9-Day Black History Tour to Ghana with Naming Ceremony and Castles

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Day 01

Akwaaba Welcome in Accra

• Arrive in Accra, Ghana. You will be met at the airport by Landtours representatives, 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 Tour and Jamestown Walk

• 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 and the country's most populous city.
• Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also see the Artists Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan African Culture, and 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.
• Visit the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills while shopping for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market. Afterwards, explore Jamestown, the historic center of British Accra. You'll love the bright colors, authentic tastes, and rich history of this charming district.
• Explore Jamestown's architecture, which has a unique blend of Eurocentric and Ghanaian influences, a reminder of the district's history as the seat of British colonial rule before Ghana's independence. Take a picture by one of Ghana's most famous buildings, Jamestown's red and white lighthouse overlooking the Gulf of Guinea.

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Day 03

Volta River Village Naming Ceremony

• After breakfast, depart for a scenic drive to a beautiful village located on the lower course of the splendid Volta River.
• Experience a traditional naming ceremony, one of the cornerstones of Ghanaian cultural heritage. You'll take part in the ceremony, where you will be given a traditional African name and welcomed into the local community by the chiefs and townspeople. You'll also enjoy authentic traditional drumming and dancing during the ceremony. Other activities include a demonstration of pottery making, which is the main occupation of the women in the village.

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Day 04

Kakum National Park and Cape Coast Castle

• After breakfast, depart early in the morning for a drive to Kakum National Park, one of West Africa's surviving tropical rainforests. The most popular attraction is the canopy walkway, which is made up of seven bridges extending 330 m and hanging 30 m (100 feet) above the forest floor. Enjoy a 2 km nature walk through this forest to discover the wide variety of exotic floral species and the medicinal values they offer.
• Later in the day, visit Cape Coast Castle, which was built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. Like Elmina Castle, Cape Coast Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a poignant memorial to the millions of Africans who were victims of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
• This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum, established by the Smithsonian Institute in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government in 1994.

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Day 05

Elmina Castle and Fishing Village Walk

• After breakfast, check out of the hotel and depart for Cape Coast to embark on a tour of Elmina Castle, also known as St. George's Castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482. Designated as an official UN World Heritage Site, Elmina Castle is an important symbol of the traumatic history of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
• Take a tour of the castle and learn how the legacy of the slave trade has shaped Africans and the African Diaspora for generations.
• The colorful harbor nestled below Elmina Castle, full of pirogues preparing to go to sea, offers one of West Africa's greatest photo opportunities.

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Day 06

Assin Manso and Kumasi Heritage Tour

• 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 Ashantis, whose legacies are still evident today.
• You'll also visit Assin Manso, the location of

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Day 07

Ashanti Craft Villages

• This day is devoted to visiting the three famous Ashanti craft villages. After breakfast, depart for Ahwiaa, the woodcarvers' 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.

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Day 08

Besease Shrine to Accra

• After breakfast, depart for Accra. En route, visit the Besease Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and experience ancient customs of the traditional Ashanti religion.
• The Besease Shrine is a traditional fetish shrine near the town of Ejisu. Each of these shrines is a home for a particular spirit, called obosom, that mediates between mortals and the supreme god Nyame.
• Observe the unique architecture and experience the mode of ancestral worship to the ancient gods. Upon arrival, check into your hotel.

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Day 09

Farewell and Departure

• Devote this day to doing some last-minute sightseeing and shopping. Later in the day, transfer to the airport for your final departure home.