7-Day Ghana Cultural Tour through Accra Kumasi Cape Coast and Kakum

Meet your local tour guide in Accra, then explore the capital, a fascinating coastal city where some parts are highly developed with shopping malls and hotels, while other parts are vastly underdeveloped.

Visit Independence Square and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the resting place of Ghana's first president.

Visit the W.E.B. DuBois Memorial Center. It is located in the house where DuBois lived after moving to Ghana and has a collection of books about Africa and Pan-Africanism, many of which belonged to DuBois, making it a researcher's delight.

Explore Jamestown, the oldest part of Accra. Jamestown is a fishing harbour right on the coast and a hub of activity, with nets being mended, boats being built, and fish being sold. From the top of the lighthouse, you can get a picturesque view of Accra city.

Visit Labadi Beach, a popular hangout for tourists, ex-pats, and locals. Attached to one of the nicest hotels in the city, it is packed with people playing soccer, selling food and trinkets, and cooling off in the ocean. On the sandy, lush beach, you can enjoy a tasty grilled fish while watching the waves roll past.

Visit Kumasi, the traditional home of the Ashanti, which has a very different vibe from Accra. It is not the capital, but it has enough tourism to have made investments in museums and local handicrafts. A vibrant city with a rich history, Kumasi is also home to West Africa's largest shopping street, with a colourful mix of people, cars, and stalls selling every item imaginable to a tourist.

On the way, there is a lovely botanical garden. It is a nice place to learn about some of the native plants, and you can try fresh cocoa beans there.

If you are adventurous, you can stop to try some local palm wine. It is a sweet yet tart local drink made and served in gourds.

Spend the day visiting local museums and artisans in Kumasi. Learn about Kente cloth and how it is made. Kente cloth is a woven fabric printed or embroidered with various symbols that represent different concepts or ideals, such as love, strength, and royalty. Traditionally, it was worn by Ashanti royalty, but it has become more widespread today. Interestingly, Kente cloth is actually woven by men and then taken to the market to be sold by women.

Visit Manhyia Palace, which was the Ashanti King's residence and is now a museum. The current king has a new palace nearby. The museum has a good selection of historic items and was well designed to tell the Ashanti story.

The palace was built by the British and offered to the Ashanti King, but the King refused to take it for free and instead raised money to purchase the palace.

Cape Coast, the traditional home of the Fanti people, is a port and fishing town whose local people are closely tied to the sea. The first stop will be Cape Coast Castle, followed by Elmina Castle. The castle was first built on the grounds by the Swedes in 1653. At the time, it did not have any association with slavery; the Swedes were there to trade with the Fante people. The Danes took the castle around 1655, and they lost it to the Dutch in 1663. Later, it fell to the British in 1664 and remained under British control until Ghana achieved its independence from the UK in 1957.

Stop in the courtyard for a historical overview, then walk into the slave dungeons. Even though the dungeons are quite large, there is a feeling of claustrophobia that comes with being in the bowels of such an imposing and dark place.

Visit Kakum National Park, established as a reserve by the local community. The park has the largest population of forest elephants in Ghana and one of the finest canopy walkways in Africa.

The canopy walkway was opened in 1995 and consists of approximately 1100 feet of bridge connecting seven treetops, suspended about 100 feet above the forest floor. Watch the view of the forest below and right out in front as you walk from treetop to treetop.

Start your journey back to Accra for departure.