Princess Umul Hatiyya is an explorer at heart. 

She’s arguably one of the few Ghanaians based in Ghana to have travelled to 90 countries across five continents – some many times over.

From Australia to Zambia, Syria to Nicaragua. Travelling the length and breadth of North, South, East and West Africa, and sometimes doing so by road as a solo female traveller with no grand plans, very little money and only a can-do spirit and the sheer determination of a natural adventurer.

You name it, she’s done it. She’s scaled the Great Wall of China and bungy-jumped 131 feet over New Zealand’s Auckland Harbour Bridge.

“I have fond memories of being smuggled into Mauritania, being chased by an elephant in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, sleeping by the roadside when the vehicle I was in broke down on my way to Koundara on the Guinean border. I’ve stories for days,” she recalls.

2023 saw her riding a bicycle from Accra to Tamale, 650km in six days, to raise funds to build a six-unit classroom block, library and toilet facilities for the Nouri Imam Primary School in Tamale.

In 2026…. She goes again.

The road is longer this time. The mode of transportation is much smaller and most unusual for such a distance.

A yellow Tuk-Tuk, known locally as “Pragya” – her vehicle of choice for this latest adventure.

Together with her two companions, she wants to show that…well…, travel across Ghana is safe, doable, budget-friendly and a different kind of adventure – something everyone must try.

60 days….

5000 plus kilometres….

Hundreds of towns and villages

One small suitcase

“I know going around in a Tuk-Tuk is crazy, but it gets the right attention. It’s also fuel-efficient, cheaper to run, and relatable. In Tamale, Wa, Techiman, Sunyani, and parts of Kumasi, Tuk-Tuks move hundreds of thousands of people daily. I also enjoyed riding them in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap (both in Cambodia), and Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur (All in India),” she says

Most importantly, she’s embarking on this journey to showcase Ghana’s rich and diverse history, hospitality, culture, food and tourist sites.

Her “60 Days Across Ghana in a Tuk-Tuk” also aims to draw more attention to children living with hearing and visual impairments while raising funds and other forms of material support for schools that cater to them.

“This adventure and the causes I’ve committed to won’t come easy, but I am not waiting for everything to line up perfectly before I start. Easy wouldn’t create change, but showing up even when it’s uncomfortable does”