10 Day Arts and Music Festival Tour: Afrochella and Afronation

Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Go through airport formalities and transfer from the airport to your hotel. Check into your hotel. Overnight at Hotel in Accra (Meals Included: Breakfast)

After breakfast, depart your hotel for a visit to Jamestown, the historic centre 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 of one of Ghana’s most famous buildings, Jamestown’s red and white lighthouse that overlooks the Gulf of Guinea. Afterwards, depart for West Africa’s biggest festival, Afrochella. This festival is a celebration of Ghana’s diverse culture through fashion, art and fantastic live music.

Overnight at Hotel in Accra (Meals Included: Breakfast)

After breakfast, depart your hotel for a trip through the administrative and economic districts of Ghana’s city capital. You will visit the W. E. B. Dubois Centre for Pan African Culture, where Dr. Dubois (an academic and civil rights champion) spent two years working on a Pan-African encyclopedia under the invitation of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana’s first President). You will be treated to a guided tour through Dr. DuBois’ research library.

You will also make stops at Independence/Black Star Square and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. The square marks the point where three ex-military men tried to present grievances to the colonial governor and were shot during a peaceful demonstration. Nkrumah Memorial Park was created to commemorate Ghana's founding father.

After lunch, visit Omanye art gallery, one of the most renowned art venues in Accra. There are three expansive floors of art displayed in cool marble galleries established by artists such as Owusu Ankomah and George Hughes, whose paintings are reminiscent of Jean Michel Basquiat and Willem De Kooning. Spend the rest of the day at the Afronation Ghana concert.

Overnight at Hotel in Accra (Meals Included: Breakfast)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Cape Coast. Upon arrival, devote this day to embarking on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade with it's impact still felt beyond the shores of Africa today.

Visit the Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653 and later taken over by the British. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum established by the Smithsonian Institute in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government in 1994.

Afterwards, visit the Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482 and is also known as St. George's Castle. This castle was the first European structure built in Sub - Saharan Africa. The colorful harbor nestled below the Elmina Castle, full of pirogues preparing to go to sea offers one of West Africa’s greatest photo backdrops.

Overnight at Hotel in Cape Coast/Elmina (Meals Included: Breakfast)

Early morning departure for a drive through the historic Denkyira Kingdom to Kakum National Park, one of West Africa’s surviving tropical rain forests. Extending over 360sq km, Kakum is home to over 40 large mammals and 400 bird species as well as many species of butterflies, flora and fauna.

The most popular attraction is the Canopy walkway which is made up of seven bridges extending 330m, hanging 100 feet above the forest floor. Choose between a 2 km nature walk through this forest to discover the wide variety of exotic floral species and the medicinal values they offer or take a walk on the canopy walkway.

In the afternoon, visit the Global Mamas fair trade store and create your own two yards of traditional batik fabric. You will also get the opportunity to create several West African traditional dishes in Esi’s kitchen and then enjoy eating the feast you’ve helped prepare!

Overnight at Hotel in Cape Coast/Elmina (Meals Included: Breakfast)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for Kumasi. Enroute explore 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. Take a stop for lunch at a local restaurant on your own before you drive through the forest zone to Kumasi.

Overnight at Hotel in Kumasi (Meals Included: Breakfast)

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 artefacts.

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

After lunch on your own, visit the famous Ashanti craft villages. Depart for 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.

Overnight at Hotel in Kumasi (Meals Included: Breakfast)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for a reflective journey back to Accra. Upon arrival, spend the rest of the day at leisure.

Overnight at Hotel in Accra (Meals Included: Breakfast)

After breakfast, depart your hotel for a scenic drive to a beautiful village located on the lower course of the splendid Volta River. You will have the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on the paramount chief and elders amidst traditional drumming and dancing by the people and also participate in a naming ceremony, where you will be given a traditional African name. Return back to Accra where you will spend the night at your hotel.

Overnight at Hotel in Accra (Meals Included: Breakfast)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and transfer to airport for check-in and final departure back home.