Akwaaba Arrival - Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Transfer from airport to your hotel by designated driver.
On arrival, group will check into hotel for the next two nights. Rest of the day/ evening is at leisure. Overnight in Accra at Urbano hotel or similar . 

 Breakfast at the hotel and then today group will be picked up by private local guide and taken on a tour of Accra.
Accra is a metropolis going through a fast development. Skyscrapers and modern buildings shape the financial quarter where ladies and gentlemen walk down the streets in nice suites. This quarter vanishes into the first settlement of Accra: the quarter of James Town, inhabited by the local population known as the Ga. Our visit includes the visit of James Town, among other things we will visit the former slave prisons of Ussher Fort and James Fort. Two of the many European forts built along the Ghanaian coast, these military posts were used to store commodities and to hold West African slaves before they were shipped overseas. At Ussher Fort, head inside the museum that charts Ghana's slave trade with poignant artefacts and displays. If possible, we will see the National Museum (now under renovation), one of the first works of independent Ghana - the idea inspiring the Museum is to relate Ghanaian art to the rest of the continent and to prove the existence of an African history as part of the general history of humanity. Our tour ends with the visit of a workshop where they specialize in building fantasy coffins. These special handcrafted coffins can reflect any shape: fruits, animals, fish, cars, airplanes?. the only limit being imagination! Started in Africa, these flamboyant coffin designs are by now collected worldwide and exposed in museums.
B, L, D  

 Breakfast at the hotel and then check out. Today group will be picked up by private local guide and will depart for Kumasi (approx. 4 hr drive)
Kumasi is the historical and spiritual capital of the old Ashanti Kingdom. The Ashanti people were one of the most powerful nations in Africa until the end of the 19th century, when the British annexed Ashanti Country to their Gold Coast colony. The tribute paid today to the Asantehene (=King) is the best evidence of their past splendour and strength.

In the afternoon we participate ? if available ? in a traditional Ashanti funeral, attended by mourners wearing beautifully red or black togas. We say ?funerals? but it means a ?festive? celebration: the deceased in fact is believed to be still with his/her family and through this ceremony he/she becomes an ancestor. Relatives and friends gather, socialize and celebrate his/her memory. The chief arrives surrounded by his court under the shade of large umbrellas while drums give rhythm to the dancers whose intricate moves are highly symbolic. Group will then be dropped off a the hotel and check in for the next two nights.

Overnight in Kumasi at Sunset hotel (B, L, D) 

 Breakfast at the hotel and then on the agenda is a visit to the Ashanti Cultural Center, which has a rich collection of Ashanti artifacts housed in a wonderful reproduction of an Ashanti house. We continue the tour with the visit to the lively central market, one of the biggest in all Africa. Every type of Ashanti craft (leather goods, pottery, Kente cloth) is found here, along with just about every kind of tropical.
One cannot visit Kumasi and the Golden Ashanti kingdom without meeting one of its many traditional chiefs! We are privileged to be allowed into the courtyard of a great Ashanti chief. Wrapped in traditional cloth and adorned with antique solid gold jewels, he will take a seat under a large coloured umbrella and discuss his role as a traditional chief in modern Ghana. To make our journey into the Ashanti culture complete we will head to a few villages surrounding Kumasi where people are specialized in making the traditional cloth called Kente and Adinkra, still wore by the Ashanti people during official and traditional ceremonies. In these villages we will see other interesting handicraft: the stools used by the elders of the family for instance.

Overnight in Kumasi at Sunset hotel (B, L, D) 

 Breakfast at the hotel and then check out. Today group will be picked up by private local guide and will start the day by learning the technique of Adinkra ourselves in a village known for its production. Adinkra (ah-DEEN-krah) cloth is a hand-printed fabric made in Ghana. Developed by the Ashanti people, Adinkra cloths were traditionally made for royalty to wear during religious ceremonies. Through the years, people have also decorated the cloths to tell stories or to express their thoughts and feelings. Adinkra cloth is stamped and patterned with traditional Ashanti symbols, each having its own meaning. People in Ghana decorate the cloth by using a black dye made of bark called Adinkera aduru, which gives the cloth its name. Using the dye, they draw lines on the cloth to divide it into squares. Next, they carve symbols into calabash gourds, press the gourds into the dye, and stamp the symbols onto the fabric. Lately, transfer to Elmina (approx. 4 ? hr drive). On arrival, check in for the next three nights.

Overnight in Elmina at Anomabou Beach resort, bungalows ocean-view (B,L,D) 

 Breakfast at the hotel and then today set our on a full day tour visiting the Slave Coast.
Visit of Elmina fort, the oldest European building in Africa, erected by the Portuguese in the 15th century. At different times the castle has been used as a warehouse to trade gold, ivory, and eventually slaves.

Continue to visit the Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482 and is also known as St. George's Castle. This castle was the first European structure built in Sub - Saharan Africa. The colourful harbour nestled below the Elmina Castle, full of pirogues preparing to go to sea offers one of West Africa's greatest photo opportunities. See the slave dungeons and condemn cells where slave who attempted to escape were incarcerated. View its utterly distinct architecture. The castle we visit today is the result of successive extension works and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The old Dutch Cemetery in Elmina goes back to 1806. Outside the castle, a wonderful fishing village with lots of large colourful fishing boats - every day these canoes are guided by skilled fishermen across strong ocean waves and currents, ?fighting? to earn a living. In the old town we will see the Posuban, the shrines of the old ?Asafo companies? - the warriors who used to put their offerings on the large colourful statues. The alleys in the old town have a very lively atmosphere, bringing us back to a time when Elmina was a busy colonial town.

In the afternoon drive by the coast to see more slaves? forts which brought the Ghanian coast to be famous as the ?slaves coasts?.

Overnight in Elmina at Anomabou Beach resort, bungalows ocean-view ( B, L, D) 

 Breakfast at the hotel and then today set our on a full day tour. End our journey on the history of transatlantic slavery with an excursion to Cape Coast. 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.
Cape Coast is one of about forty UNESCO heritage ?slaves castles? built on the Gold Coast of West Africa by European traders. It was originally built by the Swedes for trade in timber and gold, but later used in the trans-Altlantic slave trade. The castles were used to hold salves before they were loaded onto ships and sold in the Americans, especially the Carribean. This ?gate of no return? was the last stop vefore crossing the Altlantic Ocean.
In the afternoon we will visit Kakum National Park, a few kilometres north of the coast, in the middle of the rainforest. This park gives us a great opportunity to observe the forest from above as Kakum has a canopy walk hang high up in trees. The Kakum canopy walkway is the longest and highest rope bridge in the world. Walking between 120 and 150 feet above the ground, we will enjoy an incredible view of the rain forest. At this height instead of revealing their trunks, the trees offer a breath-taking view of their canopies and look as if they were trying to touch the sun and the sky above.

Overnight in Elmina at Anomabou Beach resort, bungalows ocean-view ( B, L, D) 

 Breakfast at the hotel and then check out. Today group will be picked up by private local guide and transfer back to Accra (approx. 4 hrs drive). Group will then be dropped off at the airport for return flight home. (B, L)
Note: Flights Accra to JFK Scheduled for Sun to Sat