Day 1: ACCRA, GHANA - Monday, July 24, 2023

Upon arrival at Kotoka International Airport, proceed through  immigration, claim luggage, and clear Custom procedures, exit, and meet  our expert Cultural Tour guide for your transfer to your hotel in Accra.   This is the start of what will be an amazing journey that will live  with you forever. Upon arrival at the hotel and you have completed check  in, our expert cultural guide who will be accompanying you for the  duration of your tour, will offer you Akwaaba (welcome) and brief you on  the exciting activities that await you here in Ghana. The rest of the  day is yours to refresh and recharge.  

Meal(s) Included: Dinner

Overnight at  Fiesta Royale 

 This morning after breakfast, there will orientation including a  lecture/discussion on Ghanaian history, culture, and customs. You will  also learn about staying safe and healthy in Ghana.  Our first visit  will be to 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. 

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, Dinner

Overnight at  Fiesta Royale

 Highlights:

 · National Centre for Culture 

 · Prempeh Jubilee Museum  

After a well deserving breakfast and check out, we depart to Kumasi, the  seat of the Ashanti Empire, where legend is still evident today. The  Ashanti forms the biggest Akan ethnic group in Ghana. For centuries they  were the rulers in this region because of their well-organized society.   Upon arrival in Kumasi in the late afternoon, we will visit the  National Cultural Center, which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum  and various studios of brass makers, potters, and batik makers. The  Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, named for the former Asantehene (ruler of the  Ashanti people). Exhibits include a replica of the famed Golden Stool,  which is believed to have descended from the sky and is the spiritual  symbol of the Ashanti people. Check into your hotel for dinner and  overnight. 

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at  Lancaster Kumasi

 Highlights: 

·  The 3 craft villages of Ahwiaa, Ntonso and Adanwomase 

 ·  Manhyia Palace Museum  

Today you will visit Ashanti craft villages.  Learn about woodcarving in the village of Ahwiaa, known for the talented  craftsmen who fashion royal stools, walking sticks and fertility dolls  from wood. You will have the opportunity to purchase a variety of  hand-carved items. Your next stop is the village of Ntonso, where  artisans hand-stamp patterns on cotton cloth to make Adinkra textiles.  Later, visit Bonwire, where the famous Kente cloth is handmade on looms  in a time-honored tradition passed down through generations. 

Observe the Kente weavers creating the traditional Kente cloth.  Late  afternoon, we visit Manhyia Palace, official residence of Ashanti Kings  (Asantehene) until 1974, now a museum containing treasured items  relating to the Ashanti Kingdom. 

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at  Lancaster Kumasi 

 Highlights: 

· Guided walk of Elmina Township 

· PANAFEST 

Following  breakfast and check out, we will complete the tour of Kumasi before  departing late morning to Cape Coast. 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 and also drive pass the most dynamic  marketplace in West Africa- the Kejetia Market.  This evening, you will  embark on a guided tour through the ancient town of Elmina. At the  harbor, you will see 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. Attend scheduled  PANAFEST activities accompanied by your guide.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at  Ridge Royal

After breakfast, you will have a choice of the following two  activities:

 1. Relax at your hotel pool or take a dip in the ocean.

 2. Visit Kakum National Park which is one of Ghana's most visited parks. 

Here you can take a walking tour on the forest floor where you will  learn how our ancestors lived in the forest. See birds, butterflies, and  catch a glimpse of the forests over 40 species of mammals including  monkeys and the reclusive forest elephant.  The highlight of the visit  to Kakum is a walk on the canopy walkway- this is a 1000-foot-long,  seven-bridge walkway with viewing platforms that reach heights of over  150 feet above ground.  This evening, we attend any scheduled PANAFEST  activities accompanied by your guide. 

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at   Ridge Royal 

 Highlights: 

·  Elmina/St. George’s Castle 

·  Memorial Ceremony

 · PANAFEST 

This morning you will visit Elmina Castle, originally known as  St. George's Castle. This castle was the first European structure built  in Sub-Saharan Africa. Explore the grounds and rooms full of haunting  history. Stroll down to the beach for a memorial ceremony where each of  us will throw bread into the waters in remembrance of our ancestors. A  wreath with a candle will be solemnly cast out to sea and a respectful  moment of silence will be observed in remembrance of those who died in  the middle passage. Attend any scheduled PANAFEST activities accompanied  by your guide. 

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Ridge Royal

Highlights: 

· Assin Manso Slave River Site 

· PANAFEST 

This morning,  we will visit Assin Manso.  See the burial site of two former slaves  from the U.S. and Jamaica whose remains were re-interred in August 1998  during Ghana’s first Emancipation Day celebration. You will see the  ‘Slave River’ where captured Africans were washed before being confined  in the Slave castles to await shipment to the Americas and the  Caribbean. This was the final transit point for enslaved Africans before  being washed and stored in the slave castles to await shipment to  unknown lands. Attend scheduled PANAFEST activities accompanied by your  guide. 

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at Ridge Royal

 Highlights: 

· Emancipation Day 

This morning we will again visit Assin  Manso. Join others in the opening of Emancipation Day Celebration with a  Grand Durbar of traditional chiefs and people of the Central Region.  This will be a grand, colorful and spectacular event that showcases the  pomp and pageantry of Ghana’s traditional rulers, dressed in fine  ceremonial traditional clothing adorned in glittering gold jewelry and  traditional beads. You will feel African rhythm in you as you dance  to the beat of the “Fontomfrom’ drums.   The evening is capped off with a  farewell dinner at the hotel.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at  Ridge Royal Hotel 

 After breakfast, check-out of your hotel and depart to Accra. Say  goodbye to your newfound friends as you return to Accra. Arrive in Accra  early afternoon. Your driver and guide will assist you with last-minute  shopping, including collecting your custom-made outfits. The rest of  the day is at leisure. 

 Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Overnight at  Fiesta Royale 

Today is at leisure until you are transferred to the airport for your onward flight.  

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast