Day 1: Join tour Accra
Overnight hotel H+
Day 2: In Accra; sightseeing
We begin the tour with a sightseeing tour of Accra. Although records of Accra date back to the 15th century, the capital of Ghana is a modern city with independence monuments and countless back streets. On our tour we’ll see The Kwame Nkrumah circle, Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, and the colourful Makola market – the largest open air market in Ghana. We’ll drive through James Town, an area of colonial architecture topped with a 30m lighthouse, and pause at Fort Ussher where Kwame Nkrumah was imprisoned (an un-developed Alcatraz). Independence square is a Pseudo- soviet curiosity in a city that is otherwise so overflowing with chaotic life. There may be time this afternoon to visit the National Museum and the National Craft Centre. In this curio market people haggle hard for a variety of artifacts similar to those displayed in the museum. Overnight hotel H+ (included meals: B).
Day 3: Drive to Adanwomasi; Cultural visit; drive to Lake Bosomtwi
This morning we leave the capital and after a morning’s drive on relatively good roads, we spend the afternoon at the village of Adanwomasi. This off the beaten track place is a traditional Kente cloth weaving centre, but it has more to offer our group of travellers as well. You will be welcomed into the presence of the chief and treated to a display of dancing, followed by a visit to a local house where local crops and cooking techniques will be explained and the local palm wine can be tasted. It is a great introductory session to really open our eyes to what is happening around us as we travel through this friendly country. We then continue to our overnight stop on the shores of Lake Bosomtwi, a quiet crater lake enclosed by forest and hills. Overnight hotel H+ (included meals: B, L).
Day 4: Drive to Atebubu
This morning it is possible to walk some of the local trails around the area linking over thirty small villages which surround the lake. This is a sacred place and traditional pirogues are not allowed on the lake - hence the locals fish from customised tree trunks. We then drive onwards, further off the main road, towards the small town of Atebubu and on to our night stop Yeji on the shores of Lake Volta. The area is famous for its yam markets and we may get an opportunity to visit one such market. Overnight hotel H (included meals: B).
Day 5: Boat to Makango; drive to Tamale
From the port of Yeji, on the banks of Lake Volta, we make our crossing in a local boat (usually taking about an hour). Lake Volta is the largest man-made lake on earth and stretches two – thirds of the length of Ghana, with a coastline of over 5000 km. Alighting on dry land again, we head for Salaga. The town is now a bit of a backwater, but was historically the main crossing point of trade caravans from the north and the south. It is the site of what was once the largest inland slave market in the country. Villagers captured in internal conflicts in the north were brought here and sold on to traders from the coast. From here we drive to the town of Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region. Surrounded by immense tropical savannahs, Tamale originally farmed food products such as yams, millet and peanuts. However, non-indigenous products such as rice and cotton have now become important for the local economy. 2 nights hotel H (included meals: B).
Day 6: Excursion to Bolgatanga region
Today we make a full day excursion to the very north of Ghana close to the border with Burkina Faso. We include an excursion to the sacred crocodile ponds at Paga, and a visit to the village of Sirigu where the house painting and pottery is famous all over Ghana. We support the Sirigu Women’s Organisation for Pottery and Art (SWOPA) here. They are working to make sure that traditional skills do not die out, and generating income for the village. In the afternoon we will visit the “Whispering rocks” of the Tongo Hills and the Tenzug shrine. These hills are the ancestral and sacred home of the Talensi people, who were fiercely resistant to both the slave raiders and the British. Rules for actually entering the shrine state that both genders must be topless! (Included meals: B).
Day 7: Drive to Mole National Park
Leaving the north, we drive south, back via Tamale along very rough roads will take us to Mole National Park. Before entering Mole National Park we will stop to visit the Larabanga mosque which is reputedly the oldest building in Ghana, but no-one can quite agree on its age! Some sources date it to the 13th century, which is highly improbable since Islam had barely reached the region at that time. The origins of the mosque relate to a traveller who found a mystic stone, threw his spear and then slept on it. He dreamt about a mosque and when he awoke, the foundations had mysteriously been laid around him. Whatever its origins, it is a striking ‘mud/stick’ building, with minarets and painted walls. We finally enter Mole National Park, the largest park in Ghana. Established in 1958, Mole National Park is mostly flat savannah broken by a high escarpment. Its 4840 square km are home to over 90 species of mammals and 300 species of bird. 2 nights basic hotel H+ (included meals: B, D).
Day 8: Foot safaris in Mole National Park
A highlight of our trip – we make foot safaris with National Park rangers in both the morning and afternoon in search of some of the wildlife which lives here. Species commonly seen include elephant, several kinds of antelope, monkey (including the Green Vervet and Red Patas monkey) and hippo. Up to 150 migratory bird species may also be seen in the Park, depending on the time of our visit. (Included meals: B, L, D).
Day 9: Drive to Techiman via Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary
Our drive today takes us south via a beautiful picnic spot at the 25m high Kintampo Falls, to Boabeng-Fiema village and monkey sanctuary, home to several families of Colobus and Mona monkeys, considered sacred in Ghana. This scenic area hosts a variety of birds, butterflies, indigenous flowers and trees and is certainly worthy of a visit. Later we continue to our overnight stop at Techiman. Overnight basic hotel H+ (included meals: B).
Day 10: Drive to Kumasi
A morning drive takes us into Kumasi. Founded in 1695, Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti Kingdom. In the 18th century it was the terminus for the slave trading routes but in the 19th century hostilities between the British colonists and Ashanti culminated in the city being burnt. Now it is Ghana’s second largest city. In the afternoon we make a city tour that includes Manhyia Palace and the Jubilee Museum. Here we see replicas of the Golden Stool, a sacred object to the Ashanti, for the original stool contains the ‘sumsum’ or the spirit of the entire Ashanti kingdom. Stools are an important part of Ghana’s culture and are considered as an extension of an individual both in life and in death. 2 nights hotel H+ (included meals: B).
Day 11: In Kumasi
Today is free for personal exploration in Kumasi. One option is to visit some of the several craft villages close to Kumasi which can be accessed by local transport. You may also want to spend some time at Kejetia, the largest open air market in West Africa. Here some 10,000 traders haggle and barter in amongst the hectic array of exotic herbs and spices, colourful pots and utensils and unusual foods, such as giant snails (sold either alive or roasted!). (Included meals: B).
Days 12 & 13: Drive to/at Axim Beach
Heading south, we arrive at the sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast and our hotel near Axim. Our second day on the ‘Gold Coast’ is free for exploration. It may be possible to visit the small stilt village of Nzulezu, close to Beyin (optional). We travel by dugout canoe through areas of marsh and open pools fringed by palm thickets. The pools are home to many birds such as pygmy geese and lily trotters and we may spot purple and squacco herons, colourful beeeaters, kingfisher and hornbills. Nzulezu village consists of a central wood platform with reed walkways to the houses. Interestingly, the people here are not fishermen but farmers, whose fields are about 1km north of the lake. You could also choose to visit Axim Fort on foot or by taxi. 2 nights hotel H+ (included meals: Bx2).
Day 14: Visit Elmina and Cape Coast Castles
Travelling east, we stop to include guided tours to both Elmina and Cape Coast castles. Many castles were built along the entire Ghana coast by the colonial powers of the 15th century to protect merchants, their vested interests and to create safe anchorages for their ships from the ferocity of the Atlantic Ocean. The castles were also used for ‘storing’ slaves before they were shipped abroad and so in effect were dungeons as well. Built on the profits of the then lucrative gold and slave trade, the castles became important symbols of European power in the region. With the eventual abolition of the slave trade emphasis changed to the more accepted forms of commerce – coffee, wood and spices. Overnight hotel H+ (included meals: B).
Day 15: Drive Accra via Kakum N. Park; tour ends Accra
Leaving the coast we head inland and visit Kakum National Park. Here the rainforest is one of the most extensive in Ghana, and for those with a good head for heights, there is a canopy walkway some 40m high (optional). This walkway is unique in Africa and offers a rare opportunity to see the forest at the canopy level. Afterwards we continue on to Accra where the tour ends. (Included meals: B).
