GHANA’S 50TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY
NUMBER OF DAYS: 11 DAYS

Day 1    Depart from City for Ghana

Day 2                    ARRIVE IN ACCRA 
Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Transfer from airport to your hotel. Welcome drink and orientation. Overnight at your Hotel in Accra.

Day 3                          ACCRA CITY TOUR
After breakfast, depart for a sightseeing tour of Accra, the Capital of Ghana. On this tour, you will drive through the administrative and economic districts of the city. This 128-year-old city features a blend of colonial and modern architecture. Visit the W. E. B. Dubois Center for Pan African Culture, Independence Square and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and more. After lunch visit the National Center for Arts. Here you will have an opportunity to use your skills as you bargain for artifacts from Ghana and West Africa.  Overnight at hotel in Accra.

Day 4               INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE-GHANA AT 50
 Early morning departure to participate in the largest national spectacle and display of colour takes place in Black Star Square on Independence Day. Each government service is represented in full ceremonial dress: the army, navy, air force, police, firemen, special presidential forces and a selection of schools and colleges’ parade in front of the president and invited world leaders as well as 30,000 spectators. This is accompanied by music provided by the military mass band, cultural dancers and school children from the region paying homage to the president and invited dignitaries. Overnight at hotel in Accra.

Day 5             ABURI BOTANICAL GARDENS
Breakfast at hotel.  Depart for the beautiful Aburi Botanical Gardens.  This eco-paradise was created in 1890 for pleasure and  scientific research.  It is a habitat for plants and butterflies from all around  the world.  Afterwards, visit the wonderful Woodcarvers’ Village, a great place to pick up that special souvenir from your trip. After Lunch depart for a scenic drive through the Central Region. Check into your hotel at Elmina, where you will enjoy dinner and overnight.

Day 6               CAPE COAST CASTLE & ELMINA CASTLE
After breakfast depart for 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. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum. 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. Overnight at hotel in Elmina.    

Day 7                               KAKUM NATIONAL PARK/NAMING CEREMONY
Depart for an early morning 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 floral and fauna species and the medicinal values they offer or take a walk on the canopy walkway hanging 40 meters above the forest ground. Participate in a naming ceremony. Enjoy a lunch of African cuisine at Hans Cottage Botel while watching the resident crocodiles and busy weaver birds. After lunch, spend the remainder of the day relaxing at the beach soaking up the African sun.  Overnight at hotel in Elmina.

Day 8    ASHANTI EMPIRE AND KUMASI CITY
Depart for a scenic drive through the forest zone to Kumasi, seat of the Ashanti Empire. Enroute visit the site of “Donkor Nsuo”, in Assin Manso, the former Slave River and market, the final transit point for enslaved Africans.  This is the final resting place for two ancestors whose mortal remains were returned from the USA and Jamaica and re-interred there.  Continue the drive further north to Kumasi. Here you will explore the legends of the famous Ashantis, whose legacies are still evident today. After lunch, visit Manhyia Palace Museum.  A regal history that dates back to 1700 is told with relics and artifacts. Enjoy a drive through the city featuring many monuments dedicated to the memory and deeds of the 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.  Overnight at hotel in Kumasi.

Day 9               ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGES  
This day is devoted to visiting the three famous craft villages. Check out and depart to Ahwiaa, the wood carvers’ village, Ntonso, the home of Adinkra 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. After lunch, depart for a drive through the forest zone back to Accra. Overnight at hotel in Accra.

Day 10          DAY AT LEISURE / SHOPPING
After breakfast, spend the rest of the day at leisure and enjoy some time shopping in preparation towards your journey back home. Dinner and overnight at hotel in Accra.

Day 11                         DEPARTURE
Breakfast in hotel.  Day at leisure.  Transfer to airport for check-in and departure back home.