TOUR NAME: Cultural Festivals Of Ghana
TOUR DATE: JULY, 2012
QUOTE DATE: NOVEMBER 2011

Day 1                                                    ARRIVE IN ACCRA

Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Transfer from airport to your hotel. Upon arrival, enjoy a welcome drink and orientation. Check into hotel and relax.  Overnight at your Hotel in Accra.

Day 2                                                       ACCRA CITY TOUR

After breakfast, embark on a sightseeing city tour of Accra. You will drive through the administrative and economic districts of Accra, the capital of Ghana. This 134-year-old city has a blend of colonial and modern architecture that summarize her history. 

Day 3                         ACCRA-ELMINA, BAKATUE FESTIVAL

Enjoy breakfast at hotel.  Early departure for scenic drive from Accra to Elmina.  Upon arrival, you will be amazed by the festivities that will be under way for the Bakatue Festival.  Your guide will take you to the heart of the festival, as you feel the beat of powerful Fontonfrom drums.
  As part of the celebrations, observe the exciting traditional boat race that draws a large crowd of supporters and observers, with lots of unique phot opportunities. There will also be a cultural Durbar, which will include a parade of chiefs and traditional leaders accompanied by drumming, dancing and other festivities.
After this exciting experience, check into the hotel.  Dinner will be served at hotel.

Day 4                       CAPE COAST CASTLE, ELMINA CASTLE

After breakfast, embark on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade, the impact of which is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. 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 colorful harbor nestled below the Elmina Castle, full of pirogues preparing to go to sea offers one of West Africa’s greatest photo opportunities.  Visit the Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653 and 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.  Enjoy the rest of this day at leisure, relaxing on the beach, or exploring the bustling town of Elmina.  Dinner served in local restaurant.

Day 5                          KAKUM NATIONAL PARK

Breakfast at hotel.  Depart for a drive through the historic Denkyira Kingdom 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 40m above the forest floor. 

Choose between a 2 km nature walk through this forest to discover the wide variety of exotic floral species and the medicinal values they offer OR take a walk on the canopy walkway hanging 40 meters above the forest ground.

Day 6                                                ELMINA-KUMASI CITY TOUR

After breakfast, depart for the drive to Kumasi. Upon arrival, embark on a tour of Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire to explore the legends of the famous Ashantis, whose legacies are still evident today.

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.  Your city tour on this day will also include a visit to the famous Kejetia market.  You can watch traders and customers as they bargain and negotiate for goods.

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 will be served in a local restaurant, after which you will be transferred to hotel for overnight.

Day 7                          ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGES

Breakfast at hotel.  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 will be at hotel in Kumasi.

Day 8                                    AKWASIDAE FESTIVAL

After breakfast, participate in the Akwasidae festival. The Akwasidae is a religious festival of the Asante's which is celebrated every six(6) weeks or 42 days. On that day the Asante king comes out of the palace on a palanquin adorned in gold ornaments to receive the homage of his sub-chiefs and people. It is a very colorful ceremony that lasts the whole day and it is held at the Manhyia palace which is the Asantehene’s residence. The celebration marks a period of stock taking and fervent assessment of events in the life of the Ashanti's. It serves as a period to propitiate the ancestors through whom the Ashanti Unity gains its grounds.

Overnight at your hotel in Kumasi.

Day 9                                               KUMASI-ACCRA

Breakfast at hotel.  Depart for the drive to Accra, stop enroute for lunch on your own.  Upon arrival, check into hotel and relax.

Day 10                                              SHOPPING / DEPARTURE

After breakfast; depart for a visit to Ghana’s unique shopping spots. Visit Aid to Artisan Ghana (ATAG) and SunTrade for crafts, Ben N and Mawuli Okudzeto for beautiful unisex African clothing and the Accra Shopping Mall to purchase items and artefacts that will serve as a reminder of your time in Ghana.

Later transfer to the airport for departure back home.