12 Day Burkina Faso and Ghana Tour

DAY 1                          AKWAABA - WELCOME
Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Transfer from airport to your hotel. Welcome drink and orientation. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel in Accra.

DAY 2                          ACCRA CITY TOUR
After breakfast depart hotel for a sightseeing city tour of Accra. You will drive through the administrative and economic districts of Accra, the capital of Ghana. This128-year-old city has a blend of colonial and modern architecture that summarize her history.  You will visit the W. E. B. Dubois Center for Pan African Culture, Independence/ Black Star Square and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. After lunch in a local Ghanaian restaurant, you will end your tour at 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. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Accra.

Day 3                         CAPE COAST CASTLE / ELMINA CASTLE
Depart for a drive to the Central Region to tour 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. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum established by the Smithsonian Institute in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government in 1994.  After lunch, visit the Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482 and is also known as St. George's Castle.  This castle was the first European structure built in Sub – Saharan Africa.  The view of the colorful harbor nestle below the Elmina Castle, full of pirogues preparing to go to sea offers one of West Africa’s best picture perfect opportunities.  Dinner and overnight at hotel in Elmina.

DAY 5                            KUMASI CITY TOUR
After breakfast at your hotel, check out and depart for a 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. After lunch, visit Manhyia Palace Museum, to obtain firsthand information on the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. A regal history that dates back to 1700 is told with relics and artifacts. Enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people.  End the day’s tour at the National Cultural Center which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum and various studios of the brass makers, potters and batik makers.  Dinner and overnight at hotel in Kumasi.

Day 6             ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGES
This day is devoted to visiting the three famous craft villages in Ashanti -  Ahwiaa, the wood carvers’ village, Ntonso, the home of Adinkra and Bonwire, the Kente weaving village.  You will have the opportunity to see how African crafts are made and to buy directly from the artisans who make them.  Dinner and overnight at hotel in Kumasi.

Day 7                                                         KUMASI - TAMALE
After breakfast depart Kumasi for a drive to Tamale the capital of the Dagomba State. Visit the Centre for National Culture to see how the Northern Culture evolved. Here you will find the well known northern traditional attire known as the “smock or (fugu)” being designed, dyed and sewed by hand. After lunch visit the main handicraft market where you can shop for straw products, leather goods, and carvings from the Mossi people. Overnight stay at hotel in Tamale.     

Day 8             SIRIGU– OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO
Early morning departure for Sirigu, the Village of painted houses. Visit the Chief’s Palace and walk through maze like passages to view painted Talensi houses. Have refreshments at the visitor’s center; afterwards participate in a house painting workshop where you will learn the techniques of wall design. After the workshop, depart for Tongo Hills for a packed lunch on one of the rock shelters. After lunch, take a short hike through the hills to visit Tengzug Shrine. Here you will learn the history and details of the Tenzug and Tonna’ab Shrine. After lunch depart for dinner and overnight in Ouagadougou.

Day 9                         OUAGADOUGOU CITY TOUR
After Breakfast depart for a sightseeing tour of Ouagadougou, the traditional capital of the Mossi Empire. Visit the Centre Artisan to shop for bronze castings, carvings, masks, jewelry which consists of desert crosses and terracotta beads as well as Tuareg leather boxes. End the day by visiting the Musee National. The museum consists primarily of ethnographic collections such as clay pots, basket making and weaving exhibits, regional costumes including the a Mossi chiefs regalia, ancestral statutes of the Bobo, Mossi, Lobi and the Gourounsi people. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Ouagadougou.

Day 10                       OUAGADOUGOU – BOBO DIOULASOO
If you are there on a Friday, leave early morning (6:30 am) to see the Nabayius Gou. This is a ceremonial re-enactment of an event that took place in the eighteenth century at the Mogho Naba’s palace. This event commemorates the commitment of their king to his subjects. After lunch, depart for a scenic drive to Bobo Dioulasso. Dinner and overnight in Bobo Dioulasso.

DAY 11                              BOBO DIOULASSO - OUAGADOUGOU
Spend the morning exploring Bobo Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina Faso. Visit Bobo’s old town in the Kibidoue district, the Marche de Poterie and the Musee de la Culture. After lunch for depart Ouagadougou for dinner and overnight.

DAY 12                                             DAY AT LEISURE / DEPARTURE
After breakfast spend the rest of the day at leisure or shopping for your trip back home. Transfer to airport for check in and final departure back home.