Eleven Days Benin, Togo and Ghana Vacation
The highlights of this vacation includes Rubbing shoulders with the chiefs of Kumasi and the King of Ashanti at the Akwasidae Festival at Manhyia Palace, Watch voodoo performances during the Voodoo Festival in Ouidah, Cross Lake Togo and feel the history of Togoville in its palaces, churches and the voodoo fetish stalls lining the streets, Discover Ghana – with its ancient to modern history – in the capital of Accra, Visit the St George’s Castle and unearth the nation’s haunting history of slavery.
Day One: Arrival in Cotonou
Upon your arrival at the airport in Benin, the guide from Afrikan Wildlife Safaris will welcome you and then transfer you to the hotel for the overnight. If interested, you can try out the local food in the local restaurant such as Kuli Kuli which is a fried nut fritter.
Day Two: Ouidah
This morning, you will drive to the lake village of Ganvie. Take a pirogue, a traditional boat used by West African fishermen, and be guided out on Lake Nokoue to visit the stilt village and learn about how the ‘water men’ as they are known fish to support their community. Then later proceed to Ouidah.
Day Three: Ouidah
After breakfast, go out on a guided city tour of Ouidah, the historic centre of voodooism in Benin. Visit to the History Museum, the Avenue d’Esclaves as well as many other notable sites. It will end with a traditional voodoo dance performance, a ritual used to call on or pray to spirits. The rest of your day and evening will be free to relax.
Day Four: Lome
Today, you will cross the border into Togo and drive to Lome via Lake Togo. Once at the lake, take a boat to visit Togoville, a historic town renowned for its royal palace and colonial church. It was here that voodoo practitioners were taken before they were transported to Haiti as slaves. There is still a strong voodoo influence in the town today, with plenty of fetish stalls dotted throughout the streets. Then continue to Lome, the capital of Togo. This city was once a colony of the British, Germans and French, and is one of the few capitals to sit on a border with another country. This has lead to the development of a unique lifestyle and architecture, a cross between people, trades and cultures.
Day Five: Accra
This morning, depart Lome and drive into Ghana. In the afternoon, take a walk through the fishing village of Jamestown, and Accra’s oldest district. Walk through laneways and meet locals. Also visit the site where Ghana’s first president and one of its founding fathers declared independence in 1957. The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park was erected in memory of both.
Day Six: Kumasi
After breakfast, leave Accra and drive inland to Kumasi. This one-time capital of a powerful kingdom is nicknamed for its beautiful flora. The city is the beating heart of Ashanti history and is seen as the home of Ghanaian culture. According to legend it was in Kumasi that the Priest Okomfo Anokye called down a Golden Stool (containing the spirit of the people) from Heaven and then drove an irremovable sword into the ground as a symbol of Ashanti unity. This resulted in Ashanti independence from a rival state. After lunch visit the nearby Kejetia Market, the largest open-air market in West Africa. Here you will be able to buy a variety of knick-knacks, clothes, jewellery and Ghanaian food.
Day Seven: Kumasi
On this day, you will visit the museum of the palace, which sits close to the current royal residence. It was built by the British in 1925 and was home to the Ashanti Kings until 1974. In the museum you will learn about the functions of each room and see artefacts belonging to the kings. Then continue your tour of the Kumasi area with visits to nearby villages, where you will meet talented artisans, weavers of Ghana’s beautiful kente cloth and sculptors of wood carvings.
Day Eight: Elmina
This morning, you will drive to Elmina. En route, stop at a cocoa plantation to learn about how this global commodity is grown and harvested. In the afternoon, enjoy a free evening to explore the fishing port town or relax on the beach.
Day Nine: Anomabo Beach
After breakfast, you will visit St George’s Castle. The fortification is one of 20 or so ‘slave castles’ that were built along the shoreline of the Gold Coast – the former name of modern-day Ghana. Built between the 15th and 18th centuries by European trading powers, these castles became the point from which an estimated 12 million Africans were shipped to the Americas. Walk the atmospheric grounds of the castle, past the oppressive dungeons where thousands of slaves were kept while officers lived in light and spacious quarters above, and through to a small door – the ‘Door of No Return’. Here slaves left the fort and were put on to ships. Continue to explore this busy little fishing town situated on a narrow peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean by taking a walking tour and discover the Pursubans animist (the traditional religion of Ghana) shrines. After lunch, proceed to Anomabo Beach, which will be your resting place for the evening.
Day Ten: Anomabo Beach
Today is a free day to relax at this beautiful beach resort or to take an optional day trip to the Cape Coast which was the center of British administration and capital of the Gold Cost between 1700 and 1877. However, this easy-going fishing town is still haunted by the ghosts of the brutal slave trade and is a fascinating cultural experience.
Day Eleven: Accra
After a relaxed breakfast head back to Accra where the guide will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight back home.
Trip Includes
Ganvie – Stilt Village
Ganvie – Pirogue Ride
Ouidah – City Tour
Ouidah – Voodoo Festival
Lake Togo – Boat Ride
Togoville – Town Visit
Lome – National Museum
Lome – Musée International Des Arts
Accra – City Tour
Kumasi – Kejeta Open Air Market
Kumasi – Akwasidae Festival
Kumasi – Ahwiaa Craft Village
Kumasi – Ntonso Craft Village
Kumasi – Bonwire Craft Village
Anwiankwanta – Cocoa Plantation
Elmina – St George’s Castle
Elmina – Walking Tour