Depart US on an overnight flight to Ghana
Akwaaba – WELCOME
Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Transfer from airport to your 4-star hotel, the Swiss Spirit Ali
Overnight: African Regent Hotel
VILLAGE NAMING CEREMONY (B,L,D)
After breakfast, depart for a scenic drive to a beautiful village located on the lower course of the splendid Volta River. Experience a traditional naming ceremony, one of the cornerstones of Ghanaian culture heritage. You’ll take part in the naming ceremony, where you will be given a traditional African name and welcomed into the local community by the chiefs and townspeople. You’ll also enjoy authentic traditional drumming and dancing during the ceremony. Other activities include a demonstration of pottery making which is the main occupation of the women in the village.
Overnight: African Regent Hotel
ACCRA CITY TOUR/JAMES TOWN WALKING TOUR (B,L,D)
After breakfast, depart your hotel for a sightseeing city tour of Accra. You will drive through the administrative and economic districts of Accra, the capital of Ghana. This 137year-old city has a blend of colonial and modern architecture that summarize her history. You will visit the W. E. B. Dubois Centre for Pan African Culture, Independence/ Black Star Square and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Visit the Arts Centre where you will have an opportunity to use your bargaining skills to shop from an open-air market for artifacts from Ghana and West Africa. End your tour with a visit to James Town. The people of James Town are Afro-Brazilian descendants and former slaves who decided to return to Africa. About seventy Afro Brazilians of seven different families arrived in South Ghana and Accra, in the region of the old port in James Town in 1836. On your tour, you will find one of the Homes of the Tabom People, former slaves who returned to Africa after the abolition of slavery in Brazil. The House became a museum, known as ‘Brazil House’.
Overnight: African Regent Hotel
ACCRA — ELMINA CASTLE & ELMINA FISHING VILLAGE WALKING TOUR (B,L,D)
After breakfast, check out of hotel and depart for Cape Coast to embark on a tour of the Elmina Castle (also known as St. George’s Castle) built by the Portuguese in 1482. Designated as an official UN World Heritage Site, Elmina Castle is an important symbol of the traumatic history of the Trans–Atlantic slave. Take a tour of the castle and learn how the legacy of the slave trade has shaped Africans and African Diaspora for generations. The colorful harbor nestled below the Elmina Castle, full of pirogues preparing to go to sea offers one of West Africa’s greatest photo opportunities.
Overnight: Ridge Royal Hotel
CAPE COAST CASTLE (B,L,D)
Morning at leisure. Later in the day, visit the Cape Coast Castle which was built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. Like Elmina Castle, Cape Coast castle is a UNESCO world heritage site and a poignant memorial to the millions of Africans who were victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum established by the Smithsonian Institute in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government in 1994.
Overnight: Ridge Royal Hotel
Elmina Resort/Optional cooking workshop (B,L,D)
Enjoy the facilities at the resort or take an optional Ghanaian Cooking Workshop. Overnight: Elmina Coconut Grove Beach Resort
Elmina Resort or OPTIONAL Tour (B,L,D)
Enjoy the facilities at the resort or take an optional tour to Kakum National Park.
OPTIONAL TOUR: After breakfast, depart early in morning for a drive to Kakum National Park, one of West Africa’s surviving tropical rain forests. Extending over 360sq km, Kakum is the home to over 40 large mammals and 400 bird species as well as many species of butterflies, flora and fauna. The most popular attraction is the Canopy walkway, which is made up of seven bridges extending 330m, hanging 30m (100 feet) above the forest floor. Enjoy a 2 km nature walk through this forest to discover the wide variety of exotic floral species and the medicinal values they offer.
Overnight: Ridge Royal Hotel
Farewell/Departure (B)
Devote this day to doing some last-minute sightseeing and shopping. Later in the day, transfer to the airport for overnight flight back to the US.
Arrive in the US