Heritage Tour of Ghana

Finally, you have arrived. Time to relax and take it all in as your senses go into overload. Africa is special and over the coming days we hope your experiences will help cement your connection to your culture and heritage. Your guide and driver are excited to meet you on your arrival at the Kotoka International Airport Accra, which is situated on the beautiful gold coast of Western Africa. Look out for the Ashanti African Tours sign when you leave the main terminal building after passing through customs. Make yourself known to your guide who will be accompanying you for the duration of your trip and they will take care of you from here. Most flights arrive in the evening and our aim is to transfer you to the hotel, check you in for you to be able to relax and start to enjoy your vacation. You must have so many questions as your guide officially offers you Akwaaba (welcome) and briefs you on all aspects of your trip. You can choose to relax at your hotel after the flight and rest up in preparation for the following days activities. Maybe you are too excited to rest and would like to experience Accra nightlife, no problem, your guide, and driver will be happy to head into town with you.

Day at leisure

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Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra

overnight

Your first full day in Ghana. Most days are glorious here and the sun should be shining as you head down to breakfast at your hotel. An exciting day lies ahead as we set off for our tour of Accra, passing through the economic and administrative districts on our way to the National Museum. Always a great place to start our tours as almost all the displays here are ethnographic in nature and the museum gives us an excellent overview of West African culture. The displays in the museum are not only from Ghana but most West African countries. There is an adjoining garden which is home to various sculptures that talk about West African tradition and customs giving you an insight of West African history. The Museum and surrounding markets have beautiful African fabrics for sale and your guide would be happy to arrange one of our tailors to take your measurements, show you a wide selection of designs and get some items of clothing made for you.

Day at leisure

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Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra

overnight

An early start as we check out of our hotel and set off Northwards towards the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Our journey today will take us into the beautiful Akuapem hills with outstanding views across Accra and Tema in the distance. At the top of the range, we find the Aburi botanical gardens, set in a beautiful location that were founded by the British in 1890. The gardens are home to a wide variety of indigenous and exotic flora, offering outstanding views to Accra on a clear day. As we walk around the gardens our guide will identify the many trees and plants found here, some with medicinal properties and explain how they benefit the locals. A short distance from the gardens we find the relaxed and friendly Aburi craft village, where traditional African drums, sculptures and other crafts have been carved for generations. As we watch the skilled craftsmen at work it is worth noting that prices here are amongst the lowest in Ghana, making Aburi an ideal place to pick up some souvenirs. Your guide will talk you through the meaning and local beliefs connected to many of the sculptures that have been made the same way throughout history. Our lunch will be taken in Koforidua capital of the Eastern Region of Ghana before we continue our journey to Kumasi arriving in the early evening. Once we have checked into our accommodation, we enjoy our evening meal with the remainder of the day free leisure time to relax.

Day at leisure

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Ike's Cultural Village

overnight

A morning visit to the last material remains of the great Asante Empire as we visit the traditional Asante buildings that are now recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. There are 10 active shrines within the buildings which are made from bamboo, timber, mud, and thatched roofs. The walls are designed with motifs that have traditional symbolic meanings attached to ancient Adinkra symbols that we will learn more about later today. This is also where Nana Yaa Asantewaa, possibly the most important women in Ashanti history comes from, a great female warrior who led the Ashanti’s in the 1901 war against the British. Nana Yaa Asantewaa was also the Queen Mother of Ejisu Besease and we will visit the local spiritual shrine where she used to fortify herself before going into battle.

Day at leisure

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Ike's Cultural Village

overnight

This morning we check out of our hotel and head to the Manhyia Palace, home of the Asantehene, King of the Ashanti’s and ruler of the Asanteman Kingdom. The Palace Museum offers a fascinating excursion through the history of the powerful Ashanti empire. Our tour gives you a firsthand insight into the legacies of the Ashanti’s and enables you to understand the importance of Ashanti culture during your time in this region.

Day at leisure

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Charlestina Beach Resort

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An action-packed day lies ahead and an early start for us as we enjoy the sunrise and our breakfast on arguably Ghana’s finest beach front location. Africa’s world-famous rainforest canopy walkway awaits us as we set off to Kakum National Park which is a semi-deciduous upper guinea rainforest. This is an incredibly beautiful, tropical guinea rainforest and the canopy walkway is sure to be one of the highlights of your time in Cape Coast. This National Park protects the original habitat that was found in this location and was the major source of food for locals prior to it becoming a National Park. The walkway consists 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 viewing platforms that are attached to the emerging trees 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 center that offers a highly informative overview of the park’s 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.

Day at leisure

highlights

Charlestina Beach Resort

overnight

A relaxing morning enjoying the facilities of our accommodation, maybe go for a swim, relax on the beach, or just enjoy our final morning at this beautiful location. Prior to lunch we will freshen up and re-pack our bags, your guide and driver will collect them from your room and bring them to our vehicle to load. Before setting off back to Accra we enjoy our lunch overlooking the beautiful Gold Coast of West Africa. On route to Accra, we pass through the fishing town of Elmina. During our time in Elmina town, we visit the Castle of St. George, the oldest extant colonial building in sub-Saharan Africa, dating from 1482. This castle is steeped in history and played a prominent part during the tragic, transatlantic slave trade era. There is an informative museum inside which concentrates on local history and this now silent monument to the pain and suffering our ancestors endured has been formally designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO. After an informative tour we can visit the local fishing market and walk the short distance to visit the boat builders in this community. Almost all the fishing boats used in this bustling fishing community are traditional wooden boats. Their design has not changed in centuries and neither have the tools and methods used to build them. Whilst we take in the sights of the many colourful fishing boats bringing their daily catch into the harbour, it is important to understand Elmina has hardly changed since the days our ancestors were forcibly taken through this community to the Americas. Our journey continues and on arrival back in Ghana’s capital Accra, we check into our accommodation with your final evening here in Ghana free time to relax or hit the town.

Day at leisure

highlights

Charlestina Beach Resort

overnight

After a leisurely breakfast we will set off on our final city tour of Accra, our first visit this morning will be the DuBois Center. This is the final burial place and former home of the prominent American Pan-Africanist Dr William W Burghardt DuBois, who lead the Pan-African congress between 1919 and 1927 he was a vocal Anti-Segregationist and prolific speaker and writer. The center now serves as a library and research institute for students of Pan-Africanism. The Artist Alliance Gallery on the beach front in Accra is the ideal location to experience traditional and contemporary art and artifacts ranging from paintings, carvings, furniture, jewelry, fabrics, and photography from all of Ghana and our neighboring countries. If you appreciate art, you will be like a kid in a candy store before we set off for “Fantasy Coffins” of Teshie Nungua. Funeral and burial ceremonies in our culture are very solemn occasions, but after the burial a celebration follows. Ghanaians believe that the departed move on into another world and the coffins made here may represent the occupation of the deceased or depict something that was important to them. There are all manner of coffin designs that one could be buried in from cars, cocoa pods, cigarette packets and airplanes to crocodiles, shoes, bottles of beer and boats to mention a few. During our time here we can also venture to their workshop and meet the coffin makers. Time for some last-minute shopping in Accra as we head to the Accra Mall giving you an insight into modern day Ghana. An opportunity to also purchase some last-minute souvenirs before your transfer to the airport and departure. Our early evening meal will be taken at a locally owned restaurant serving an excellent selection of local and international dishes which gives us an ideal opportunity to say our goodbyes and reflect on a wonderful time together. You are now part of the Ashanti African Tours family and will be greatly missed.

Day at leisure

highlights

Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra

overnight