Private Cultural 12 Day Journey to Ghana Togo and Benin

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Akwaaba - Arrival
1 stop
1
Accra
You will be met at the airport by Landtours representatives who will assist you with your transfer from the airport to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink at the hotel and participate in an orientation session. Remainder of the day at leisure.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Accra City Tour
4 stops
2
Artists Alliance Gallery
Experience the city’s highlights during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region. In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city. ­ Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the Artists Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture and the Independence/Black Star Square. ­ Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence. Continue your tour to The National Museum of Ghana is in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum building was opened on 5 March 1957 as part of Ghana's independence celebrations. ­ Visit the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
3
W.E.B. DuBois Center
Experience the city’s highlights during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region. In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city. ­ Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the Artists Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture and the Independence/Black Star Square. ­ Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence. Continue your tour to The National Museum of Ghana is in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum building was opened on 5 March 1957 as part of Ghana's independence celebrations. ­ Visit the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
4
Center for National Culture
Experience the city’s highlights during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region. In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city. ­ Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the Artists Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture and the Independence/Black Star Square. ­ Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence. Continue your tour to The National Museum of Ghana is in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum building was opened on 5 March 1957 as part of Ghana's independence celebrations. ­ Visit the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
5
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
Experience the city’s highlights during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region. In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city. ­ Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the Artists Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture and the Independence/Black Star Square. ­ Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence. Continue your tour to The National Museum of Ghana is in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum building was opened on 5 March 1957 as part of Ghana's independence celebrations. ­ Visit the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 3
CANOPY WALK WAY AND KAKUM RAIN FOREST – SLAVE DUNGEON EXPERIENCE (CAPE COAST CASTLE)
2 stops
6
Kakum National Park
After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Cape Coast and drive through the historic Denkyira Kingdom to Kakum National Park, one of West Africa’s surviving tropical rain forests. Choose between a 2 km nature walk through the rain forest to discover the wide variety of exotic flora and fauna species and the medicinal values they offer or take a walk on the canopy walkway hanging 40 meters above the forest ground. ­ After lunch on your own, embark on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles, and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade which the impact is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. Visit the Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. It is an opportunity to be up and close with history – to stand in the dark and stuffy dungeons, imagining the experience and conditions that millions of Africans endured. ­ This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum
3 hours • Admission ticket included
7
Cape Coast Castle
After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Cape Coast and drive through the historic Denkyira Kingdom to Kakum National Park, one of West Africa’s surviving tropical rain forests. Choose between a 2 km nature walk through the rain forest to discover the wide variety of exotic flora and fauna species and the medicinal values they offer or take a walk on the canopy walkway hanging 40 meters above the forest ground. ­ After lunch on your own, embark on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles, and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade which the impact is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. Visit the Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. It is an opportunity to be up and close with history – to stand in the dark and stuffy dungeons, imagining the experience and conditions that millions of Africans endured. ­ This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum
4 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 4
SLAVE DUNGEON EXPERIENCE (ELMINA CASTLE) AND FISHING VILLAGE TOUR
2 stops
8
Elmina Castle
After breakfast, visit Elmina Castle, also known as St. George’s Castle, which was built by the Portuguese in 1482. Here, learn about the relationship between the western slave traders and the African tribes that participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here participants will witness the dark and stuffy dungeons local people were forced to endure before being sent on a long and perilous passage across the Atlantic. ­ On your own, explore Elmina, a fishing village that’s both picturesque and gritty, charming and though-provoking. What better way to appreciate it than to immerse oneself in its main industry – fishing! Meet with local fishermen to learn the intricacies of their trade and the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Next, meet the fish mongers in the village who will demonstrate the various stages of smoking the fish in earthenware ovens. ­ This is a unique way to experience one of Ghana’s oldest and important trades. ­
4 hours • Admission ticket included
9
Elmina
After breakfast, visit Elmina Castle, also known as St. George’s Castle, which was built by the Portuguese in 1482. Here, learn about the relationship between the western slave traders and the African tribes that participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here participants will witness the dark and stuffy dungeons local people were forced to endure before being sent on a long and perilous passage across the Atlantic. ­ On your own, explore Elmina, a fishing village that’s both picturesque and gritty, charming and though-provoking. What better way to appreciate it than to immerse oneself in its main industry – fishing! Meet with local fishermen to learn the intricacies of their trade and the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Next, meet the fish mongers in the village who will demonstrate the various stages of smoking the fish in earthenware ovens. ­ This is a unique way to experience one of Ghana’s oldest and important trades. ­
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 5
ELMINA - SLAVE RIVER – KUMASI CITY TOUR
3 stops
10
Elmina
Embark on a journey from your hotel after breakfast to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire. Along the way, stop at the former slave site in Assin Manso, a poignant location that served as the final transit point for many enslaved Africans. Explore the historical significance of "Donkor Nsuo," the former Slave River and market. ­ Upon reaching Kumasi, visit the Manhyia Palace Museum to learn firsthand about the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. The city tour includes iconic sites like the Kejetia market, the National Cultural Centre with the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, and various artisan studios, offering a rich immersion into Kumasi's cultural heritage.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
11
Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River Park
Embark on a journey from your hotel after breakfast to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire. Along the way, stop at the former slave site in Assin Manso, a poignant location that served as the final transit point for many enslaved Africans. Explore the historical significance of "Donkor Nsuo," the former Slave River and market. ­ Upon reaching Kumasi, visit the Manhyia Palace Museum to learn firsthand about the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. The city tour includes iconic sites like the Kejetia market, the National Cultural Centre with the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, and various artisan studios, offering a rich immersion into Kumasi's cultural heritage.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
12
Kumasi
Embark on a journey from your hotel after breakfast to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire. Along the way, stop at the former slave site in Assin Manso, a poignant location that served as the final transit point for many enslaved Africans. Explore the historical significance of "Donkor Nsuo," the former Slave River and market. ­ Upon reaching Kumasi, visit the Manhyia Palace Museum to learn firsthand about the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. The city tour includes iconic sites like the Kejetia market, the National Cultural Centre with the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, and various artisan studios, offering a rich immersion into Kumasi's cultural heritage.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGES
1 stop
13
Kumasi
After breakfast, depart your hotel and devote this day to visiting the three famous Ashanti craft villages; Ahwiaa, the wood carvers’ village, Ntonso, the home of Adinkra cloth, and Bonwire, the Kente weaving village. ­ You will have an opportunity to see how African crafts are made and to buy directly from the artisans who make them.
5 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 7
KUMASI - ACCRA
1 stop
14
Kumasi
After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Accra. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.
5 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 8
ACCRA – LOME CITY TOUR
1 stop
15
Lome
After breakfast, check out of your hotel for Togo. Upon arrival, head straight for a city tour of Lome. Drive by the Musée National (National Museum), as well as the Place de I’ Independence (Place of Independence, where the Independence Monument is situated). Visit Grand Marche (Grand Market) and Marche des Feticheurs (Fetish Market).
6 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 9
TOGOVILLE
1 stop
16
Togoville
After breakfast, depart your hotel for a visit to Togoville, a beach resort on Lake Togo. Cruise on the Lake to the 17th Century Catholic Cathedral, which hosted Pope Paul during his visit to Togo, as well as the 5 main voodoo shrines on the island.
6 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 10
LOME – OUIDAH – COTONOU
1 stop
17
Cotonou
After breakfast, check out and depart for a visit to Ouidah, the cradle of African Traditional Religion, en-route to Cotonou. Tour the temple dedicated to the sacred Python, which is believed to give vitality and protection; you will also pay a visit to the sacred forest which houses many shrines dedicated to various deities. Afterwards, visit the Port of No Return; a monument built by the Benin Government to commemorate the Africans that were taken from the Dahomey Empire during the Slave Trade. Continue the journey northwards to Cotonou. Check in at hotel and relax.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 11
COTONOU – ABOMEY
1 stop
18
The Royal Palaces of Abomey, being a UNESCO cultural world heritage site, are ranked as one of the most famous tourist’s attraction sites in Abomey and the greater Benin. The palaces are vital representations of Benin's cultural heritage and attract thousands of tourists from across the world yearly. The palaces of Abomey are used for traditional ceremonies in modern-day Benin. During these ceremonies, rhythmic music, Benin's rich culture, rituals, religions, and customs are carried out in the complex. These ceremonies have significantly helped with the conservation of the complex, due to the palaces' continued functionality. Nearby sites include the Fetish Temple and a local arts center which sells traditional handicrafts.
6 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 12
FAREWELL DEPARTURE
1 stop
19
Cotonou
After breakfast, spend the day shopping and doing last minute packing. Check out of the hotel and transfer to airport for check-in and final departure back home.
12 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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