Ghana 8 Day Special

WELCOME TO GHANA!!! Upon arrival at Kotoka International Airport, proceed through immigrations, claim luggage and clear Custom procedures, exit and meet our expert Cultural Tour guide. Depending on the time of arrival in Accra : You may take a short tour of the beautiful and vast campus of University of Ghana, Legon in our private air-conditioned vehicle. Afterwards you continue to the hotel; after check-in, your guide, who will be with you throughout your stay, will brief you on what to expect during your stay in Ghana.

ACCRA Highlights: • W.E.B Dubois Centre • The Independence/Black Square • The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park • Jamestown Fishing Community-The Lighthouse & the Brazil House Welcome to the bustling city of Accra which today is a blend of modern-day edifices and colonial days structures that give you a feel of a great experience This 120-year-old city has a number of historical things to offer as you set off after a sumptuous breakfast at your hotel. Our first visit will be to W.E.B Du Bois Centre honoring the life of the prominent Pan-Africanist who chose to live and work in Ghana. We shall continue to Independence Square where you will see the enclosed flame of African Liberation, which was lit by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1961. The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, final resting place of Ghana’s first president. Set in attractive gardens, there is an adjoining museum, which contains photos, artifacts and an insight 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 of which was 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

Highlights: • Manhyia Palace Museum • Okomfo Anokye Sword Site After breakfast, drive through the forest zone to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire to explore the legends of the famous Ashantis, whose legacies are still evident today. Have a scenic drive through the Aburi Mountains on your way to see the Mampong Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine. The Centre conducts research in the use of plant medicine in the cure of various ailments. Arrive Kumasi late afternoon and visit Manhyia Palace, official residence of Ashanti Kings (Asantehene) until 1974, now a museum containing treasured items relating to the Ashanti Kingdom. Time permitting, we shall visit the nearby Okomfo Anokye Sword site, an important symbol of Ashanti unity that marks the spot where the Golden Stool “descended from the sky” and has been in place for 300 years. Legend says the Ashanti Kingdom would collapse should the sword ever be removed. Transfer to your hotel for your overnight stay; evening at leisure Meal(s) Included: Breakfast

Highlights: • 3 craft villages of Ahwiaa, Ntonso and Bonwire • Kumasi Central Market After breakfast, you will visit the 3 craft villages of the surrounding lush countryside of Kumasi. Bonwire will be our first craft village where we’ll see how the famous Kente Cloth is handmade on looms in a time-honored tradition passed down through generations. See the Kente styles and the opportunity to make purchases. We may pay a courtesy call to the paramount chief of this community. We will continue to the village of Ntonso where Artisans 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; learn how the Black Dye is made in the village from the bark of trees and creates your own Adinkra sash to take home. You may also purchase large pieces of the Adinkra Cloth handmade in the village. We proceed to the woodcarving Village of Ahwiaa, known for the talented craftsmen who fashion Royal stools, walking sticks and Fertility Dolls from wood; with the opportunity to purchase hand carved items of all kinds. This evening, visit the Kumasi Central Market (also known as the Kejetia Market), the largest open market in West Africa, where more than 10,000 vendors sell their wares. Here you will find just about everything, food, fabric, beauty products and handmade crafts. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast

Highlights: • Assin Manso Slave River • Cape Coast Castle After breakfast, drive to Cape Coast; with a stop at Assin Manso, the burial site of two former slaves from the U.S. and Jamaica whose remains were re-interred in August 1998 during Ghana’s first Emancipation Day celebration. 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. Upon arrival in Cape Coast, visit the Cape Coast Castle and Museum for a guided tour. Cape Coast Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the home to the “Door of No Return”. Transfer to and check in at the hotel; evening is at leisure Meal(s) Included: Breakfast

HIGHLIGHTS: • Kakum National Park • Cape Coast Castle After breakfast, visit Kakum National Park. Kakum is one of Ghana’s most famous parks. Take a brief walking tour on the forest floor; see birds, butterflies and perhaps catch a glimpse of the forests over 40 species of mammals including monkeys and the reclusive forest elephant. Proceed to the canopy walk. Kakum is home to Africa’s only aerial walkway through the tree canopy, a 1000-foot-long and seven-bridge walkway with viewing platforms that reach heights of over 150 feet above ground. In the afternoon, visit Elmina Castle, another UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1482. This castle was the first European structure built in sub-Saharan Africa. In the evening you will travel to the nearby village of Mesomagor and see the Bamboo Orchestra at their musical best. The young people in the village of Mesomagor have revived traditional art, by performing with bamboo percussion instruments to music and dance. This is a contagious dance performance you will not find anywhere else (Minimum 8 required for this activity). Return to your hotel; evening at leisure Meal(s) Included: Breakfast

• Abandze Village • Arts and Crafts Shopping After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel for Accra. You will stop briefly at Abandze, the ancestral home of Louis Armstrong, the famous American Jazz Musician. Arrive in Accra late afternoon. You may visit the famous Oxford street in Osu (including the Global Mamas Shop, Woodin Shop and other local stalls with very colourful and beautiful African wear, beads and accessories) for last minute shopping or the Wild Gecko on the Airport road for traditional crafts and artifacts. You may want to enjoy a stunning nightlife in Accra with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant outside your hotel Meal(s) Included: Breakfast

Today is at leisure but with the assistance of your driver and guide; decide on your excursions and activities. Visit the sites in Accra and vicinity that you have not yet seen. You will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight home. Meal(s) Included: Breakfast