Arrival, Akwaaba (Welcome), Airport Pickup and Hotel Transfer.

Greater Accra - Upon arrival at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, located on the stunning gold coast of Western Africa, our knowledgeable local tour guides will greet you. Look for the Ashanti African Tours sign as you exit the main terminal after customs. Introduce yourself to your guides, who will accompany you throughout your stay in Ghana, ensuring your comfort and care. The journey to your hotel, situated near Shai Hills Reserve, takes about an hour, traffic permitting. After checking in, your guide will brief you on the upcoming activities and address any questions. Depending on your arrival time, you can enjoy an early evening meal while acclimating to West Africa.

Shai Hills Reserve and Kakum National Park

Shai Hills Resource Reserve - On your first full day in Ghana, after an early breakfast, we visit Shai Hills Reserve, a vast area of savannah, grassland, and woodland. Our focus here is on spotting the rare Egyptian Tomb Bats. Other bat species are also found in the cave network, and we will spend quality time searching for bats, rodents, and other mammals such as Olive Baboon, Red-fronted Duiker, Kob, and Bushbuck. Shai Hills has a rich local history; we can visit traditional shrines near the bat caves and learn about the Shai people’s history, who settled here to escape slave raiders during Ghana’s colonial period. Birds and butterflies are abundant, and your local guide will be happy to focus on any area of interest.

Kakum National Park - After a morning at Shai Hills, we enjoy lunch at a nearby restaurant before heading to the upper guinea rainforest habitat at Kakum National Park. We aim to arrive in the late afternoon or early evening, with the option to explore the forest before or after dinner. Our focus will be on spotting bats, rodents, and elusive species like Potto, Duikers, and Pangolins before returning to the hotel for a restful evening in preparation for the next day.

Kakum National Park and Canopy Walkway

Kakum National Park - After an early breakfast, we head to the renowned canopy walkway at Kakum National Park, just a 15-minute drive from our hotel. We aim to arrive at first light to maximize the prime nature viewing hours 40 meters above the forest floor on the canopy walkway, which can accommodate telescopes. The 360 km² Kakum National Park protects secondary upper guinea tropical rainforest, and our focus on the canopy will be the Long-tailed Pangolin, as we have had several sightings of this species here. Squirrels are also possible, including African Giant Forest, Gambian, Red-legged, Green, Fire-footed Rope, and Slender-tailed Squirrel, among others. Birds and butterflies are plentiful, with nearly 600 butterfly and over 300 bird species recorded in the park.

Kakum National Park - During the mid-afternoon heat, we will rest at our hotel for a few hours, as our nights will be dedicated to several hours of walking in the forest habitat at Kakum National Park. We revisit the canopy in the evening, targeting endangered Olive Colobus, Lowes Mona, Geoffrey’s Pied Colobus, and Lesser Spot-nosed Monkeys. Long-tailed and Tree Pangolin are also possible, as are Lord Derby’s and Pels Anomalure and various squirrels recorded in Ghana. Bats are abundant, and we will focus on seeing as many species as possible. We can return to our hotel for dinner before heading back to the forest or retiring for some rest.

Kakum National Park and Surroundings

Kakum National Park - Two full days are dedicated to quality time in and around Kakum National Park, searching for all your target species. All Pangolin species, Bossmans Potto, Demidoffs Galago, and Common Cusimanse are on our list, as are Bush Baby, Tree Hyrax, Giant Pouched Rat, Monkeys, both Anamolure species, Royal Antelope, and Maxwells Duiker, among others.

Kakum National Park and Surroundings

Kakum National Park - We rise before dawn for several hours of night walks, spotlighting in hopes of spotting the more elusive species this habitat protects. Nocturnal birds are plentiful in Kakum, and we will keep an eye out for Akun and Frasers Eagle Owls and any other species of interest. In the evenings, we will discuss the main target species we still need to see and focus on these the following day.

Brenu Akyinim and Ankasa Reserve

Ankasa Reserve

Ankasa Reserve

Transfer to Bonkro Forest

Ashanti Region - Today, we travel to the Ashanti Region of Ghana to visit a remote community protecting a small Upper Guinea Forest. Our goal is to reach the forest by late afternoon, where we’ll settle in and prepare for a night walk. Pangolins, an endangered species and the most illegally trafficked animal globally, are notoriously difficult to spot in the wild. This forest is a prime location for seeing pangolins, and we are involved in a conservation and community project here to protect the habitat from illegal hunting and logging. We’ll search for mammals on our night walk and enjoy a meal at the restaurant before preparing for the next day’s activities.

Kwabena Sam Forest

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - After an early breakfast, we head north towards Mole National Park. Today is primarily a travel day as we journey northward, transitioning to the drier broad-leaved guinea woodland and savannah. Lunch is enjoyed in Kintampo before continuing to Mole, Ghana’s largest National Park, protecting 4847 square kilometers of habitat, nearly 100 mammal species, and over 330 bird species. Our accommodation is on a 250-meter-high escarpment overlooking this vast park, offering breathtaking views. It’s an incredible experience to relax by the pool on the hotel terrace, watching African savannah elephants bathe in the nearby watering holes inhabited by crocodiles. After dinner, we embark on an evening of driving and walking in the park, spotlighting and aiming to find our first mammals in this habitat.

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - We will spend three full days and nights exploring the exceptional wildlife at Mole National Park in Ghana. After breakfast, we will set off on foot and by vehicle to search for African mammals like elephants, kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, hartebeests, roan antelopes, warthogs, and buffalos. We will also be on the lookout for Olive baboons, patas monkeys, and yellow-winged bats. In the evenings, we will drive and walk through the park, spotlighting for more elusive species like hedgehogs, galagos, mongooses, civets, genets, duikers, hares, aardvarks, porcupines, and various rodents and bats. Our goal is to provide you with the best possible experience at Mole National Park, and your guide will be available to discuss the species you’ve seen, help you get better views of any animals you’d like to see more of, and point out species you haven’t yet spotted. The activities for each day will be tailored to give you the best chance of seeing as many different species as possible.

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - Day 2 - Mole National Park

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - Day 3 - Mole National Park

Internal Flight to Accra and Departure

Accra - After a delightful four nights in Ghana’s premier wildlife viewing park, we enjoy a relaxed breakfast before heading to Tamale, the capital of the Northern Region of Ghana, for our flight south to Accra. Taking an internal flight saves nearly two full days of road travel. Upon arrival in Accra, we visit a local restaurant near the airport for an early evening meal and final checklist. You arrived as strangers and now leave as part of the Ashanti family, departing as friends. We take this opportunity to say goodbye before transferring you back to the airport after a wonderful 15-day Mammals of Ghana Tour with Ashanti African Tours.

• Expert local guide available 24/7
• Round-the-clock office support
• Travel comfortably in an air-conditioned vehicle
• Enjoy included meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Stay hydrated with unlimited mineral water
• Drive confidently with an experienced driver and unlimited fuel
• Relax in comfortable accommodations
• Gain entry to all excursions with included fees
• Convenient airport transfers to and from your hotel
• Travel safely with public liability and professional indemnity insurance

• International flights
• Soft and alcoholic drinks
• Visa

Nestled in the core of West Africa, Ghana is a destination no wildlife lover should miss. It boasts an extensive array of West African ecosystems, from seaside marshlands and lagoons to the inland coastal savannah, which then gives way to the lush Upper Guinea Rainforests - a safe haven for numerous exclusive species native to West Africa. The journey continues northwards, featuring a graceful change from the southern forests through the expanses of Guinea woodland before reaching the savanna plains and brushing the Sahel at Burkina Faso’s border. The diversity in both fauna and landscapes that Ghana presents is astounding. Please be aware that observing mammals in the thick rainforest environment can be challenging and is never a certainty. However, our expert local guides from West Africa offer you the highest chance of a rewarding and enjoyable journey. Possessing an in-depth knowledge of all the major wildlife spots in Ghana, we promise a fantastic experience for our prospective tour members.

If you cancel at least 3 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.