Highlights of Ghana: Accra, Elmina & Kumasi

Akwaaba (Welcome)! Upon arrival at Accra International Airport, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at your leisure to relax and explore on your own.

After breakfast at your hotel, your guide will pick you up for your sightseeing tour of Accra. This 139-year-old city has a blend of colonial and modern architecture that summarizes the history of this capital city. See the Christiansborg Castle in Osu (also known as Fort Christiansborg), a 17th-century castle located on the shores of the Atlantic. Visit the W. E. B. Dubois Centre for Pan African Culture, before heading to Independence/ Black Star Square with its many monuments dedicated to Ghana's independence struggles including the Independence Arch and Black Star Gate. Next, head to Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, dedicated to prominent Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah. End your tour at the Arts Centre where you will have an opportunity to use your bargaining skills to shop from an open-air market for artefacts from Ghana and West Africa before returning to your hotel where the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and drive to Kakum National Park, one of West Africa's surviving tropical rain forests. Extending over 360sq km, Kakum is the home to over 40 large mammals and 400 bird species as well as many species of butterflies, flora, and fauna. The most popular attraction is the Canopy walkway, which is made up of seven bridges extending 330m, hanging 30m (100 feet) above the forest floor. Enjoy a 2 km nature walk through this forest to discover the wide variety of exotic floral species and the medicinal values they offer.
Afterward, embark on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles, and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade, of which the impact is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. Visit the Cape Coast Castle, which was built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum established by the Smithsonian Institute in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government in 1994.

After an early morning breakfast, depart the hotel for your visit to the Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482. Also known as St. George's Castle, Elmina Castle was the first European structure built in Sub - Saharan Africa. The colourful harbour nestled below, full of pirogues preparing to go to the sea offers one of West Africa's greatest photo opportunities.

After a break for lunch (on your own account), this afternoon you embark on a guided walking tour of Elmina, which was the first point of European contact in Sub-Saharan Africa and was once the most cosmopolitan city in Tropical Africa.

What better way to appreciate it than to immerse oneself in its main industry - fishing! Meet with local fishermen to learn the intricacies of their trade and the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Next, meet the fishmongers in the village who will demonstrate the various stages of smoking the fish in earthenware ovens. This is a unique way to experience one of Ghana's oldest and most important trades.

After breakfast, this morning, check out of your hotel and depart on your drive through the forest zone as you head towards Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire to explore the legends of the famous Ashanti people, whose legacies are still evident today. En route, stop in the town of Assin Manso, where you will visit the site of "Donkor Nsuo", the former Slave River and market, as well as the final transit point for a large number of enslaved Africans. This is the final resting place for two ancestors whose mortal remains were returned from the USA and Jamaica and re-interred there.
Afterward, continue to Kumasi where you will visit the Manhyia Palace Museum to obtain firsthand information on the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom, with a regal history that dates back to 1700 and is told with relics and artifacts. Enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people. Your city tour on this day will also include a visit to the famous Kejetia market, the National Cultural Centre which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, and various studios of the brass makers, potters, and batik makers.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel for your day's sightseeing. Enjoy visits to three craft villages where you will have the opportunity to see how African crafts are made and to buy directly from the artisans who make them if you are so inclined. First up is Ahwiaa, a village noted for their woodcarvings along with other handicrafts. Next is a visit to Ntonso, the home of Adinkra cloth. Here you can see the Adinkra cloth made from scratch. The Adinkra was originally only worn Ashanti Region for funerals and made primarily in black or brown, however, nowadays it is made in various colors and used throughout Ghana. Our last stop of the day is Bonwire, the Kente weaving village. Here you will be able to see how these colorful fabrics are made. Afterward, return to your hotel where the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for Accra. En route, stop at the Besease shrine, a fetish shrine (a traditional religious shrine commonly found in Ghana, Togo, and Benin) and world heritage site located near the town of Ejisu. Each of these 10 shrines is a home for a particular spirit, called obosom that mediates between mortals and the supreme god Nyame. Observe the unique architecture and experience the mode of ancestral worship to the ancient gods before continuing back to Accra. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at your leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel this morning. Depart Accra on a scenic drive to a beautiful village located in the Volta Region. Here you will have the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on the Chief and elders before participating in a traditional naming ceremony, where a Ghanaian name is given to participants and a gift presented as a part of celebrating a new identity as a Ghanaian and member of the local community. Afterwards, return to Accra overnight.

Another delicious breakfast at your hotel this morning followed by time at leisure. Later, you are transferred to the airport in time for your onward flight.