10-Day Ghana Atonement Pilgrimage with Salaga Ceremony

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Day 01

Akwaaba and Arrival in Accra

• Arrive in Accra, Ghana. You will be met at the airport by a representative who will assist you with your transfer from the airport to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink at the hotel and participate in an orientation session.

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Day 02

Accra City Highlights and Museums

• 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. Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also see the Artiste Alliance Gallery, 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 National Museum of Ghana in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of the six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum building was opened on 5 March 1957 as part of Ghana's independence celebrations.
• 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.

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Day 03

Flight from Accra to Tamale

• After breakfast, depart your hotel for an early morning flight to Tamale. Upon arrival in Tamale, you will be met at the airport by Landtours representatives, who will take you on a sightseeing drive around the city. You will notice a significant difference between the cities of Accra and Tamale. Check in at your Tamale hotel and take some time to relax and unwind.

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Day 04

Atonement Ceremony in Salaga

• In the early morning, depart for a scenic drive to Salaga, one of the towns used as a major slave market during the slave trade.
• Meet with the traditional leader and tour the site where the slave trade started in the former Gold Coast. In Salaga, you will find families whose ancestors were slave raiders; slave chains and shackles are still kept in some of the family homes.
• The atonement will be sealed by villagers washing the feet of participants as an act of humility and a plea for forgiveness for the actions of their ancestors.
• Continue to the market site where the slaves were sold, known as the "Salaga Slave Market." Lay a wreath at the grave site commemorating those who did not survive the slave trade.
• The day will end with a joyous celebration, including traditional drumming, dancing, and a healing feast that includes the sharing of food between the descendants of the slave raiders and of the slaves who were taken to the new world.

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Day 05

Tamale to Kumasi via Kintampo

• Enjoy breakfast in your hotel. Depart for the drive to Kumasi. En route, stop at the former slave markets of Kintampo and Assin Bono.
• Enjoy this scenic but haunting drive through the land where the slave trade took place. Notice the change in climate and terrain, which has a direct bearing on the population of Africans that the slave traders targeted.
• Visit the Kintampo Waterfalls to experience the cool, invigorating atmosphere created by nature and savour the breathtaking view of the cascading waterfall. Continue the drive to Kumasi. Upon arrival in Kumasi, check in at your hotel and relax.

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Day 06

Kumasi and Ashanti Heritage

• After breakfast, explore 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 artifacts. Enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people.
• Afterward, visit the National Cultural Centre, which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum and various studios of the brass makers, potters, and batik makers.

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Day 07

Ashanti Craft Villages to Elmina

• This day is devoted to visiting the three famous craft villages in the Ashanti Region: Ahwiaa (the wood carvers' village), Ntonso (the home of Adinkra), and Bonwire (the Kente weaving village). You will have the opportunity to see how West African crafts are made and buy directly from the artisans who make them.

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Day 08

Elmina Castle and Walking Tour

• Elmina Castle was the first European structure built in Sub-Saharan Africa. Explore the grounds and rooms full of haunting history. Stroll down to the beach for a memorial ceremony where each participant will throw bread into the waters in remembrance of ancestors.
• After lunch, savour a walking tour of Elmina. The rich history of this colonial town is captured in its buildings. They tell the stories of the people of Elmina and their interaction with those who came from outside West Africa. Visit the colourful Asafo houses.

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Day 09

Assin Manso Slave River Visit

• After breakfast, check out of your hotel for a drive through the former slave route to Assin Manso. This was the final transit point for enslaved Africans before being shipped off to the new world. You will have the opportunity to visit the slave dungeons as well as the final resting place for two ancestors whose mortal remains were returned from the USA and Jamaica and re-interred in Ghana.

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Day 10

Return to Accra and Departure

• After breakfast, depart for a scenic drive to Accra. Lunch will be at your cost in a local Ghanaian restaurant. Next, visit the Arts Center, where you will have an opportunity to use your bargaining skills to shop for artifacts from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market. Early evening transfer to the airport for check-in and departure.