Explore Cote D'Iviore, Ghana, Togo and Benin in 17 Days

Arrive in Abidjan. Transfer from airport to your hotel. Check into your hotel and relax for the rest of
the evening in your hotel

After breakfast, embark on a sightseeing of Abidjan. Serving as the capital, Abidjan is the biggest and most important city of Cote d'Ivoire.
With a population of around 6,500,000 people, it is the second largest city in West Africa after Lagos. Today, Abidjan remains the economic and cultural capital of the country. You will visit the public zoo of Abidjan,
where you will see many exotic animals. Later depart for a 15 minute drive to visit the Musée National of Abidjan which has a very large collection of over 20,000 objects, including wooden statues and masks,
pottery, ivory and bronze. Afterwards, visit the “Trechville market” where you will have the chance to get all your souvenirs (jewellery, clothes, cloths, pagnes, and woodcrafts).

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart from Abidjan for a scenic drive to Takoradi with a stop at Grand Bassam. You will tour the colonial city of Grand-Bassam, the former French settlement, and home to many colonial buildings. You will also visit the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand-Bassam and the Côte d'Ivoire National Museum of Costume. Upon arrival in Takoradi, check into your hotel and relax.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Cape Coast and 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 flora and fauna species and the medicinal values they offer or take a walk on the canopy walkway hanging 40 meters above the forest ground.

After lunch on your own, embark on 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. Here, you would learn about the relationship between the western slave traders and the African tribes that made the
trans-Atlantic slave trade possible. It is an opportunity to be up and close with history – to stand in the dark and stuffy dungeons, imagining the experience and conditions that millions of Africans endured. This castle
also houses the West African Historical Museum.

After breakfast, visit Elmina Castle, also known as St. George’s Castle, which was built by the Portuguese in 1482. Here, learn about the relationship between the western slave traders and the African tribes that participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here participants will witness the dark and stuffy dungeons local people were forced to endure before being sent on a long and perilous passage across the Atlantic. To
see the truth of these conditions in person is a powerful reminder of the inhumanity of the slave trade.
­
After lunch on your own, explore Elmina, a fishing village that’s both picturesque and gritty, charming and though-provoking. What better way to appreciate it than to immerse oneself in its main industry fishing! Meet with local fishermen to learn the intricacies of their trade and the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Next, meet the fish mongers in the village who will demonstrate the various stages of smoking the fish in earthenware ovens. This is a unique way to experience one of Ghana’s oldest and important trades

After breakfast, depart your hotel and visit the Global Mamas Cultural Workshop. Explore the fragrant and exotic flavours of West African cuisine in Auntie Esi’s kitchen. Esi will introduce you to an array of new tastes and flavours as you learn how to create authentic Ghanaian dishes.
Using African cooking techniques, during this workshop you will create traditional dishes like fufu, groundnut soup, fried plantain, palava sauce and red red. After learning the recipes, you will enjoy eating the feast
you’ve helped to prepare.
Afterwards, discover the art and beauty of African batik and get a glimpse into the life of a local artisan as you work side-by-side during this fourhour class. You’ll join a Global Mamas’ batiker in her workshop to learn
the traditional techniques of batik production using wax and dye to create colorful patterns – to make your own one-of-a-kind fabric. Afterwards, take your two yards of handiwork home to sew into a finish product that will always have a special place in your home or wardrobe.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and drive through the forest zone to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire to explore the legends of the famous Ashanti people, whose legacies are still evident today. Stop at the former slave in Assin Manso. Visit the site of “Donkor Nsuo”, the former Slave River and market, as well as the final transit point for a large number of 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.
­
Afterwards, continue to Kumasi where you will visit the 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 artefacts. 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, the National Cultural
Centre which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum and various studios of the brass makers, potters and batik makers.

After breakfast, checkout of your hotel and drive back to Accra. Enroute stop at the three famous Ashanti craft villages; Ahwiaa, the wood carvers’ village, Ntonso, the home of Adinkra cloth, 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. Continue your drive to Accra afterwards.

After breakfast, depart for a sightseeing tour of Accra, the Capital of Ghana. Experience the city’s highlights during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra
Region. In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city.
Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture and the Independence/Black Star Square. Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence.
Continue your tour to The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, dedicated to the legacy of Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and his role in African independence. The tour includes visits to Nkrumah's mausoleum, a museum showcasing his life, his personal residence, the eternal Flame of African Liberation, and beautifully landscaped gardens. Learn about Nkrumah's early life, political career, and Pan-African vision.
End the day’s tour at the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market. On display, you will see fabrics of different materials,
designs, colors and textures to purchase from.

After breakfast, depart Accra and visit the Aburi Botanical Gardens. The Aburi Botanical Gardens was created in 1890 for pleasure and scientific research; it is a habitat for plants and butterflies from all around the
world. The gardens are found in the town of Aburi which boasts of interesting history, a beautiful town and friendly people. Aburi’s attractive features have been made easier to view with recent additions of rental bicycles for tours on the mountain.
After lunch on your own, visit the Boti falls, a twin waterfall located at Boti in Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. These twin falls are referred to as female and male. End your tour at the Umbrella Rock, as
the name means, is a rock found at the site of the Boti Falls in Yilo Krobo District. Its size is well okay to shelter up to about 12 to 15 people at once. Even though the pivot on which the top rock lies on might seem small, it’s very strong and have not been able to pull and/or push down with manpower.

After breakfast, visit the FairAfric Ghana Ltd, which offers a comprehensive tour from their cocoa farm to cocoa factory. Visitors will gain insights into the entire cocoa production process, from tree cultivation to the creation of chocolate products. The tour includes a visit to the cocoa farm, where they can observe harvesting and sustainable farming practices. It then moves to the factory, where cocoa beans are sorted, roasted, and processed into chocolate. Quality control measures and the company's commitment to fair trade and community development are highlighted.
­
After the factory tour, tourists are given the opportunity to create their own chocolate products under the guidance of a professional chocolatier. They would learn how to temper chocolate, and create their own chocolate recipes. The tour concludes with a tasting session and an
opportunity to purchase FairAfric's products.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel for Togo. Upon arrival, head straight for a city tour of Lome. Drive by the Musée National (National Museum), as well as the Place de I’ Independence (Place of Independence, where the Independence Monument is situated). Visit Grand Marche (Grand Market) and Marche des Feticheurs (Fetish
Market).

After breakfast, check out and depart for a visit to Ouidah, the cradle of African Traditional Religion, en-route to Cotonou. Tour the temple dedicated to the sacred Python, which is believed to give vitality and protection; you will also pay a visit to the sacred forest which houses many shrines dedicated to various deities.
­
Afterwards, visit the Port of No Return; a monument built by the Benin Government to commemorate the Africans that were taken from the Dahomey Empire during the Slave Trade. Continue the journey northwards to Cotonou. Check in at hotel and relax.

After breakfast, enjoy this day at leisure relaxing at the hotel.

After breakfast, depart your hotel and embark on a sensational visit to Ganvie (the village on water), commonly referred to as the Venice of West Africa. Witness first hand, the people of Ganvie carrying out their daily routine as vendors in dugout canoes pile high with wares, transacting commerce with one another and with tourists.
­
You will enjoy shopping on the floating market and taking a relaxing canoe ride on the waterways of this exotic 300-year-old village. After lunch on your own, drive through the multicolored centre of the administrative and commercial capital of Benin to view its many statues and monuments.

Relax and enjoy the beauty of Cotonou and the Beninois hospitality.

After breakfast, spend the day shopping and doing last minute packing. At noon, check out of the hotel and transfer to airport for check-in and final departure back home.