West Africa. Ghana, Togo, Benin and its rich culture and history

ARRIVE ACCRA On arrival to Accra you will be met, assisted and transferred to your hotel. This evening’s activities will depend on your arrival time in Ghana. Your driver and guide will be available to take you on excursions around Accra until 8 Pm. Overnight at Best Western Plus Beach Hotel (BB)

ACCRA AND VICINITY After breakfast there is an orientation. After orientation begin the city tour with a visit to the W.E.B. Du Bois Center which honors the life of one of the most prominent Pan-Africanists who chose to work, live and retired in Ghana. Visit Independence Square, Accra’s open-air ceremonial grounds where all national celebrations are held. Continue to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and museum , a tribute to Ghana’s first President. This park, formally called the Polo grounds, is where Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared the independence of Ghana. The remains of Dr. Nkrumah as well as that of his wife rest on this premises. You will see various personal items used by Dr Nkrumah, as well as books he authored. Overnight at Best Western Plus Beach Hotel (HB)

ACCRA – KUMASI After breakfast, depart to to Kumasi, the realm of the Ashanti Kingdom. Arrive in Kumasi by afternoon and go on a city tour of Kumasi visiting the Manhyia Palace Museum, which is a former palace used by two Asantehene (Ashanti Kings). This Museum houses exhibits that tell the history and culture of the Ashanti Kingdom. Drive past the Kumasi Central Market, the largest open-air market in West Africa, to visit the National Cultural Center which is home to Prempeh II Jubilee Museum. This museum was named after the former Asantehene, Nana Osei Agyeman Prempreh II. Exhibits in this museum include a replica of the famed Golden Stool, which is believed to have descended from the sky and is the spiritual symbol of unity for the Ashanti people. Check into your hotel, dinner and overnight at Miklin Hotel (HB)

ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGES - ELMINA Visit Ashanti craft villages starting with the woodcarving 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 hand carved items of all kinds. Our next stop is the village of Ntonso where artisan’s hand-stamp patterns on cotton cloth to make adinkra textiles. Black-on-black and black-on-red adinkra cloth is worn for funerals and other solemn occasions. You will learn how the black dye is made in the village from the bark of trees, and create your own adinkra sash to take home. You may also purchase large pieces of adinkra cloth handmade in the village. Early afternoon depart to Cape Coast and stop at Assin Manso, the re-burial site of the remains of the two ancestors exhumed from New York’s Wall Street and Kingston, Jamaica and re-interred on the Emancipation Day 1998. 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. Arrive in Elmina by early evening. Dinner and overnight at Elmina Bay Hotel (HB)

ELMINA Early morning, visit Kakum National Park. Kakum is one of Ghana’s most famous parks. Take a brief morning walk of the “Kuntan Trail” with its countless trees with medicinal and cultural properties. Experience the Kakum Canopy Walkway, Africa’s only aerial walkway through the tree canopy. It is a seven-bridge walkway with viewing platforms. Enjoy a panoramic view of the flora and fauna of the remaining vestiges of the rainforest from a height of about 150 feet from the forest ground. Arrive in Elmina by late afternoon and visit Cape Coast Castle and the Castle Museum for a guided tour. Cape Coast Castle is restored UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was one of the departure points for Africans being sent to the Americas. The castle is home to the infamous Door of No Return. Dinner and overnight at Elmina Bay Hotel (HB)

ELMINA – ACCRA – LOME After breakfast, depart Elmina for Aflao to cross the Ghana – Togo border to Lome, stopping at points of interest. Arrive in Lome and visit Independence Square, the national Museum, Lome craftsmen village, Lome Central market – realm of the famous Nana Benz, the fishing harbor, the fetish market – the traditional drugstore for the locals. Visit also the Lomé central market, or Grand Marche, where pearls, baskets, pottery and other products including “sacred” items are on display. Overnight at Ibis Hotel (BB)

Lome – Voodoo Ceremony Morning at leisure and in the afternoon depart from hotel in Lome for Voodoo village. Voodoo: We will be received by a traditional healer specialized in the cure of insanity. He combines African herbal medicine and voodoo magical rites in his treatment. Koku voodoo : an authentic voodoo ceremony. In a typical African courtyard the believers meet, often more than hundred. At the increasingly hypnotic rhythm of tam tam and enchantment songs some dancers will fall into a deep trance: eyes rolled over, grimaces, stretched muscles, insensibility to pain and fire. It is the possession of the spirits, part of the African religious experience. Return to hotel. Overnight at Ibis Hotel (BB)

LOME - COTONOU Drive to Ouidah, the former slave trading post and birthplace of Voodoo. Visit Voodoo Museum, the Sacred Forest, the Cathedral and the Temple of the sacred Pythons. Lunch (own account). Continue to the place of the common grave, the tree of forgetfulness and the “Gate of no Return”. Late afternoon: Continue to Cotonou for overnight. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Du Lac (HB)

COTONOU Visit the Government district, the Ganvie market zone including the international Dantokpa market with its exuberant traders and the handicraft center. In the afternoon, depart to the lake village – Ganvié, the “Venice of Africa” with its houses built on stilts. Visit the fishers’ street, the lovers’ lane and the Francophonie villa. In the evening visit the Arts and Crafts market. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Du Lac (HB)

COTONOU - LOME - ACCRA - DEPART After breakfast drive to Accra, stopping in Lome for lunch. Dinner in a local restaurant in Accra. Transfer to the airport for your flight home or continue your travel in Africa.