9 Days Heritage Tour Ghana-Africa

Ghana Heritage & Culture Tour

Akwaaba to Ghana. Beyond 400 years after the slave trade was abolished. Here is a carefully crafted travel plan that offers you the opportunity to reconnect with your ancestors, Steve Harvey describes it as “I felt reunited with my ancestors. … There’s an undefined closure you didn’t even know you needed,” Grassroot Tours invites you to experience a  journey into a land rich in tradition, history, and culture. The land where the people are noted for their kindness, enthusiasm, friendliness, and hospitality. Ghana’s history spans almost 2000 years, to the riches of the ancient Ghanaian Empire. Abundant trade in gold, ivory, salt and kola nuts between Ghana and other African nations eventually drew Europeans to the shores of West Africa and to the country is known as the Gold Coast presently called Ghana. From the legendary Ashanti Kingdom to the vibrant streets of Accra, and the northern parts of Ghana, you will find beautiful beaches, local markets, and historical sites filled with interesting histories. In Ghana, you will appreciate exquisite arts and crafts and experience cultural drumming and dancing that will touch your very soul with its intensity. Come, connect with your ancestors, your heritage, relax and enjoy Ghana’s culture, beauty, and warmth.https://grassroottours.com/ghana-heritage-tours/

Day 1. ACCRA-TAMALE-PIKWORO SLAVE CAMP- PAGA- SIRIGU

Today in the morning, you will fly from Accra to Tamale on a 50-minute flight where your tour guide will be waiting to welcome and start the tour with you. Upon your arrival, you will be driven straight to the Upper East Region specifically Paga-Nania where you will do a tour of the Pikworo Slave Camp. The camp was founded in 1704 and was active until 1845. It is about 2km from Paga and was originally developed as a slave transit center where slaves were auctioned and later resold in the Salaga slave markets who were later resold to Dutch, English, and French traders. 

You will also visit the Paga Crocodile Pond, the community sharing a border with Burkina Faso. In Paga, where crocodiles are part of the daily lives of the people. It is believed that these crocodiles carry the souls of the people in the community. You will have an opportunity to see and pet with these crocodiles and if you are courageous enough, you will sit on them to have beautiful photos. Lastly, you will make a quick stop at the Navrongo Cathedral, one of the first Catholic Churches in Ghana to see and know the history of the beautiful building. Before you end the day, you will drive to Sirigu. Sirigu is known throughout Ghanaian history for its pottery, basket weaving and unique symbolic wall decorations. You will get a guided tour of traditional homes belonging to members of Sirigu Women Organisation for Pottery and Art (SWOPA). You will also have the opportunity to meet with (SWOPA) women at the gallery. You will drive back to your hotel in Bolga and rest for the day. 

DAY 2. BOLGA-TAMALE CITY TOUR-MOLE NATIONAL PARK

This morning, you will leave Bolgatanga and drive for two and a half hours to Tamale. Here in Tamale, Your guide will lead you on a city tour of the local market. At the market, you will have to take a close look at how and what the people trade-in, to compare to that of Kumasi and Accra. If you are interested in Arts, you will visit the Savannah Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA) where beautiful and mind-blowing paintings and sculptures can be seen. 

After lunch in Tamale, you will drive again for 2 and a half hours to Mole National Park. Before entering the park, you will visit and tour the Larabanga Mosque, a 13th-century mosque, believed to be first built by Moorish traders, it is one of the holiest sites and the oldest Mosque in Ghana and West Africa. Its distinctive facade has been widely photographed. You will arrive at your hotel, have dinner and rest for the day.

DAY 3. MOLE SAFARI – MOGNORI ECO VILLAGE-CULTURAL DRUMMING & DANCE- CANOE SAFARI

This morning, you will wake up early for the morning walking safari which will start at about 7:00 AM where you will have the chance to see elephants, baboons, buffaloes, warthogs, antelope and over 316 species of birds in the park. Later today, you will visit the Mognori Eco-Village where you will have a village guided walk and a canoe safari on the Mole River, a village guided walk and also learn about shea butter processing. Before you leave back to the park, you will be graced with a cultural drumming and dance activity from the village people. You will come back early enough for the jeep safari drive at 3:30 PM. You can swim a little after safari before dinner time.

DAY 4.  KUMASI- KEJETIA MARKET- CULTURAL CENTER 

You will leave the northern parts of the country to visit the home of the Ashantis in Kumasi. You will visit the Kejetia Market, the biggest open market in all of West Africa. The market always has traders from all of Ghana’s neighboring countries. Closer up, the rusting tin roofs of this huge market (often cited as the largest in West Africa, there are over 11,000 stalls and at least four times as many people working here) look like a circular shantytown. Inside, the throbbing Kejetia is quite disorienting but utterly captivating. You will be driven to your hotel afterward.  

DAY 5. MANHYIA PALACE – KENTE VILLAGE – ADINKRA VILLAGE- FESTIVAL

This morning after breakfast, your tour guide will drive you about 1 hour to Adanwomase, a kente weaving village where you will have an opportunity to see, learn and weave one for yourself. Again in Adanwomase, you have the opportunity of seeing naming ceremonies or funerals ongoing.

After this tour comes to a visit to Ntonso craft village. Ntonso is known for making Ghana’s most symbolic art-work that carry messages full of wisdom, the Adinkra Symbols. Here, you will be taken through all the processes involved in making and printing the symbols. You definitely will be printing one for yourself. Next is a drive back to Kumasi. If you are lucky to be Ghana during one of the festivals, then be prepared to be there!

DAY 6. ASIN MANSO – FORTS- CAPE COAST CASTLE

This morning you will leave Kumasi on a three and a half-hour drive to Assin Manso. Here, you will visit and tour the Assin Manso Slave River and cemetery site where you will hear about the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade through slave routes and the site they had their last bath, held as captive in the dungeons and finally shipped to a world unknown. 

After Assin Manso is a tour to some forts along the way to Cape Coast. You will visit the Cape Coast Castle which was known as  Cabo Corso,’ meaning ‘short cape is the name the Portuguese settled on for the local settlement within which its trade lodge was built in 1555. Its corruption to ‘Cape Coast’ is now the accepted name of the capital of the Central Region of Ghana. The Swedes, led by Krusenstjerna, however, were the initiators of the permanent structure presently known as Cape Coast Castle. They built a fort in 1653 and named it Carlousburg, after King Charles X of Sweden. 

You will settle into your beachside accommodation and rest for the day.

DAY 7. KAKUM PARK – ELMINA CASTLE – FORT SAN JAGO – POSUBAN SHRINES

Today is all about the adventure to Kakum National Park as you’ll get to walk on West Africa’s only rainforest canopy walkway before you are given a tour of the forest.to teach you the cultural, medicinal and economic importance of the plants you’ll find in the forest. You will drive back to Elmina and do a tour of the Elmina Castle. Very close to the Elmina Castle is Fort San Jago. The first European building on this hill was a Portuguese church dedicated to St. Jago. In 1637 the Dutch used the hill as a gun-position to bombard and take Elmina Castle from the Portuguese. To prevent others from using the same tactic the Dutch built a fortified earthwork on the hill the next year. Lastly for the day, you will visit the posuban shrines. Posuban shrines are a regular feature of the Fante region of Ghana’s central coast. Any town, almost regardless of size, will possess at least a few such shrines, which are often decorated with cryptic symbols or statues.

Day 8. BEACH DAY- FISHING COMMUNITY

After several days of driving and walking, you have this day to rest at your beachside accommodation or swim. Later this evening, your tour guide will take you to a fishing community to see how the fisher folks throw and pull out their nets. 

DAY 9. DRIVE TO ACCRA- ACCRA CITY TOUR

This morning you will start your journey to Accra. You will first visit the Makola market. This market is a very big open market where all sorts of trades are found. You might not get a signpost that welcomes you to the market, but you’ll know for sure where you are as soon as you get there. There are always hawkers around, places to buy your new and used wears and a never-ending number of places where you can buy whatever you want. Makola Market can be intense but it is surely a part of Ghana you must not miss. 

Next, you will visit the W.E.B Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture. This center was named after the father of Pan-Africanism, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois. He was an African-American civil rights activist who became a citizen of Ghana in the 1960s. He lived in this place with his wife and they were both buried here after they died. The house still contains many of their things like his personal library and his graduation robe. Surrounding this Mausoleum are restaurants and the research center for Pan African history and culture. Again, you will visit Jamestown. The  Jamestown community gradually got Incorporated into Accra after it emerged in the 17th century. There are many historical places to feast one’s eyes on. The community houses some of the colonial homes from the times of the colonial masters. Although this community isn’t one of the wealthiest communities in Accra, it remains one of the most active and vibrant ones in the city. It even boasts of having a fishing harbor. 

You will also visit a Fancy Coffin Workshop. You will be surprised that this place, as weird as it may sound, still attracts many tourists till today. The coffins they build here can take any shape or look. If one wants their coffin to have the shape of a fish, they just have to place an order and it is done. Some of the shops allow you to watch them while they make these fancy coffins.

Lastly, you will visit the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Decorated with beautiful gardens, fountains, and flowerbeds, this place is surely a nice place to relax and unwind. The park was built in memory of the first president of the country, Kwame Nkrumah himself, who fought for the independence of Ghana. In the center of the park, you will find the graves of the man and his wife. Also in this park is a museum where the things of the former president are kept and put on display. The stories of his campaign for independence is also made known to all in this same museum. Your guide will say goodbye and drop you off at the airport for your flight back home.