17-Day West Africa Cultural Tour through Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin

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Day 01

Akwaaba and Arrival in Abidjan

• Arrive in Abidjan. Transfer from the airport to your hotel, check in, and relax for the rest of the evening.

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Day 02

Abidjan City Tour

• After breakfast, embark on a sightseeing tour of Abidjan. As the capital, Abidjan is Côte d'Ivoire's biggest and most important city.
• With a population of around 6,500,000 people, it is the second-largest city in West Africa after Lagos. Today, Abidjan remains the country's economic and cultural capital. The public zoo of Abidjan is a must-visit, as it houses 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 can buy souvenirs such as jewellery, clothes, pagnes, and woodcrafts.

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Day 03

Grand-Bassam to Takoradi

• 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, a former French settlement 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.

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Day 04

Kakum Rainforest and Cape Coast Castle

• After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for Cape Coast. 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 rainforest to discover the wide variety of exotic flora and fauna species and their medicinal values, 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, and the impact is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today.
• Visit Cape Coast Castle, built by the Swedes in 1653 and later taken over by the British. Here, you will 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 close with history - to stand in the dark and stuffy dungeons, imagining the experience and conditions millions of Africans endured. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum.

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Day 05

Elmina Castle and Fishing Village Experience

• After breakfast, visit Elmina Castle, also known as St. George's Castle, 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. Participants will witness the dark and stuffy dungeons that local people were forced to endure before being sent on a long and dangerous 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 thought-provoking. What better way to appreciate it than to immerse yourself in its primary 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 fish in earthenware ovens. This is a unique way to experience one of Ghana's oldest and most important trades.

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Day 06

Global Mamas Culinary and Batik Workshop

• After breakfast, depart from your hotel and visit the Global Mamas Cultural Workshop. In Auntie Esi's kitchen, explore the fragrant and exotic flavours of West African cuisine. Esi will introduce you to various new tastes and flavours as you learn how to create authentic Ghanaian dishes.
• Using African cooking techniques, you will create traditional dishes like fufu, groundnut soup, fried plantain, palava sauce, and red red during this workshop. After learning the recipes, you will enjoy eating the feast you helped 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 four-hour 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 colourful patterns - and make your own one-of-a-kind fabric. Afterwards, take your two yards of handiwork home to sew into a finished product that will always have a special place in your home or wardrobe.

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Day 07

Assin Manso and Kumasi City 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 Ashanti people, whose legacies are still evident today.
• Stop at the former slave site 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 from 1700 is told through 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 and the National Cultural Centre, which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum and various brass, pottery, and batik makers' studios.

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Day 08

Ashanti Craft Villages to Accra

• After breakfast, check out of your hotel and drive back to Accra. En route, 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.

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Day 09

Accra City Tour and Traditional Market Visit

• 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 and 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 Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, dedicated to the legacy of Ghana's first president and his role in African independence. The tour includes visits to Nkrumah's mausoleum, a museum showcasing his life, his 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 and shop for goods from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market. On display are fabrics of different materials, designs, colours, and textures to purchase.

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Day 10

Aburi Botanical Gardens and Boti Falls

• After breakfast, depart Accra and visit the Aburi Botanical Gardens. The Aburi Botanical Gardens were created in 1890 for pleasure and scientific research; they are a habitat for plants and butterflies from around the world. The gardens are found in the town of Aburi, which boasts an exciting history, a beautiful town, and friendly people. Recent additions of rental bicycles for tours on the mountain have made Aburi's attractive features easier to view.
• After lunch on your own, visit 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 Umbrella Rock, which, as the name suggests, is a rock found at the site of Boti Falls in Yilo Krobo District. Its size is large enough to shelter about 12 to 15 people at once. Even though the pivot on which the top rock lies might seem small, it is very strong and has not been pulled or pushed down by manpower.

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Day 11

Cocoa Farm and Chocolate Factory Tour

• After breakfast, visit FairAfric Ghana Ltd, which offers a comprehensive tour from their cocoa farm to the cocoa factory. Visitors will gain insights into the entire cocoa production process, from tree cultivation to the creation of chocolate products. The tour includes visiting the cocoa farm to 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 can create their own chocolate products under the guidance of a professional chocolatier. They will 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.

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Day 12

Accra to Lomé City Tour

• After breakfast, check out of your hotel for Togo. Upon arrival, head straight for a city tour of Lomé.
• Drive by the Musée National and the Place de l'Independence, where the Independence Monument is situated. Visit the Grand Marché and the Marché des Féticheurs.

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Day 13

Lomé to Ouidah and Cotonou

• After breakfast, check out and visit 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 visit 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 who were taken from the Dahomey Empire during the slave trade. Continue the journey northwards to Cotonou. Check in at your hotel and relax.

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Day 14

Day at Leisure

• After breakfast, enjoy a day at leisure, relaxing at the hotel.

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Day 15

Ganvié Floating Village Experience

• After breakfast, depart from your hotel and embark on a sensational visit to Ganvié, the village on water, commonly called the Venice of West Africa. Witness firsthand the people of Ganvié carrying out their daily routine as vendors in dugout canoes piled high with wares, transacting commerce with one another and with tourists.
• You will enjoy shopping at 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 multicoloured centre of the administrative and commercial capital of Benin to view its many statues and monuments.

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Day 16

Relax in Cotonou

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

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Day 17

Farewell and Departure

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