Following breakfast, we will have an orientation session which includes discussions on African culture, traditions, and safety and security measures while traveling in the country.

We proceed on a tour of Accra, visiting the following sites:

• The W.E.B DuBois Centre for Pan-Africanism. The Du Bois Center was established to honor the lives of prominent Pan-African people who chose to live and work in Ghana. A place of Pan-African thought, the center includes a conference room and a memorial/museum that chronicles the life of Du Bois and highlights Ghana's role in Pan-Africanism.
• Then head to Independence Square where the flame of African Liberation in 1961 was lit by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
• With its charming gardens and museum, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is a great place to learn about Ghana's first president. It is also the final resting place of the late President Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah after his funeral in Guinea and Nkroful, his birthplace.
• After lunch (on own account), visit the Arts & Crafts Market where you can purchase authentic African Fabrics for custom-made clothing.
• End the day’s adventure at Teshie Nungua, to see a local casket making shop where a collection of caskets carved in the shape of different objects, depicting traditional beliefs in life after death. The “Fantasy Coffins” of Teshie Nungua have been featured in National Geographic and can be found in museums and galleries worldwide.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner 

Overnight at Lancaster Accra

After breakfast, we travel to Aburi, making a stop at Teiman for an exclusive Batik & Dye Workshop. Here you can get Crafty and participate in the traditional West African art of Batik making. 

Lunch/snacks & rest stops on the way.

Next, visit Aburi Botanical Gardens, located in a peaceful environment with its mountainous area serving as one of Ghana’s finest destinations to enjoy the cool climate. The beauty of this garden stems from its relieving climate and the lush scenic setting.

Butterfly and bird lovers are at home in Aburi Gardens due to the presence of many species of butterflies and birds together with an abundance of indigenous and exotic trees of global importance and medicinal properties.

We continue to Akosombo for the night.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Royal Senchi

Highlights:

• Cedi Bead Factory

After a refreshing night along the splendid Volta River and a sumptuous buffet breakfast, we will have a scenic drive to the village of Krobo Odumase to witness first-hand experience of bead making from specially crafted glass- Cedi Beads Factory. We will have the opportunity to design our own beads using the traditional Krobo technique. The bead-making craft has a long history in Ghana. Beads have been used in ceremonies of birth, coming of age, marriage, or death for the past 400 years. You will watch and participate in the whole bead-making process from beginning to end.

Although temporarily closed to visitors, we will drive by the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam to have an overview of the spectacular landmark. This is the cradle of electricity production in Ghana, a national landmark set in naturally beautiful surroundings.

The rest of the evening is free.

Meal(s) included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Royal Senchi

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Prempeh Jubilee Museum
• Manhyia Palace Museum

Following breakfast, we will drive through the forest zone to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire to explore the legends of the famous Ashantis, whose legacies are still evident today.

Upon arrival in Kumasi, visit Manhyia Palace, the official residence of Ashanti kings (Asantehene) until 1974, now a museum containing treasured items relating to the Ashanti Kingdom. This is where we obtain firsthand information on the legacies of this unified monarchy.

End the day’s adventure at the Prempeh II Museum inside the Kumasi Centre for National Culture where you will get to see ancient artifacts which have a unique and interesting story about the way of life of the Asantes. You may choose to have dinner at Ike’s Cafe inside the National Cultural Centre. Transfer to your hotel for the night.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Golden Bean Hotel or Similar

After a refreshing night and a good breakfast at your hotel, visit three craft villages of the surrounding lush countryside which is a sharp contrast to the modern-day Kumasi city.

Our first village will be The Woodcarving Village of Ahwiaa, known for the talented craftsmen who fashion royal stools, walking sticks and Fertility Dolls from wood; with the opportunity to purchase hand-carved items of all kinds.

We will continue to the village of Ntonso where Artisans hand-stamp patterns on a cotton cloth to make Adinkra textiles. Black-on-Black and Black-on-Red Adinkra Cloth is worn for funerals and other solemn occasions; learn how the Black Dye is made in the village from the bark of trees and create your own Adinkra sash to take home. You may also purchase large pieces of the Adinkra Cloth handmade in the village.

Adanwomase will be our final craft village where we’ll see how the famous Kente cloth is handmade on looms in a time-honored tradition passed down through generations. See the Kente styles and the opportunity to make purchases. We may see their cocoa farms.

Enjoy the sights and sounds as you visit the Kejetia Market, one of the largest markets we have in West Africa with compartmentalized stalls where vendors sell different wares from food, jewelry, fresh meat, clothing, and colorful African fabrics.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Golden Bean Hotel or Similar 

Kumasi has quite a collection of British colonial buildings and it is the heart of the Ashanti culture. We enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people on our way to visit the Okomfo Anokye sword site, an important symbol of Ashanti unity that marks the spot where the golden stool “descended from the sky” and has been in place for 300 years. Legend says the Ashanti kingdom would collapse should the sword ever be removed.

We will visit Lake Bosumtwi, the largest Natural freshwater body in Ghana. Here you will enjoy peace and serenity and an encounter with nature. A walk on the beach gives you the opportunity to meet and interact closely with the local fishing folks and get an insight into their way of life. Considered sacred by the Ashanti, Lake Bosumtwi is an economic and popular resort area with Ashanti people due to the opportunities for fishing, swimming, and water sports. Enjoy a boat ride on the Lake.

Arrive back in Kumasi and enjoy the stunning nightlife at Ike’s Cafe.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Golden Bean Hotel or Similar

Today, we depart for yet another adventure of Coastal lands of Ghana- Elmina & Cape Coast—with a stop at Assin Manso, the burial site of two former slaves from the USA and Jamaica whose remains were re-interred in August 1998 during Ghana’s first Emancipation Day Celebration. A visit to “the Slave River or “Donkor Nsuo” offers the chance to see the place where captured Africans were washed before being confined in the Slave Castles to await shipment to the Americas and Caribbean.

Arrive in Elmina late afternoon. Enjoy the sights of the many colorful fishing boats bringing their daily catch into the harbor and take the opportunity to mix with the locals at the nearby market. A short distance from the market we will visit the boat builders, still building colorful fishing boats using traditional tools and methods spanning centuries.

You will be transferred to your hotel for the night.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Coconut Grove Beach Resort

Following a leisure morning, we depart the hotel on a short drive to visit Cape Coast Castle, a UNESCO world heritage site. The castle is a thought-provoking monument to a harrowing period in the region’s history. You will take an emotional journey through the castle which held more enslaved Africans than any other in the region, viewing the dungeons and the infamous “Door of no return”. There is a significant historical museum inside, which explains the history of the castle and of Cape Coast itself. You can purchase literature on Ghana’s forts and castles, as well as the cultural history and traditions of Ghana.

On our return to the hotel, we drive a short distance to “Kotokoraba” the cradle of Cape Coast. The Kotokoraba market is the economic hub of the region, with vibrant trading stores located around it. The market has existed for many decades and was an important trading site during the pre-independence era. It serves as a central point for all trade in the region and it is a hotspot for economic activity as most major activities in the city take place in and around the area.

Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure upon your return to the hotel.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Coconut Grove Beach Resort

After breakfast, visit Elmina Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, completed in 1486 and was the first European structure built in sub-Saharan Africa.

At the Castle hold a Fihankra ceremony which seeks to reconnect people of African descent, who have been lost due to the transatlantic slave trade, to the motherland. This ceremony reconnects returnees with the cultural and spiritual ties that had been denied them for centuries. The final part of Fihankra should include a naming ceremony, which would be completed at the Chief’s palace.  

Return to the hotel with great memories of the day.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Coconut Grove Beach Resort

After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel for a visit to the Kakum National Park, one of Ghana’s most famous parks. Take a brief walking tour on the forest floor where you will learn how our ancestors lived in the forest. See birds, and butterflies and perhaps catch a glimpse of the forests of over 40 species of mammals including monkeys and the reclusive forest elephant. Proceed to the canopy walk. Kakum is home to Africa’s only aerial walkway through the tree canopy, 1000-foot-long and even-bridge walkway with viewing platforms that reach heights over 150 feet above the ground.

OPTIONAL:

Visit ‘Global Mama’s’ –an inspiring non-profit and Fair-trade organization, assisting women in Ghana to become economically independent. During this visit, you can learn about the challenges and rewards of operating these economic uplifting projects.

Transfer to and check in at the hotel; evening is at leisure. You may want to enjoy Accra’s nightlife.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Lancaster Accra

After breakfast, your guide and driver will assist you with your last-minute shopping before you are transferred to the airport for your onward flight.

We hope that after this trip you will forever view the Motherland in the positive light it deserves.

Meal(s) included: Breakfast