10 Day Culinary Experience, West Africa

Arrive in Accra, Ghana. Transfer from the airport to your hotel for a fantastic traditional welcome ceremony, including cultural drumming and dancing (for daylight arrivals only), pouring of libations, welcome drink and orientation.
Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Lodging: Hotel in Accra
Meals: Dinner

After a hearty breakfast, depart for a sightseeing tour of Accra. Your drive will take you through the administrative and economic districts of Ghana’s city capital. Over 100 years-old, Accra has a blend of colonial and contemporary architecture that symbolize the cultural mix of the city.

Accra's oldest neighborhood, Jamestown is still an active fishing harbor with a lighthouse that is worth exploring. If you have the energy to climb to the top, you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the city. From the lighthouse, there is a road which takes you to another otherwise hidden delight: one of the largest working fishing harbors in Ghana. Go early in the morning to see dozens of small boats bring in the day's catch. Your guide will take you through the hidden alleys, old stone houses and the hidden delights of this historic community.

Later, visit the W. E. B. Dubois Center 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 Dr. Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana’s first President). There 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. After lunch, your tour will take you to the Arts Center – a large arts and crafts market where you can find handicrafts from all over Ghana and West Africa. Be prepared to use your bargaining skills as you browse the many artisan stalls.

Dinner this evening will include a culinary feast representing the food of the coastal region and the original inhabitants of the Ga, Fante and Ewe people. Overnight at your hotel.

Lodging: Hotel in Accra
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel, then spend the day touring the Cocoa Processing Company Ltd (CPC), founded in 1965. The Cocoa Factories have an annual output of 64,500 metric tons of cocoa beans which are processed into chocolate bars, chocolate spreads, drinking chocolate and other chocolate products. View and experience how this company makes chocolate using beans which The Financial Times calls "the finest cocoa in the world."

Later, visit a nearby cocoa plantation to see cocoa farms and learn about this famous tree introduced into Ghana by Tetteh Quarshie. You will have the opportunity to taste and purchase authentic Ghana chocolate. Continue to Kumasi for dinner and overnight.

Lodging: Hotel in Kumasi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for a drive through the forest zone to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire. Explore the legend of the famous Ashantis at the Manhyia Palace Museum. There you will get a sense of a day in the life of an Ashanti ruler (Asantehene). At the museum, you will also obtain firsthand information on the legacies of the Ashanti Kingdom, a regal history that dates back to 1700 and is told with relics and artifacts.

Enjoy a drive through the city of Kumasi to view monuments dedicated to the memory of great Ashanti people. Then drive to Kejetia Market (the largest open air market in West Africa). Once you arrive at the market you will shop for food products in small groups, with an assigned host ‘mother.’ You will then return to your host’s home and observe and assist as she prepares a typical Ghanaian meal for her family. Enjoy the sumptuous results of your day’s labor! Overnight at your hotel.

Lodging: Hotel in Kumasi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

This day is devoted to visiting the three famous craft villages in the Ashanti Region: Ahwiaa (the woodcarvers’ 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.

After lunch, depart Kumasi for a scenic drive through the forest zone to Elmina. Dinner today will be served at your beachfront resort, where you will be staying for the night. You will have the opportunity to learn about and sample
a variety of Ghanaian sweets, candies and desserts and find out how they are made. Overnight at your hotel.

Lodging: Hotel in Elmina
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, depart to explore the infamous forts, castles and slave dungeons of Ghana. On this tour you will experience the physical history of the slave trade, the impact of which is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. Visit the Cape Coast Castle, which was built by the Swedes in 1653 and later taken over by the British. The castle also houses the West African Historical Museum, established by the Smithsonian Institute in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government in 1994.

After lunch, visit the Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482 as St. George's Castle. This castle was the first European structure built in Sub – Saharan Africa. Spend a moment admiring the colorful harbor nestled just below Elmina Castle. Full of pirogues preparing to go to sea, this site offers one of West Africa’s greatest photo opportunities. In the evening, you will enjoy a lecture on various African foods and foodstuffs and the various preparation
methods. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Lodging: Hotel in Elmina
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, depart to explore the historic Denkyira Kingdom, particularly Kakum National Park. Kakum is one of West Africa’s surviving tropical rain forests, spanning over 360sq km and filled with diverse and dense vegetation. A blend of true rainforest and semi deciduous forest, Kakum is the home to over 40 large mammals, 400 bird species and an array of butterflies, flora and fauna.

The most popular attraction in the forest is the canopy walkway which is made up of seven bridges extending 330m and hanging 40m above the forest floor. You will be given the choice to walk the canopy or enjoy a 2km nature walk through the forest to discover the wide variety of exotic floral species and the medicinal values they offer.

In the afternoon, return to the hotel to enjoy an outdoor cooking class overlooking the beach. This will be a practical introduction into West African cuisine, where you will have the chance to cook exquisite food. The products of your work will be served for the group’s dinner that evening, and you will be judged on which dish is the tastiest! Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Lodging: Hotel in Elmina
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast at your hotel, embark on a late morning scenic drive through the forest zone to Accra. Upon arrival, check in and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.

Lodging: Hotel in Accra
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Spend the morning exchanging recipes influenced by Ghanaian, Togolese and Ivorian dishes. Local chefs will take you through four hours of cooking and discussion to share insight about West African dishes, spices and a whole range of cuisine. Spend the afternoon at leisure, or checking out the restaurant scene in Accra.

Lodging: Hotel in Accra
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Spend the morning exchanging recipes influenced by Ghanaian, Togolese and Ivorian dishes. Local chefs will take you through four hours of cooking and discussion to share insight about West African dishes, spices and a whole range of cuisine. Spend the afternoon at leisure or last minute shopping in preparation for your journey back home. Later, transfer to the airport for check-in and departure.

Meals: Breakfast