21-Day Ghana Cultural and Nature Tour with Mole Safari and Castles

• You will be welcomed at any time of the day on arrival at Kotoka International Airport, followed by a transfer to stay at Knust Guesthouse.

There will be an itinerary discussion at breakfast before the commencement of the tour.

• Drive to a phone shop to get a local SIM card and credit if necessary, then continue past James and Usher forts through the James Town community to visit James Town fishing port, where we observe local fishing activities by the people of James Town. James Town is the oldest community in Accra, named after the British James Fort.
• Visit Makola, the largest marketplace in southern Ghana, and Sun Trade, a fair-trade bead shop encouraging the sustainable bead industry in Ghana.

• Depart from Accra after an early breakfast for the countryside to stay at Ho Sky Plus in the Volta Region's capital, with a stop at Shai Hills Game Reserve to enjoy views of animals.
• Take a rest stop at Aylos Bay Lakefront Resort and continue to Ho, where we visit the Volta Regional Museum, stop by Vergus Batiks, and drive to Agortime Kpetoe to learn about Ghana's most famous handwoven fabric, originally called Kete and now known in Ashanti as Kente. Kete is historically said to have originated from Agortime Kpetoe. You may love to try your hand and legs at the weaving process to understand why it is called Kete, and hopefully you will like to take a couple of strips home.

• Depart from Sky Plus and drive through the Avatime Mountains to Amedzofe, Ghana's highest human settlement.
• Visit Ote Falls and walk up Gemi Mountain.

Overnight stay will be at Mountain Paradise, with amazing views of Ghana's highest peaks and the lush green forest canopies.

• Drive to Tafi Atome and walk the trails of a luxuriant forest sanctuary surrounding Tafi Atome village to view and play with Mona monkeys.
• After that, continue to Wli, where we also take a walk in the Agumatsa rainforest sanctuary to visit Agumatsa Waterfall, claimed to be next to Africa's highest, Victoria Falls. The surroundings of the falls are cool and refreshing, offering a dip in the huge pool beneath the waterfall, with lovely glimpses of rainbow circles, especially on sunny days. Overnight is at Ho Sky Plus Hotel.

• Depart from Ho for Koforidua, the capital of the Eastern Region, driving through Akosombo and catching views of Volta Lake, one of the world's largest manmade lakes, and Akosombo Dam, Ghana's largest power source.
• Stop at the CEDI Beads industry in Agormanyan, where we observe the process of bead-making in Ghana and possibly shop for some beads before driving to stay at Koforidua Guest House.

• Travel to stay at Kumasi Royal Lamenta Hotel in the capital of the Ashanti Region, with a stop at Bonsu Arboretum. While in Kumasi, we visit the Ashanti King's Palace Museum at Manhyia to learn about the history of the Ashanti Kingdom.

• Stay at Royal Lamenta and visit Ntonsu to observe and practice the use of Adinkra symbols for printing Adinkra fabrics, then return to visit Lake Bosomtwi.
• Lake Bosomtwi is a huge circular lake believed to have developed as a result of a meteorite impact and is considered sacred by locals living along its banks.

• Depart from Kumasi after an early breakfast to stay at Mole National Park in the Savannah Region, where we engage in a sunset safari drive to view animals.
• We also stop at Larabanga Mosque, historically believed to be the oldest mosque in Ghana.

• Engage in a group safari walk in the morning to view animals, and visit Zaina Lodge for a drink.

• Depart Mole after an early breakfast to stay at Tamale Decent Lodge in the Northern Region.
• Drive through Daboya, known for making the most famous Ghanaian traditional shirt called Fugu, which is completely handmade with handwoven fabrics and sewn by hand into traditional shirts for men and women.
• While in Tamale, we will also visit an organization empowering women in shea butter processing. This part of Ghana is known for growing shea nuts, hence the development of industries that process them into various products. Shea butter remains the most Ghanaian-made traditional and medicinal cream used in Ghana for various medicinal purposes, including massage.

• Drive and explore northern Ghana further to Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region and stay at Comme ci Comme ca.
• Visit Mama La-aady, an orphanage home started by a single woman who sacrificed all her resources to bring street children together into a home and care for them.
• Go to G-Lish Foundation, an organization encouraging rural women with skills in basket weaving to sustain the Bolgatanga basket industry.

• Visit Baba Tree Foundation, a fair-trade organization engaging local people in basket weaving and exploring potential markets for Bolgatanga baskets.
• Go for a drive to enjoy views of the extreme countryside of northern Ghana, with a loop through Sirigu and Paga, Ghana's northern border with Burkina Faso, where we stop by the Paga Crocodile Pond and you may like to touch or sit on a crocodile called out from the pond. The Upper East Region is known for its straw basket and hat weaving.

• Time to return south, so we drive to stay at Tamale Decent Lodge with a visit to a shrine along the way at Tongo Hills to observe ritual performances by fetish priests, pay homage to the Tongo chief, walk among the Tongo rock formations, and then continue on to Tamale. Tongo is a traditional-beliefs community with a large area of amazing rock formations and shrines in almost every home.

• Depart Tamale after an early breakfast to stay at Kumasi Royal Lamenta Hotel, with a stop at Kintampo Waterfalls and Tano Boase Christoboase Monastery to learn about herbal products made by the monastery.

• Head for Elmina in the Central Region to stay at Coconut Grove Bridge House.
• Visit Kakum National Park along the way, where we engage in a walk through Kakum Forest to study herbal plants and trees. Go for a walk on Africa's number one canopy walkway with amazing views of the forest canopy, then depart Kakum with a stop for a drink at Hans' Cottage Hotel, where we enjoy lovely views of weaver birds and crocodiles before driving to Elmina. We walk the streets of Elmina to enjoy views of local fishing activities and visit the slave castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, going on the castle tour to learn about colonialism in Ghana and slavery in West Africa.

• Head to Busua after a long country drive to cool off at African Rainbow Resort in the Western Region and enjoy the amazing beach scenes of western Ghana.

• Drive further west to Benyin and sail through the mangrove swamps of Amanzuri Wetlands, into the Amanzuri River, to visit Nzulezu stilt village.
• Enjoy views of the evergreen shrubs, water lilies, and birds as we sail through the swamps to experience the sound culture at Nzulezu stilt village, then return to stay at Busua African Rainbow Resort.

• Depart from Busua to stay at Accra KNUST Guest House, with a stop at the famous Cape Coast slave castle, a sister castle to Elmina slave castle and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where many enslaved people exited to the Americas.
• Go on a walking tour in the castle to learn more about colonialism in Ghana and slavery in West Africa, and visit the cultural centre within the castle.

• You may love to shop for a few strands of indigenous Krobo glass beads from a local producer to show others back home about your visit to Ghana, whether as bracelets, necklaces, lockets for men and women, or ladies' waist strands, so we drive to visit Tet and TK Beads, where you can find a variety for yourself or loved ones at home.
• Return to KNUST and take the rest of the day off. While cooling off for the day, you may love to enjoy a sunset or evening walk down Osu Oxford Street by yourself for sightseeing or to have a drink in one of the chain restaurants and bars along Oxford Street.

• Visit Accra Culture Centre, Ghana's largest cultural market, where we meet various artisans and possibly find artefacts among the variety made in Ghana and other parts of Africa for your personal decoration or as souvenirs for friends and relatives back home.
• Have an early lunch and drive to the airport in time to catch your flight home.