ARRIVE IN DAKAR, SENEGAL

Blaise Diagne International Airport - Upon arriving in Dakar, guests will be welcomed, assisted, and taken to their hotel. The day’s activities will be tailored to the flight arrival time, offering the option to relax or begin exploring Dakar and its surroundings.

Meal(s) Included: Dinner

Hotel: Azalai

DAKAR

Le Monument de la Renaissance Africaine - Highlights:

• Renaissance Monument
• Museum of African Civilization
• Markets

After breakfast, embark on a city tour of Dakar and its surroundings. Start with a visit to the Africa Renaissance Monument, a 164-foot-high statue unveiled in 2010, which overlooks Dakar and is taller than the Statue of Liberty. This once-controversial bronze statue is now a popular attraction, featuring a man, woman, and child pointing, symbolizing African hope.

Next, visit Independence Place, the heart of Dakar, where you will pass by the presidential palace and the main cathedral. Then, proceed to the Museum of Black Civilization, a massive four-story complex fulfilling the dream of Senegal’s first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor. The museum traces the oldest civilizations from Africa to the rest of the world, with architectural inspiration drawn from impluvium huts found in Casamance.

In the evening, there will be opportunities for beach activities or leisure, depending on preferences.

DAKAR – GOREE ISLAND – SALY

Island of Goree - Highlights:

• Goree Island
• The Door of No Return
• Pink Lake

Take a 20-minute ferry ride to visit the charming yet infamous Goree Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore the quiet streets lined with pastel-colored colonial-era buildings. Witness the “Door of No Return,” through which millions passed on their way to slavery.

The tour includes a visit to the ethnographic museum and a lecture on the history of Goree. You may also visit Mariama Bâ, Elite High School for Girls, named after the renowned Senegalese writer. Founded in 1977 by Leopold Sedar Senghor, the first president of Senegal, the school is dedicated to Mariama Bâ, a novelist and feminist who fought for women’s rights in Senegal.

After lunch, return to Dakar and proceed to visit Pink Lake, a rare natural phenomenon known for its pink color caused by micro-organisms and high salt concentration. Finally, continue to Saly in time to enjoy an evening swim in the ocean.

SALY – BANDIA – SALY

Reserve De Bandia - Highlights: Bandia National Park

Drive to Bandia Park, where you will encounter numerous species native to Senegal, including buffalos, antelopes, impala gazelles, monkeys, tortoises, and crocodiles, as well as white rhinoceros, kudu, elands, cape moose, giraffes, ostriches, and zebras. Stop by the crocodile pool, where animals come to drink and buffalos wallow in the mud. You will also see numerous bird species, including small hornbills, grey herons, eagles, blackbirds, and kingfishers. Return to the hotel in time for a short excursion on the Somone Lagoon to admire the beautiful landscape and spot some rare river birds. This evening, there will be an opportunity for swimming and other beach activities.

ARRIVE IN ACCRA, GHANA

Kotoka International Airport - Enjoy a leisurely morning before your departure flight to Ghana. Upon arrival in Accra, guests will be welcomed, assisted, and transferred to their hotel for the next two nights.

ACCRA

W.E.B. DuBois Center - Highlights:

• W.E.B Dubois Centre
• The Independence/Black Square
• The Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park

The first visit will be to the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre, honoring the life of the prominent Pan-Africanist who chose to live and work in Ghana. Continue to Independence Square, where you will see the enclosed flame of African Liberation, lit by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1961. Next, visit the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the final resting place of Ghana’s first president. Set in attractive gardens, there is an adjoining museum that contains photos, artifacts, and insight into Dr. Nkrumah’s life. Adjoining the park is the National Cultural Centre, Ghana’s largest outdoor arts and crafts market selling traditional crafts from all over West Africa.

ACCRA-KUMASI

Akosombo - Highlights:

• Teshie Fancy Coffin Shop

After breakfast, check out of the hotel and head further East to Akosombo. En route, visit the Teshie Casket/Coffin Shop where uniquely designed caskets are made, reflecting the people’s belief in life after death. The shop was started by Seth Kane Kwei in the 1950s, almost by accident. He made palanquins, also known as Litters or Sedan Chairs that are used to carry tribal chiefs at traditional festivals. One chief, who had ordered a palanquin shaped as a cocoa pod, died unexpectedly before the festival, so he was buried in the palanquin. Soon after that, his grandmother, who had planned her first overseas trip by flight, died before the trip and she too was buried in a coffin shaped like an airplane. The third fancy coffin was for a chief fisherman who was buried in a canoe. Thus, the fancy coffin industry was started.

Continue to Kumasi arriving late afternoon; transfer to the hotel and check in.

KUMASI

Kumasi - Highlights: 3 Craft Villages of the Ashanti Kingdom

Enjoy a scenic drive through Ashanti-style villages surrounded by lush countryside, contrasting modern Kumasi. Pass through Ejisu, home of Nana Yaa Asantewaa, the Queen Mother who led the 1900 battle against the British.

Visit Adanwomase, where Kente Cloth is handwoven on looms passed down through generations. Each pattern has meaning, and you’ll have time to shop or, by arrangement, meet the local chief amid drumming and dancing.

Continue to Ntonso, where artisans hand-stamp cotton to make Adinkra Textiles. Learn how black dye is made from tree bark and create your own Adinkra sash to take home.

At Ahwiaa, the Woodcarving Village, admire and shop for hand-carved stools, fertility dolls, and walking sticks. End in Central Kumasi, exploring colonial landmarks and visiting the Okomfo Anokye Sword Site, symbol of Ashanti unity and the legendary spot where the Golden Stool “descended from the sky.” Return to your hotel in the evening.

CAPE COAST

Assin Manso Ancestral Slave River Park - Highlights:

• Assin Manso Slave River
• Elmina Township Walk

Today, depart for another adventure of the Coastal lands of Ghana- Elmina & Cape Coast. En route, stop at Assin Manso, the burial site of two former slaves from the USA and Jamaica whose remains were re-interred in August 1998 during Ghana’s first Emancipation Day Celebration. A visit to “the Slave River” or “Donkor Nsuo” offers the chance to see the place where captured Africans were washed before being confined in the Slaves Castles to await shipment to the Americas and Caribbean.

This evening, enjoy the sights of the many colorful fishing boats bringing their daily catch into the harbor and take the opportunity to mix with the locals at the nearby market. A short distance from the market, visit the boat builders, still building colorful fishing boats using traditional tools and methods spanning centuries. Continue to your hotel and check in. Prepare for dinner at your hotel.

ELMINA & CAPE COAST CASTLES

Cape Coast Castle - HIGHLIGHTS:

• Cape Coast Castle
• Elmina or St. George’s Castle

Today, visit Cape Coast Castle, a UNESCO world heritage site. The castle is a thought-provoking monument to a harrowing period in the region’s history. Take an emotional journey through the castle which held more enslaved Africans than any other in the region, viewing the dungeons and the infamous “Door of no return”.

Next, visit Elmina Castle, another World Heritage site. Late afternoon, go through the “Fihankra” ceremony, which seeks to reconnect people of African descent, who have been lost due to the transatlantic slave trade, to the motherland. This ceremony reconnects returnees with the cultural and spiritual ties that had been denied them for centuries. The final part of Fihankra includes a naming ceremony to relax before being transferred to the airport for the flight home.

ELMINA-KAKUM-ACCRA

Kakum National Park - HIGHLIGHTS:

• Kakum National Park

After breakfast, check out of the hotel for a visit to the Kakum National Park, Ghana’s most famous park. Take a brief walking tour on the forest floor where you will learn how ancestors lived in the forest. See birds, butterflies, and perhaps catch a glimpse of the forests of over 40 species of mammals including monkeys and the reclusive forest elephant.

Proceed to the canopy walk. Kakum is home to Africa’s only aerial walkway through the tree canopy, a 1000-foot-long and even-bridge walkway with viewing platforms that reach heights over 150 feet above the ground. Arrive in Accra late afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

ACCRA | DEPART

Accra - Enjoy a leisurely morning! Later in the day, check out of the hotel and have some time for last-minute shopping before being transferred to the airport for the onward flight home.

• Admission to listed sites
• Experienced tour guides
• 8 nights hotel accommodation
• Roundtrip airport/hotel transfers
• Assistance with Ghana visa application
• Breakfast
• Transportation in private vehicle
• Meeting and assistance upon arrival and departure
• Meals indicated
• Flight from Senegal to Ghana

• • Flights to Africa (to be priced separate)
• • Cost of Ghana visa
• • Meals not listed
• • Travel Insurance
• • Gratuity to drivers and guides

Embark on a fascinating adventure into the West Coast visiting Senegal & Ghana. Not only will you take in the vibrant atmosphere of all two countries capital cities but you will also see the natural wonders of the rare phenomenon known as Pink Lake in Senegal and enjoy the intriguing history of Senegal as you visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Goree Island.

From the fantasy coffin shops of Teshie to the ornamental bead makers of Krobo Odumase to the bold patterns of the beautifully crafted Kente cloth in Bonwire to the intricate designs of Ntonso Adinkra cloth of the Ashanti people, see the best of Ghana’s craftsmen and artisans.

Walk through ancient monuments as you check into the iconic heritage Castles of Elmina and Cape Coast; a journey into the heart of slave history of the country. Climax your experience with the incredible views of one of the surviving tropical Rain forests of West Africa on a visit to the Kakum National park.

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.