Summary
Join us on this annual journey into the spiritual heart of West Africa, where myth, religion, and reality intertwine to create an intoxicating blend of extraordinary experiences. On this tour, you will visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Cape Coast Castle, home to the infamous "Door of No Return". Starting in Accra, Ghana- we travel to Lome in Togo where you will visit the fetish market to see some of the interesting ingredients used in the practice of Voodoo. The next stop is Benin where Voodoo is an official religion; practiced by more than 60% of Benin's over 10 million citizens. For millions of Beninese, voodoo is an integral part of everyday life. We visit Ouida, the spiritual capital of voodoo which was once a major slave-trading post. Each year on January 10th, ceremonies and festivities take place on the beach near the monument dedicated to the Place of No Return. Thousands of voodoo believers and adherents gather here to receive blessings from Ouida's voodoo chief. This is one of Benin's most colorful and spectacular events and is one of the region's most widely celebrated cultural experiences. Here sacrifices, rituals, and ceremonies are performed in devotion to ancient gods. We continue our visit to the Royal Palaces of Abomey, seat of the legendary Kingdom of Dahomey where from 1625 to 1900 there were 12 royal successions at the head of this powerful Kingdom, and (with the exception of King Akaba, who built a separate enclosure) each successive monarch built his palace within the same walled compound. Learn about the history of the region, and discover the fortified houses of the Tamberma people. We will visit Ganvie-Africa's Venice, Mole National Safari Park, the Ashanti Kingdom of Gold in Kumasi, and the Boabeng Fiema Sacred Monkey Sanctuary.
Package Includes
Meeting and assistance upon arrival and departure Round-trip airport/hotel transfers Hotel accommodation in the indicated properties Transportation in private vehicle Experienced tour guide Admission to listed sites Meals indicated
Package Excludes
Cost of visa Meals not listed Travel Insurance Gratuity to driver and guide
Activities
- Boat Cruise
- Canoeing
- Dance
- Game Walk
- General Photography
- Landscape photography
- Scenic Drive
- Township tour
- Wildlife Photography
- Game drive
- Culture
- Photo-safari
Places
- Mole National Park, Ghana
- Cape Coast Castle, Ghana
- Accra, Ghana
Physical Condition
- Normal Physical Condition
Connectivity
- WiFi and phone coverage at some lodges
Day-by-day Description
Day 1ACCRA, GHANA
ACCRA, GHANA On arrival at Kotoka International Airport, our expert cultural tour guide will meet, assist and transfer you to your hotel in our private air conditioned vehicle. Once you have checked in, your guide will brief you on what to expect during your stay here in Ghana Other activities today will depend on your arrival time and preference
Day 2ACCRA
Activities Included
General Photography Township tour CultureHighlights: • The Independence/Black Square • The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park • Jamestown Fishing Community Wake up to a whole new experience that awaits you today. After a sumptuous breakfast at your hotel, we set off for a panoramic sightseeing tour of the bustling city of Ghana’s capital- Accra passing through the economic and administrative districts. We will visit the following places of interest: • W.E.B Du Bois Centre honoring the life of the prominent Pan-Africanist who chose to live and work in Ghana. • We shall continue to Independence Square where you will see the enclosed flame of African Liberation, which was lit by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1961. The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, final resting place of Ghana’s first president. Set in attractive gardens, there is an adjoining museum, which contains photos, artifacts and an insight into Dr. Nkrumah’s life. Adjoining the park is the National Cultural Centre, which is Ghana’s largest outdoor arts and crafts market selling traditional crafts from all over West Africa. • Our day’s visit ends at Jamestown Community-One of Accra’s most historic neighborhoods where history resides on every corner. Best known for its lighthouses (the first of which was constructed in 1875 by the British) as a navigational aid for trading vessels sailing through the Gulf of Guinea. The original structure was ruined but a larger and more improved lighthouse completed in 1921 is still functioning today. • You may visit “Brazil House” and learn about the seven Afro-Brazilian families who returned to settle in Ghana in 1836. Familiar Brazilian/Portuguese last names such as De Souza, Palmares, Azumah, Amorin, Da Costa, Santos, De Medeiros and Olympio are abundant in this section of Accra Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Day 3ACCRA-LOME, TOGO
Activities Included
General Photography Township tour CultureYOU MAY JOIN THE TOUR ON THIS DAY IN LOME Highlights: • Independence Square • National Museum • Grand Marche • Famous Nana Benz Ladies Today, we travel to Togo. After a 3 hour drive, you will be assisted through Togo immigration then begin the city tour of Lome and vicinity. Visits include Independence Square, Artisans village, the National Museum, the fishing harbor, Art Street and the Grand Marche, realm of the famous Nana Benz Ladies. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Day 4LOME-TOGOVILLE-LOME
Activities Included
Dance General Photography Township tour CultureHighlights: • Akodessewa Fetish Market • Agbodrafo Slave House • Togoville voodoo ceremony Today, visit the Akodessewa Fetish Market and the slave house in Agbodrafo. Continue to Togoville, red-earth village which was the homeland of numerous slaves taken to Haiti. Here you will find magic remedies and voodoo charms used by local sorcerers. Late Afternoon return to Lome. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5LOME-OUIDAH, BENIN
Activities Included
General Photography Township tour CultureHighlights: • Ouidah Voodoo Museum • Temple of the Pythons • Kpasse Sacred Forest After breakfast, drive to Ouidah the spiritual capital of voodoo religion and was once a major slave-trading post. You will visit the Voodoo Museum, the Sacred Forest (Kpasse Forest), the Cathedral and the Temple of the sacred Pythons where you will see the 41 writhing pythons (41 is voodoo magic number). Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 6OUIDAH
Activities Included
General Photography Township tour CultureHighlights: • The Annual Voodoo Ceremony • Zangbeto Mask Dance Today you will experience the mysteries of Voodoo religion at Ouidah’s annual voodoo festival. Although there are many festivals around the country, this is the largest and most revered. You will see followers and adepts of the various gods, from the elaborately costumed Zangbetos, to the followers of Kokou. Around the edges of the main performance area groups from various voodoo temples perform their own rites and rituals. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 7OUIDAH-COTONOU
Activities Included
General Photography Township tour CultureYOU MAY END THE TOUR ON THIS DAY IN COTONOU Highlights: • Tree of Forgetfulness • Gate of No Return Today, we complete our tour of Ouidah including visits to the common grave, the tree of forgetfulness and the “Gate of No Return”. Late afternoon, we continue to Cotonou Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 8COTONOU-GANVIE-ABOMEY
Activities Included
Canoeing General Photography CultureHighlights: • Ganvie Village on Stilts • Maison de la Francophone • Floating Market After breakfast and check out, we depart for Ganvie, one of the fascinating villages on stilt also known as the Venice of Africa. We shall go by small boat to Nokoue Laketo Ganvie, the biggest stilt in Africa. Visit the “Maison de la Francophonie”, Lover’s Lane and the floating market. After Ganvie, continue to Abomey Continue to Abomey. Transfer and check into hotel. Evening at leisure Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 9ABOMEY
Highlights: • Royal Palaces of Abomey • Historical Museum and the Royal Sepulchers Tours today include the Royal Museum where you may have an audience with the King of Abomey. Abomey retains many reminders of its magnificent past including the Palace, the Historical Museum and the Royal Sepulchers bearing witness to a brave and powerful people. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Day 10ABOMEY-SOKODE
Activities Included
General Photography Township tour CultureHighlights: • Dankoli Fetish Priest • Fire Dance Complete the tour of Abomey then travel to Sokode. Stop to visit Dankoli fetish, believed to be the most important fetish in Benin. Cross back in to Togo and drive to Sokode. This evening you will experience a traditional fire dance. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Day 11SOKODE-KARA
Activities Included
General Photography Landscape photography Township tour CultureHighlights: • Tamberma Village • Kara Blacksmiths Drive to Kara, home of the Tamberma people, straddling the border between Togo and Benin. Visit a traditional village where each mud-house is built as a fortress. You will have time to visit several of these magical and enchanting structures and meet the Tamberma people, some of whom still wear headgear made from the horns of gazelles. In the evening, witness a traditional fire dance Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 12DAGOMBA VILLAGES
Activities Included
General Photography Landscape photography CultureHighlights: • Bassar Iron Works • Nania witch camp Today you cross the border into Ghana via Banjeli village known for Bassar iron works. The original inhabitants were known to live in the sacred forest of Kibre. Continue to Ghana. As soon as you cross the border, you will visit the Nania witch camp in one of the Dagomba villages. You will learn about the traditions of these proud people who have maintained their culture through many centuries. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 13TAMALE-BOABENG FIEMA MONKEY SANCTUARY-TECHIMAN
Activities Included
General Photography Wildlife Photography CultureHighlights: • Kintampo Waterfalls • Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary After breakfast depart to Techiman, enroute visit the impressive Kintampo Waterfalls before continuing on to Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, an area of the forest which is home to Mona and Colobus Monkeys considered sacred by the villagers and co-habit peacefully with the village folks. They could even enter the kitchen and pick food and when they die they are buried in a designated cemetery. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 14TECHIMAN-KUMASI
Activities Included
General Photography CultureHighlights: • Manhyia Palace Museum • Okomfo Anokye Sword Site We continue to South to Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Kingdom. Visit Manhyia Palace, official residence of Ashanti Kings (Asantehene) until 1974, now a museum containing treasured items relating to the Ashanti Kingdom. Visit the nearby Okomfo Anokye Sword, 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. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 15KUMASI
Activities Included
General Photography CultureHighlights: • The 3 Craft villages of Ahwiaa, Ntonso and Adanwomase After breakfast, visit the Ashanti craft villages: • 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. • The village of Ntonso where the Artisans hand-stamp patterns on 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 creates your own Adinkra sash to take home. You may purchase large pieces of the Adinkra Cloth handmade in the village. • Our final village will be Adanwomase, where the Famous Kente Cloth is handmade on looms in a time-honored tradition passed down through generations. See the Kente Weavers in the process of creating Kente Cloth in various styles and have the opportunity of making purchases. This evening, you may visit the Kumasi Central Market, the largest open-air market in West Africa, where more than 10,000 vendors sell their wares. Here you will find just about everything food, fabric, beauty products and handmade crafts. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 16KUMASI-ASSIN MANSO- ELMINA
Activities Included
General Photography Township tour Culture• Assin Manso Slave River Site • Elmina Township tour Today you travel to Ghana’s Central Region; enroute, you will stop at Assin Manso, the burial site of two former slaves from the U.S and Jamaica whose remains were re-interred here. Visit the “Slave River” where captured Africans were washed before being confined in the Slave Castles to await shipment to the Americas and Caribbean. This evening go on a guided tour through the ancient town of Elmina. At the harbor you will see the colorful fishing canoes getting ready to go to sea for another night’s task of fishing. This is a picture perfect opportunity for the photographers in the group. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Day 17KAKUM NATIONAL PARK-CAPE COAST-ACCRA
Activities Included
General Photography Culture(OPTIONAL DEPARTURE) Highlights: • Kakum National Park • Cape Coast Castle This morning you visit Kakum National Park, one of Ghana’s most famous parks. Take a brief walking tour on the forest floor; see birds, butterflies and perhaps catch a glimpse of the forests over 40 species of mammals I including monkeys and the reclusive forest elephant. Proceed to the canopy walkway. Kakum is home to Africa’s only aerial walkway through the treetops, a 1000 foot long and seven-bridge walkway with viewing platforms that reach heights of over 150 feet above ground. After lunch, return to Cape Coast and visit the Cape Coast Castle and the Castle Museum for a guided tour. Cape Coast Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and was one of the departure points for Africans being sent into slavery in the Americas. The castle is home to the infamous “Door of No Return”. This evening you return to Accra Meal(s): Breakfast, Dinner
Day 18ACCRA-DEPART
Activities Included
General PhotographyToday at your leisure. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast
Offical Visa Regulations and Health Requirements
For personalized details on health and visa requirements please check the IATA travel centre here
https://www.iatatravelcentre.com