Ghana Heritage Tour

Day 1: Arrival in Accra

1. Greater Accra
   30m
   Upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, a representative from Blastours will meet guests for a hotel transfer.

Day 2: Accra City Tour

1. Makola Market
   1h
   In the morning, we visit the Makola Market, to experience the hustle and bussle of an African market. Visit the textile and bead section of this market for interesting purchases.
2. Osu Castle
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Continue to the Osu Castle (Christiansborg), which was originally built by the Danes was a trading entrepot during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The castle which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site has been converted into a presidential museum, which houses artifacts, papers, waxworks of our presidents and also on display are personal possessions of past leaders like books, artworks and items of clothing to allow us to honor appropriately their memories.
3. Independence Square
   30m · Admission ticket included
   Stopover at the Independence square, the location where Ghana was first declared a free country. Here, we will see monuments dedicated to Ghana’s independence struggle.
4. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum (the final resting place of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President). The Mausoleum is surrounded by water which is a symbol of life. Its presence conveys a sense of immortality for the name Nkrumah. It shows that even in death he lives on in the hearts and minds of generations here and generations yet to come.
5. W.E.B. DuBois Center
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After lunch, we visit the W.E.B Dubois Centre for Pan Africanism, a library to commemorate the late W.E.B DuBois. The Centre was established in 1985 by the Ghana government to encourage visitors to contemplate the ideals to Pan Africanism and to reflect upon the work of Dr. Du Bois. Here, we will join in a wreath laying
   ceremony with tributes to the Ancestors.
6. James Town Lighthouse
   1h · Admission ticket included
   In the evening, we can walk through the fishing village of James Town. Situated where the Gulf of Guinea sends tidings from the Atlantic Ocean, Jamestown happens to be one of the oldest settlements full of beautifully disheveled colonial buildings, clapboard houses and corrugated iron shacks – but it remains one of the most vibrant districts in the Accra.
   Here, we will spend the evening to a live band performance.

Day 3: Accra Arts & Traditional Tour

1. Artists Alliance Gallery
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Start the day with a visit to the Artists Alliance Art Gallery for contemporary African art. This is a well-respected gallery of painting and sculpture by established and up-and-coming Ghanaian artists.
2. Nungua
   30m
   Continue to the Fantasy coffin makers, where caskets are made to highlight a person’s affiliation. In Ghana, funerals are about the celebration of a person’s life, rather than a bemoaning of their demise. As such, a themed coffin which comes in different sizes and shapes symbolizes an important part of a person’s life.
3. Center for National Culture
   3h · Admission ticket included
   After lunch, attend a traditional religious service of the Afrikania Mission. A religious ceremony based on ancient African spirituality. Service will begin with an educational talk on the Afrikania Religion, pouring of libations to ancestors, sprinkling of water over people, healing rituals, drumming, and other activities characteristic of the Afrikania services. End the day at the Arts Centre for National Culture (Ghana’s biggest craft market).

Day 4: Drive from Accra to Kumasi

1. Kumasi
   3h
   Depart for the Ashanti Region ‘the Kingdom of Gold’ with a legacy of fine craftsmanship and cultural traditions.
   On arrival, we visit the Asante Traditional Buildings, one of the World Heritage Sites in Ghana, comprising of 13 traditionally built buildings from the time of the Ashanti Empire in the area. The buildings were described as "home of men and gods", and are the last remains of the history and culture of the Asante people.
   End the day with a visit to a traditional Palace to meet a Queen mother and elders for an interaction.

Day 5: Kumasi Cultural Tour

1. Kejetia Market
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Start the day with a visit to the Kejetia Market, the largest open air-market in West Africa with women at the helm of affairs. Also known as the Kumasi Central Market, this mammoth market spans a head-spinning 11,000 stalls and runs the gamut from kente, food stuffs, sandals, batik, bracelets, beads, and second-hand clothing among other things. Kejetia is a great space to see a slice of everyday Kumasi life and indulge. The sounds, smells, sights and atmosphere sums up the community that spreads into the margins of the Ashanti region.
2. 1h
   Continue to the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Ashanti Kingdom. Its large compound holds statues of past Kings and Queens of the Ashanti Kingdom. This palace remains in use today and houses an interesting history museum.
3. Prempeh II Museum
   1h · Admission ticket included
   After lunch, we visit the Kumasi Cultural Centre, which offers a good account of the rich Ghanaian culture, provides evidence of the Ashanti Kingdom's eminent past. It houses the Prempeh II Jubilee museum, which provides a fascinating collection of Asante’s history.

Day 6: Drive from Kumasi to Cape Coast

1. Assin Manso
   5h
   Set off for the Central Region the former seat of government of the Gold Coast and known for its Slave forts
   and castles. The Ancestral River Park in Assin manso, where people from the northern parts of Africa and
   Ghana, were taken for a last bath in the "Donko Nsuo" slave river, before being sent off to the dungeons of our coastal slave castles for shipment to the "New World". This is also the venue of the annual Emancipation Day celebrations, held in remembrance of the gallant Africans who died during the trans-Atlantic slave trade,
   and to immortalise their souls.
2. 3h
   Stopover at the craft villages of Ntonso, a village famous for adinkra design and Ahwiaa for carving. Also visit the village of Adanwomase (Kente) to interact with locals and to learn the art and history of the craft.

Day 7: Kakum & Cape Coast Tour

1. Kakum National Park
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Visit the Kakum National Park, is home to endangered species such as the forest elephant, the bongo antelope and the Diana monkey. The forest also provides an opportunity to spot much of Ghana's indigenous plant life, as well as its rare butterflies and birds. The canopy walkway is the longest and highest of its kind in West Africa.
2. Cape Coast Castle
   5h · Admission ticket included
   Join Esi Kitchen for a cooking class, where we will have our own cooked lunch.
   
   Continue to the Cape Coast Castle (Fort Carlsborg), which was under Swedish administration. Experience a walk through the Door of No Return. Marking the beginning of a perilous journey of our ancestors. Only this time we will also experience a return through the same doors. Take a walk through the ancestral Cape Coast
   township.

Day 8: Sekondi/Takoradi City Tour

1. 6h
   Depart for the Western Region along a coastline marked with Slave Forts and castles.
   On arrival, we visit the Bisa Aberwa Museum, dedicated to promoting African values and celebrating Pan-African heroes.
   Participate in a naming ceremony amidst traditional drumming and dancing by the villagers and also be given traditional African names.
   
   Return to Cape Coast in the late afternoon.

Day 9: Elmina City Tour & Midnight Declaration of Emancipation Day

1. Elmina Castle
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Experience a guided tour of the Elmina Castle, declared as a UNESCO World heritage site, was built by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine). It is a well preserved castle with an incredible history and infamous for its pivotal role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
2. Ekow the Cape Coast guide
   2h · Admission ticket included
   Continue with a walking tour through the Elmina township to view some houses built in colonial style, including the Dolphin house, Churches and the Dutch Cemetery. Also visit the Asafo Shrines, where warriors prepared mentally and spiritually before going to war.
3. Cape Coast Castle
   3h · Admission ticket included
   In the evening participate in the reverential night at the Cape Coast Castle; candle light processions and vigil to commemorate the Africans who died in the slave trade. There will be a ceremony and re-enactment of the slave passage through the “Door of No Return”. Midnight Declaration of Emancipation Day. This is the
   highlight of PANAFEST CELEBRATIONS.

Day 10: Emancipation Day Celebrations and Grand Durbar

1. Assin Manso
   5h
   Set off to participate in an Emancipation Day celebration, which will be opened with a Grand Durbar of Traditional Chiefs. Witness this grand ‘colorful’ and spectacular event that showcases the pomp and pageantry of Ghana’s traditional rulers. These festivities are held at Assin Manso, the site of the “last bath” where slave are taken for bath before being shipped to the new world. Return to Accra in the late afternoon.
   End the day with a farewell dinner at the Fulani Kitchen.

Day 11: Free day in Accra for departures

1. Osu Oxford Street
   Pass by
   Spend the morning free before departure

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels