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| Viewing: 10 Day Ghana Cultural & Wildlife Tour |
Package ID: 1444 |
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| 10 Day Ghana Cultural & Wildlife Tour |
Our cultural tours take you on an amazing journey through the history of this wonderful country, immersing you in the cultural traditions and daily life of the many tribal communities we visit.
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All our tour prices include
Accommodation: range from air conditioned hotels with en-suite facilities to traditional village homestead
All meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
Transportation around Ghana in an air conditioned vehicle
Cultural excursions
Park entrance fees
Guide fees: fully escorted by professional and expert Western and local Ghanaian guides
24/7 care and attention
I T I N E R A R Y
Day 1
You arrive at Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana. Accra is situated on the Gold Coast of Western Africa. This is the start of what will be an amazing journey that will live with you forever. After passing through immigration, you will proceed to the conveyor to collect your baggage before proceeding to customs. We will meet you on the other side, just look out for your representative you will have a sign as you come out of the terminal building. Make yourself known to us and we will take care of you from here, and for the duration of your stay. We will board our air-conditioned 4x4, your mode of transport for the duration of your stay, before setting off.
Our first stop, the Dutch hotel, is 20 minutes outside Accra. Located in a quiet area on the coast, the Dutch hotel will be our accommodation during our stay in Accra. Once we have checked you in, Mark and the 2 local guides, who will be accompanying you for the duration of your tour, will offer you Akwaaba (Welcome). We will brief you on all aspects of your holiday during complementary drinks (first evening only) at the hotel bar. In the evening you can relax on the hotel terrace overlooking the Gold Coast.
Day 2
Our first full day in Ghana. After an early breakfast, we load up our vehicle and depart Accra, Ghana’s capital. Our destination is Kumasi, home of the Asantehene, King of the Ashantis. En route to Kumasi, we will visit Bonwire, famous in the Ashanti Region for producing some of Ghana’s finest Kente cloths. Many designs of cloth are woven here, and some are exclusive to this region and not found in other parts of Ghana. We will interact with the locals, learning about the history behind the many designs. As we walk through the village we see locals weaving outside their homes. This is a highly skilled process. The machines that the weavers use have not changed in design, for centuries. During our time at Bonwire, we have the opportunity to buy excellent quality cloth at very reasonable prices. After this wonderful cultural excursion, we will continue our journey to Kumasi, the centre of the Ashanti Kingdom. We check into our hotel, for the 1st of a 2 nights stay, on our arrival. If time permits, we will head into the city where we will find the cultural centre and the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum. The cultural centre and Prempeh Museum offer an excellent overview of Ashanti history. There is a wonderful craft market, in the grounds of the cultural centre, giving an opportunity to buy traditional Ashanti crafts, at reasonable prices, during our leisurely tour.
We shall relax in our hotel for a well-deserved rest in the evening.
Day 3
After a good night’s rest and an early breakfast, we will set off for Kejetia market. Found in the heart of the city, Kejetia is the largest outdoor market in the whole of West Africa. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience everyday life for the people in this great city. The market is a labyrinth of stalls, nestled close together, and a hive of activity. Some stallholders sleep here in the evenings as trade rarely stops. I am sure we will pick up some bargain souvenirs during our time here. We will stop for lunch at one of the nearby spots or restaurants, before making the short journey to Manhiya Palace, home of the Asantehene, King of the Ashantis. This is a fascinating excursion through the history of this powerful tribe. After this wonderful excursion, we will visit the Okomfo Anokye sword. This sword has been stuck in the ground for 300 years and marks the spot where the golden stool descended from the sky. Legend has it that the Ashanti Kingdom would collapse if the sword were ever pulled from the ground.
This evening, you will be invited to our head guide’s house for your evening meal and complementary drinks. This offers an opportunity to meet and learn more about the locals, their history and traditions.
Day 4
After breakfast we will leave Kumasi and head for the villages of Boebeng and Fiema. En route, we will make a short journey to Ahiwaa, an old craft village on the outskirts of Kumasi. Here we visit Kofi and his older brother, who have been sculpting for over 40 years in this village. They can be found sitting outside in the shade carving, using centuries old methods and tools. We will learn about the different meanings behind these wonderful sculptures and have the opportunity to buy some souvenirs at a very reasonable price.
We continue our journey northwards to the villages of Boebeng and Fiema. These two villages, nestled close together, have set up a sanctuary to protect the vulnerable Geoffrey’s pied colobus and Mona monkeys that are found in the surrounding forests. The locals perceive monkeys to be sacred and offer them traditional burials. We will spend the day in the villages interacting with locals and walking trails into the forests, viewing these beautiful monkeys, and learning about the history behind their protection. During the walks, our guides will identify the many species of medicinal plants and explain how they benefit the locals.
Our hotel is at Techiman, where we shall enjoy our evening meal and reflect on a wonderful day.
Day 5
The day starts with a buzz as we load up our 4x4 after breakfast and set off northwards. Our destination is Wechiau and the community hippo sanctuary. During our journey, the landscape changes from the broad-leaved woodlands of the Ashanti region. Moving northwards, the Sahelian Savannah plains and woodlands are becoming increasingly more prevalent. We will stop off en route for refreshments at one of the local spots (bars) before reaching our destination. As we near Wechiau, we will notice the change in design of the traditional homesteads of the Lobi tribal communities of the Upper West region. On our arrival, we pick up a local guide at Wechiau town before proceeding to our accommodation for the evening. The Talowana Lodge is clean, basic and comfortable accommodation built in the design of a typical Lobi homestead. Wechiau is a truly wonderful project protecting vulnerable hippos on the beautiful Black Volta River. It was voted the 3rd best conservation destination by the Independent Newspaper, UK in 2000.
After settling into our lodge, we tour a nearby Lobi village and compound interacting with the locals and learning about their fascinating traditional practices and ways of life. If daylight permits, we shall head down to the river for a late afternoon river safari in a traditional dug out canoe. The Black Volta is stunning and the canoe ride is a memorable experience. As we travel up the river to one of the hippo pools, you will be dazzled by the beauty of the woodlands either side of us. To our left is Ghana and right is Burkina Faso. The bird viewing as we travel along this border is excellent with over 250 species recorded.
Encountering the hippos is obviously the highlight of the safari. The feeling you experience is enhanced all the more as these beautiful mammals are endangered in Ghana. We enjoy the breathtaking African sunset as we return down river arriving at our lodge for our evening meal. In the evening we will sit under the beautiful African night sky listening to traditional xylophone music. This is a perfect time to experience pito, the local brew, before retiring for the night.
Day 6
After breakfast and possibly a morning river safari, we set off for Mole National Park, en route we will visit Larabanga and the 14th century mud and stick mosque. This wonderfully preserved traditional Sudanese style mosque dates from around 1421 and reportedly houses one of the original copies of the Koran. We will tour Larabanga learning about the history of the mosque and the traditions of the villagers. A short distance from Larabanga is an ancient spiritual stone, which is definitely worth a visit and the history behind it is fascinating.
On our arrival at Mole we check into the Mole Hotel, which is the only accommodation in the area. Situated on a 250 metre high escarpment overlooking this 4840km² parks, it offers simply breathtaking views. It is an amazing feeling to be sitting around the pool, on the hotel terrace, watching African Savannah elephants bathing in the two nearby watering holes inhabited by crocodiles. After our evening meal, we shall watch the beautiful sun setting over the Savannah woodlands and gallery forest, which surrounds the hotel. This is a perfect ending to a wonderful day!
Day 7
We have an early start as we retrace our steps back to Kumasi, via Domongo. En route to Kumasi, we will stop at the beautiful Kintampo waterfall to relax. Some of our more adventurous guests use this opportunity to experience the best shower in Ghana, an invigorating experience and a great way to cool off after our journey. After our refreshing stop we will set off on our final leg to Kumasi, on our arrival we will check into our hotel and enjoy our evening meal around the pool.
Day 8
After breakfast, we head towards Cape Coast; en route we will be making an emotional stop at Assin Manso, an important town along the slave trade routes. The town surrounds the Ndonkor Nsuo (Slave River). This river is where slaves were checked for fitness and bathed before being transported to Cape Coast for shipment to the Americas. In 1998 a symbolic gesture was made when the bodies of two people who were slaves from Ghana, Samuel Carson from the USA and Crystal from Jamaica, were brought to Cape Coast castle and symbolically passed back through the “door of no return” and transported to Assin Manso for reburial. After visiting their graves, we will continue our journey to Cape Coast.
We arrive in the afternoon, and head for Cape Coast and Elmina castles. These wonderfully preserved colonial fortifications are recognised as UNESCO world heritage sites. They are both steeped in history, which includes a major role in Ghana’s tragic slave trade era. We will tour these castles and embark on a fascinating, thought provoking journey. Both monuments have an excellent museum and information centre. We shall transfer to Hans Cottage Hotel after our tour. This will be our accommodation for the evening. Hans is built over a lake containing Nile crocodiles and set in a beautiful location surrounded by tropical guinea rainforest. Hans is an original and comfortable establishment, which is teeming with bird life. It is an excellent place to stay during our time in Cape Coast.
Day 9
During our breakfast, in the restaurant on the lake, we can enjoy the sights and sounds of the many beautiful birds found in the surrounding vegetation and catch a glimpse of Nile crocodiles which inhabit the lake. We will set off for Kakum National Park, Africa’s only rainforest canopy walkway. This is a truly beautiful, tropical guinea rainforest and the canopy walkway is sure to be a highlight of your time in Ghana. The canopy walkway consists of a series of 7 bridges, attached to 7 emerging trees, 40 metres above the rainforest floor. Prepare to take a deep breath as you walk the suspended bridges. You will marvel at the outstanding views that stretch for miles across this breathtaking rainforest, as you rest on the tree platforms between the bridges. We are sure you would agree that this is an exciting excursion never to be forgotten. We return to the park headquarters where we find an excellent information centre that offers a very informative overview of the parks flora and fauna. Over 40 different mammal species have been recorded within the park, which includes forest elephants, leopards and 6 primate species to mention just a few. We return to Hans Cottage for lunch before loading up and setting off for Accra, Ghana’s capital city situated on the Gold Coast. On our arrival we will check into our hotel. As it is our final evening in Ghana we will freshen up, before an evening out at one of Accra’s beachfront restaurants and bars.
Day 10
A well-deserved lie in, the day is at your leisure, you may decide to relax on the beach or around the pool of the hotel. Alternatively we can take you to the National Cultural Centre, which has an excellent craft market and is a good place to pick up any last minute souvenirs. If you decide to go to the cultural centre, it would be a shame not to visit the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum as it is situated a short walk away. The mausoleum is set in attractive gardens and has an interesting museum attached. Depending on your flight departure time, we will visit a nearby beach hotel to relax and enjoy an early evening meal before your sad departure and flight home after an unforgettable 10 days experience.
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Price does not include
International Flights
Visa
Items of a personal nature or not mentioned in the itinerary above
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