FIRST-CLASS | PRIVATE-GUIDED: This 9-day Ghana tour explores the iconic sites and cultural landmarks the country has to offer. Explore the capital Accra, see historic slave forts and castles near Elmina, and learn about the Ashanti Kingdom in Kumasi. Your journey will begin and end in Accra where we get to experience the iconic AfroFuture formerly Afrochella. 

This 9-day Ghana vacation takes you across the country from the capital Accra to the historic castles and forts of Elmina and the remnants of the Ashanti Kingdom in Kumasi. It features first-class accommodations and private tours. 

Your journey begins in Accra, the Ghanaian capital which sits on the Gulf of Guinea. Get to know this busy city that blends colonial fortifications and mansions with bustling markets and beaches. A city tour will take you from the 17th-century colonial castle of Christiansborg to Independence Square, where the Black Star monument celebrates the nation’s independence. At the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, you’ll learn about the nation’s first president, before ending your day at the Arts Centre, where you’ll get to practice your bargaining skills as you shop for local arts and crafts. 

Head down the coast from Accra and reach Kakum National Park, home to one of the last rainforests in West Africa. Stroll along the canopy walkway to see butterflies, hornbills, and monkeys in the trees. After descending to the earth, continue to Cape Coast to learn about the infamous slave history of the region. You’ll visit Cape Coast Castle, a 17th-century Swedish fortification, before continuing to Elmina to see the white-washed Portuguese castle of Elmina, the first European structure built in sub-Saharan Africa. Afterwards, you’ll continue your exploration of the colonial past with a walk up Jago Hill to reach Fort Saint Jargo, which helped the Dutch assault Portuguese fortifications in the region. 

Continue your journey along the coast and reach the Slave River near Assin Manso, where slaves were transported to ships along the gulf. Reach Kumasi, the former centre of the Ashanti Kingdom, which ruled the region in previous centuries. Explore the city and visit the Manhyia Palace Museum to learn more about this important kingdom and its legacy across the country. You’ll also learn about the Ashanti’s cultural legacy with visits to three craft villages where you can shop for local fabrics and textiles in addition to learning about unique artistic practices. 

Turn back towards Accra and stop at a Besease Shrine in the town of Eljisu, where you can visit 10 shrines dedicated to different spirits and gain valuable insight into the ancestral religious traditions of the area. Reach Accra, where you’ll spend your final two nights. On your final full day, head into the Volta Region to take part in a traditional naming ceremony, joining a musical celebration along with local elders and villagers. 

At the end of your stay, head to the airport to connect back home. 

Arrive in Accra, Ghana. You will be met at the airport by our representatives who will assist you with your transfer from the airport to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink at the hotel and participate in an orientation session. Dressmakers will take measurements and sew cloths for interested participants

Accommodation:  4* Hotel

  After breakfast, depart for a sightseeing tour of Accra, the Capital of Ghana. Experience the city’s highlights

during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region. In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city. Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the Artiste Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture and the Independence/Black Star Square. Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence. Continue your tour to The National Museum of Ghana is in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the

administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum building was opened on 5 March 1957 as part of Ghana's independence celebrations End the day’s tour at the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market. On display, you will see fabrics of different materials, designs, colors and textures to purchase from.

After breakfast, depart to Cape Coast and drive through the historic Denkyira Kingdom to Kakum National Park, one of West Africa’s surviving tropical rain forests. Choose between a 2 km nature walk through the rain forest to discover the wide variety of exotic flora and fauna species and the medicinal values they offer or take a walk on the canopy walkway hanging 40 meters above the forest ground. After lunch on your own, embark on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles, and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade, which the impact is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. Visit the Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. Here, you would learn about the relationship between the western slave traders and the African tribes that made the trans-Atlantic slave trade possible. It is an opportunity to be up and close with history – to stand in the dark and stuffy dungeons, imagining the

experience and conditions that millions of Africans endured. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum.

  After breakfast, visit Elmina Castle, also known as St. George’s Castle, which was built by the Portuguese in 1482. Here, learn about the relationship between the western slave traders and the African tribes that participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here participants will witness the dark and stuffy dungeons local people were forced to endure before being sent on a long and perilous passage across the Atlantic. To see the truth of these conditions in person is a powerful reminder of the inhumanity of the slave trade. 

After lunch on your own, explore Elmina, a fishing village that’s both picturesque and gritty, charming and though-provoking. 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 fish mongers 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 important trades.

  After breakfast, check out of your hotel and drive through the forest zone to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire to explore the legends of the famous Ashanti people, whose legacies are still evident today.

Stop at the former slave in Assin Manso. 

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. 

Afterwards, continue to Kumasi where you will visit the Manhyia Palace Museum to obtain firsthand information on the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. A regal history that dates back to 1700 is told with relics and artefacts. 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.

Accommodation:  4* Hotel

After breakfast, depart your hotel and devote this day to visiting the three famous Ashanti craft villages. After breakfast, depart for Ahwiaa, the wood carvers’ village, Ntonso, the home of Adinkra cloth, and Bonwire, the Kente weaving village. You will have an opportunity to see how African crafts are made and to buy directly from the artisans who make them.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for Accra. En route to Accra, stop on the way at Besease shrine, a world heritage site. The Besease Shrine is a traditional fetish shrine near the town of Ejisu. that mediates between mortals and the supreme god Nyame. Observe the unique architecture and experience the mode of ancestral worship to the ancient gods. Upon arrival, check into your hotel.

Accommodation:  4* Hotel

  After breakfast, depart Accra to a beautiful village located on the lower course of the splendid Volta River. You will pay a courtesy call on the chief and elders amidst traditional drumming and dancing by the villagers. 

The group will participate in a naming ceremony of recognition, where a Ghanaian name is given to participants, and a gift presented as part of celebrating a new identity as a Ghanaian and a member of the local community.

After lunch on your own, return to Accra and relax.

 After breakfast, spend the remainder of the day packing and doing last minute shopping. 

Transfer to airport for check-in and final departure back home.