Itinerary
- Day 1
Accra
You'll arrive at Kotoka International Airport and head to your hotel in central Accra, about 20 minutes depending on traffic. After you get settled, there's a 6:00 PM meeting with your tour leader and group (or breakfast if you arrive late). The evening is yours to explore the city's nightlife or just rest up after your flight.
Optional Activities
- Explore Accra's nightlife with music, bars, and nightclubs
- Visit Hotel Paloma sports bar
- Unwind at outdoor eatery and experience local atmosphere
- Day 2
Accra to Kumasi
Today you're driving inland to Kumasi, the 'Garden City', which takes about 6 hours covering 250 km. This city has deep Ashanti history and was once a powerful kingdom's capital. When you arrive, you'll visit the Armed Forces Museum in a former British fort that covers Ghana's conflicts and British-Ashanti wars. If there's time, the outdoor market here is the largest in West Africa.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Armed Forces Museum
- Explore outdoor market (if time permits)
Landmarks/POIs Armed Forces Museum Kumasi Market - Day 3
Kumasi
Start at the Manhyia Palace Museum, where the current Ashanti monarch lives. The palace displays its history and royal artifacts. Next you might see the Akwasidae Festival (held every 42 days) with chiefs in traditional kente cloth, drummers, and dancers honoring ancestors and the Golden Stool. Later, visit nearby craft villages for wood carving in Awhiaa, adinkra cloth printing in Ntonso, and kente cloth weaving in Bonwire.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Manhyia Palace museum
- Witness Akwasidae Festival
- Visit craft villages (Awhiaa, Ntonso, Bonwire)
Landmarks/POIs Manhyia Palace Museum Awhiaa Ntonso Bonwire - Day 4
Kumasi to Mole National Park
You've got a full day ahead driving 455 km to Mole National Park. Stop in Kintampo for lunch and to see the waterfalls. Before entering the park, visit the historic Larabanga Mosque from 1421, one of West Africa's oldest. You'll stay at Motel Mole, which has a swimming pool on site.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Larabanga Mosque
Optional Activities
- View Kintampo waterfalls
Landmarks/POIs Larabanga Mosque Kintampo waterfalls - Day 5
Mole National Park
Get up early for a walking safari with an armed park guide when wildlife is most active. You'll watch for animals gathering at watering holes throughout the day. In the evening, go on a safari drive, which is the best time for seeing wildlife. After, you'll stay overnight at the lodge inside the park.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Early morning walking safari with armed park guide
- Evening safari drive
Landmarks/POIs Mole National Park - Day 6
Mole National Park to N'Koranza
Have a relaxed breakfast where you can see animals at the watering hole, then head out in late morning for N'Koranza, about 6 hours away covering 322 km. Stop at the bustling Techiman market, 25 km before N'Koranza, to see local commerce and culture. You'll stay overnight in this rural town in the Bono East Region.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Techiman market
Landmarks/POIs Techiman market - Day 7
N'Koranza to Boabeng Fiema and Return to Kumasi
Drive 1.5 hours on a rough road to Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, home to over 700 monkeys in their natural habitat. The sanctuary has a monkey cemetery showing how important these animals are culturally. After your visit and lunch back at the hotel, head to Kumasi, which takes 3-4 hours covering 160 km.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary
Landmarks/POIs Boabeng Fiema Monkey Sanctuary - Day 8
Kumasi to Axim
Today you're driving south to the coastal town of Axim, about 300 km away. Along the way, visit a cocoa plantation to learn about cocoa's role in Ghana's economy as the world's second-largest exporter. You'll arrive at a luxury beach resort on a tropical hillside with views of deserted beaches. Axim itself is a historic fishing town with colonial forts nearby.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit cocoa plantation
Optional Activities
- Visit Fort St Anthony (built by Portuguese in 1515)
- Visit Fort Princess in Princess Town (built by Prussians in 1683)
Landmarks/POIs Fort St Anthony Fort Princess - Day 9
Axim
Spend your last day of the year relaxing at Axim's beach. Walk along the shore or use resort facilities like restaurants, bars, a water park, spa, and gym. Tonight, celebrate New Year's Eve with a festival dinner and live band, all set against a bonfire on the beach.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (Festival dinner with live band on the beach)
Included Activities
- New Year's Eve Celebration with festival dinner and live band on the beach
Optional Activities
- Beach relaxation and walking
- Resort amenities (restaurants, bars, water park, spa, gym)
- Day 10
Axim to Elmina
After New Year's celebrations, you'll take a late start and head out after lunch for Elmina, about 130 km away and 3 hours. At St George's Castle, you'll learn about the transatlantic slave trade at one of around 20 slave castles built between the 15th and 18th centuries. An estimated 12 million Africans were forcibly taken from these fortresses.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
Included Activities
- Visit St George's Castle
Landmarks/POIs St George's Castle - Day 11
Elmina
Explore St George's Castle's grounds, walking through the grim dungeons where thousands of enslaved Africans were held, contrasting sharply with officers' spacious quarters above. You'll reach the 'Door of No Return,' where enslaved people made their final departure. Then walk through ancient Elmina township spanning over 500 years, the vibrant fishing village, and Pursubans animist shrines.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Guided tour of St George's Castle including dungeons and Door of No Return
- Walking tour through Elmina township
- Visit Pursubans animist shrines
Landmarks/POIs St George's Castle Door of No Return Pursubans animist shrines - Day 12
Elmina to Kakum National Park to Anomabo
Head to Kakum National Park with a brief stop in Cape Coast, the former Gold Coast capital from 1700-1877. The town keeps its colonial architecture despite its history tied to the slave trade. At Kakum, you'll experience the Canopy Walk with seven suspended bridges about 130 feet above the forest floor. After lunch, travel 50 km to Anomabo Beach Resort on the coast.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Cape Coast
- Canopy Walk at Kakum National Park (seven suspended bridges)
Landmarks/POIs Cape Coast Kakum National Park - Day 13
Anomabo to Accra
Have early breakfast, then drive 150 km back to Accra. Spend the rest of the day exploring Ghana's capital. Check out the National Museum with displays of Ghana's history, indigenous arts, musical instruments, Stone Age artifacts, and slave trade exhibits. Visit the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park where Ghana declared independence in 1957, then Independence Square. Take a walk through Jamestown, Accra's oldest district.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit National Museum
- Visit Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
- Visit Independence Square
- Walk through Jamestown district
Landmarks/POIs National Museum Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park Independence Square Jamestown - Day 14
Accra to Lome
Today you're leaving Ghana and crossing into Togo, one of Africa's smallest nations and your first French-speaking country. The drive is about 6 hours, not counting border time, to reach Lome, Togo's capital. Lome sits on a border with another country and was colonized by the British, Germans, and French, creating a distinctive blend of architecture and culture.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Landmarks/POIs Lome - Day 15
Lome
Dedicate today to exploring Lome by visiting the Musée International des Arts, which showcases various art and cultural aspects of Togo. Then head to the fetish market at Akodessewa, about four kilometers from town, known for traditional medicine supplies and ritual items like monkey skulls, snake skins, warthog teeth, and dried birds. This market isn't for the faint-hearted.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Musée International des Arts
- Visit fetish market at Akodessewa
Landmarks/POIs Musée International des Arts Akodessewa fetish market - Day 16
Lome to Lake Togo to Abomey
Drive from Lome to Lake Togo, a scenic 1.5-hour trip covering 52 km. Then boat to Togoville, a historic town with a royal palace and colonial church. This is where Voodoo practitioners gathered before being enslaved to Haiti. The town has strong Voodoo influence today. After visiting and lunch, head west into Benin and drive to Abomey, 180 km away and 4 hours, the ancient Dahomey Kingdom capital.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Boat visit to Togoville
Landmarks/POIs Lake Togo Togoville - Day 17
Abomey
Explore Abomey's cultural heritage by visiting the Royal Palace Museum in the morning to learn about the Fon people and Dahomey Kingdom. Each king had symbols, and you'll see items from ancient kings. In the afternoon, check out underground villages of Agongointo-Zougoundo with about 50 caves dug 10 meters deep, thought built in the 16th century to shelter warriors. Tonight, watch the Geleden Masked Dance performed by local Yoruba and Fon Voodoo and Christian practitioners.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Royal Palace Museum
- Explore underground villages of Agongointo-Zougoundo
- Watch Geleden Masked Dance performance
Landmarks/POIs Royal Palace Museum Agongointo-Zougoundo underground villages - Day 18
Abomey to Ganvie to Ouidah
Drive south for 2-3 hours to the port of Calavi. Board a motorized pirogue, a traditional West African dugout canoe, to visit Ganvie, a floating lake village with colorful bamboo houses on stilts where markets, bars, and churches operate on water. Founded by people fleeing Fon warriors, the town preserves water-based traditions. After exploring and lunch, travel 55 km to Ouidah, about 1.5 hours away, a beach town known as Voodoo's birthplace.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Motorized pirogue tour to Ganvie floating village
Landmarks/POIs Ganvie Ouidah - Day 19
Ouidah
Explore Ouidah's colorful history as a key center during the transatlantic slave trade. The Portuguese, English, and French built forts here for trade. Visit the Ouidah Museum of History in one such fort to understand the slave trade's impact. Walk the 'Route des Esclaves' from the museum to the Door of No Return, retracing the journey enslaved Africans took. Visit the Temple of the Sacred Python, where serpent deity Dangbe has been revered for generations in Voodoo rituals.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Ouidah Museum of History
- Walk Route des Esclaves (Slave Route)
- Visit Temple of the Sacred Python
Optional Activities
- Visit Ouidah Art Museum (Villa Ajavon)
- Visit La Maison Bresil
Landmarks/POIs Ouidah Museum of History Route des Esclaves (Slave Route) Temple of the Sacred Python Door of No Return Ouidah Art Museum (Villa Ajavon) La Maison Bresil - Day 20
Ouidah to Cotonou
After a leisurely breakfast, drive to Cotonou, 55 km away, the largest city and economic capital of Benin with about 1,228,000 people. After checking into your hotel, go on a city tour featuring the expansive Dantokpa Market, known for religious items, spices, and everyday goods.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Dantokpa Market
Landmarks/POIs Dantokpa Market - Day 21
Cotonou
Today is free for last-minute shopping before you leave. A transfer to Aeroport International Cardinal Bernardin Gantin de Cotonou is included, marking the end of your West African tour.
Optional Activities
- Last-minute shopping in Cotonou
