Arrival – Accra

Kotoka International Airport - Upon arriving at Kotoka International Airport, proceed through immigration, collect your luggage, clear customs, and meet the expert Cultural Tour guide for your transfer to your hotel in Accra. This marks the beginning of an incredible journey that will remain with you forever. Once you arrive at the hotel and complete check-in, the expert cultural guide, who will accompany you throughout your tour, will warmly welcome you with “Akwaaba” and brief you on the exciting activities awaiting you in Ghana. The rest of the day is yours to relax and rejuvenate.

Meal(s) Included: Dinner

ACCRA CITY TOUR

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park - Highlights:
• The Independence/Black Star Square
• The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
• Jamestown Fishing Community- Lighthouse
• The Brazil House
This morning, after breakfast, there will be an 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 the W.E.B Du Bois Centre, honoring the life of the prominent Pan-Africanist who chose to live and work in Ghana. We will continue to Independence Square, where you will see the enclosed flame of African Liberation, lit by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1961. The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is the final resting place of Ghana’s first president. Set in beautiful gardens, there is an adjoining museum containing photos, artifacts, and insights 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 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

ACCRA – KUMASI

Prempeh II Museum - ACCRA – KUMASI

Highlights:
• National Centre for Culture
• Prempeh Jubilee Museum
After a well-deserved breakfast and check-out, we depart for Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire, where legend is still evident today. The Ashanti form the largest Akan ethnic group in Ghana. For centuries, they were the rulers in this region due to their well-organized society. Upon arrival in Kumasi 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 a replica of the famed Golden Stool, 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

Kumasi

Manhyia Palace Museum - 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, the official residence of Ashanti Kings (Asantehene) until 1974, now a museum containing treasured items relating to the Ashanti Kingdom.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

KUMASI – CAPE COAST/ELMINA

Elmina lagoon - 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 is the heart of Ashanti culture. We enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people and also drive past 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

CAPE COAST – KAKUM – CAPE COAST

Kakum National Park - 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, 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 perhaps catch a glimpse of the forest’s 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

CAPE COAST

Elmina Castle - CAPE COAST

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

CAPE COAST-ASSIN MANSO- CAPE COAST

CAPE COAST (EMANCIPATION DAY)

Assin Manso - Highlights:
• Emancipation Day
This morning, we will again visit Assin Manso. Join others in the opening of the 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 the African rhythm in you as you dance to the beat of the “fontomfrom” drums. The evening is capped off with a farewell dinner at your hotel.

Meal(s) Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Accra – Depart

Kotoka International Airport - After breakfast, check out of your hotel and 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. You will have a day-room to relax before you are transferred to the airport for your flight home.
Meal(s) Included: Breakfast

• Hotel accommodation in the indicated properties
• Experienced tour guide
• Dinner
• Breakfast
• Round-trip airport/hotel transfers
• Bottled water per person per day
• Transportation in private vehicle
• Meeting and assistance upon arrival and departure
• Meals (Breakfast daily)

• • Visas and Round-trip international Flights
• • Travel insurance
• • Gratuity for driver and guide
• • Meals not listed
• • Personal expenses

Explore the rich history and culture of the Ga people of Accra as you visit one of the fascinating communities of Accra-Jamestown. You will experience the contrast of this sprawling township with modern Accra. Travel through the coastal lands of Elmina and Cape Coast to see the infamous Cape Coast and Elmina Castles and Forts and the PANAFEST festival
Crown your exploration with a visit to the Kakum National Park, one of West Africa’s few surviving tropical rain forests and challenge yourself to complete the walk cross on the Tree-top Canopy walkway which offers you a picturesque view of the forests or choose a 2 km nature walk through the forest to discover the wide variety of butterflies, birds and exotic floral species and the medicinal values they offer.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.