he never stopped helping everyone around him really showcasing what community is all about! While I have seen poverty before I was surprised to see the frank difference just a few miles can make between different groups. I really learned about electronics, the importance of recycling, what true happiness means to people, and how to navigate a tight market. I was very pleased with Toufic’s knowledge of the area and wish I had booked more! It took about 3 hours, and by the end I needed a shower, to journal, and to think about how I wanted to use this information to recognize how blessed my life is.
Thanks you so much for taking the time to share your experience, always a great pleasure to be able to share our knowledge and also to learn from our guest.
This e-waste tour is a must-see. I had mixed feelings about walking around as a tourist while witnessing the harsh reality of the people working and living in this neighborhood, but it was very educational. It made me reflect on our overconsumption and 'throwaway mentality' in Europe, as well as my own role in it. The two guides (one of whom was from the community itself) were wonderful. They were friendly, made me feel safe, and were happy to answer all my questions.
Thanks for talking the time to share your experience.
The flexible and well-organized tour left a lasting impression on us. We can highly recommend it to anyone who wants to gain insights beyond classic tourist activities and broaden their horizons.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Glad we are able to help make this possible. Cheers
It is an impressive experience to see where all the electronic waste finally is dumped but also what people make out of it. If you are around you should really make this excursion.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
So many things to discover there. Great insights and the pure reality about the tough life of the people in this „little town“. You will be definitely touched by this experience.. authentic honest local guides. I would say it is safe to go there in the morning with the guides - would not recommend tondo it alone on your own.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.
Everybody should see this! A truly mind blowing experience and a strong reminder of why we all need to scale down drastically on consumerism. Our guide was really good - also the local guide was great.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience
Sadiq and Awal were friendly and explained how people live and work in Agbogbloshie very well. Impossible to see this neighbourhood and the e waste recycling without their guidance.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience. Thanks for the appreciation of the guides local knowledge
I have a mixed feeling about this tour. We had three guides withus, Awal and Nunu were INCREDIBLE! Awal helped a lot in coordinating local people for our filming and did a great job guiding us in the dumpsite. Nunu was energetic and extremely friendly. He made us feel at home and helped to translate the local language to English so that everyone can understand. However, the other guide, Sadick didn't meet our expectation by afar. His English was not very clear, neither was he being helping during our filming. He looks always rushy and somehow grumpy. On the second day, we were supposed to close at 4 pm as discussed, but he started to rush and even yell at us at 3:30. He claimed that we wasted a lot of time which in fact he is the one who led us to a restaurant where the service was so slow that we wasted about 1 hour. 5 stars for Awal and Nunu, I star for Sadick.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I am truly sorry to hear how you felt about one of my colleagues during your filming on Day 2. Just to clarify, the original filming schedule was 6 hours per day, but we made an exception and agreed to extend this to 8 hours daily. Unfortunately, on Day 1 this was exceeded, running well over 10 hours. When I drew your attention to this, it was only to remind you that the agreed time slot must be respected going forward, and that filming should not extend into unapproved areas. From around 3:30, my colleague was reminding you of this so that we could remain within the agreed limits. For educational purposes and in the interest of future clients who may also seek access and filming permits, it is important to emphasize that the people of Agbogbloshie are very warm and welcoming. That said, their generosity should not be taken for granted. It is essential to respect both the community and the timelines set by your local guides. Spending hours interviewing one individual is not always practical, as they too have jobs and families to attend to. We kindly ask that you continue to respect these guidelines and remain attentive to the advice of your local guides. This ensures not only smooth filming but also positive long-term relationships with the community.
I had read about Agbogbloshie in a new book called "Waste Wars," what happens to electronics and appliances from the West? Much of it ends up in Accra to be taken apart for the metals. People work hard to get anything of value and burn the plastic. The workers live across the river, and we walked through the neighborhood - though poor, it is a vibrant community, and I'm glad this tour exists.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and glad to hear you appreciate the existence of this tour to further throw light on the waste problems, generating awareness and hopefully we all become conscious of what and how much stuff we want / need
