SURREAL JOURNEYS TRAVEL
GHANA ITINERARY
DEC. 3 - 10, 202.
Welcome to GHANA.
Day 1 Arrival: Sunday, December 3rd, 2023
On Arrival, you will go through customs and immigration to be cleared and met by your guide outside of Terminal 3 Arrival Hall. Your tour guide will be holding a placard boldly written on it Coming to
Ghana Movement Tours. You will be transported by Bus to the hotel (African Regent Hotel). After checking into your rooms at the hotel, we will have a welcoming orientation which includes
lectures/discussions on Ghanaian history, and culture and learning about staying safe and healthy during your stay in Ghana.
Day 2: Monday, December 4th,2023
The city offers an intriguing combination of city and village life. Affluent neighborhoods complete with upmarket restaurants, glitzy shopping malls, and western fast food chains are incorporated with lower economic areas characterized by the bustling street culture that engulfs much of the rest of Ghana.
While the city’s vibrant atmosphere and daily life are undoubtedly its primary attraction, visitors should also take the time to visit: Osu Castle; Nkrumah Memorial Park; the raucous Labadi Beach; and the
hidden alleys, old stone houses, and wonderful cliff-top harbor vistas of Jamestown.
Day Itinerary
The first full day in Accra! After breakfast at the hotel, We set off for the tour of Accra and its vicinity, passing through the economic and administrative districts.
Visits will include:
Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park is the final resting place of Ghana’s first president. Set in attractive gardens, there is an adjoining museum, which contains photos, artifacts, and insight into Dr. Nkrumah’s life. W.E.B. DuBois Centre, former home now a museum and Centre for the study of Pan Africanism.
Lunch: Buka Restaurant.
Independence Square, where you will see the enclosed flame of African Liberation, which was lit by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in 1961.
Adjoining the park is the National Cultural Centre, which is Ghana’s largest outdoor arts and crafts market selling traditional crafts from all over West Africa.
Mostly known and called the Arts Centre. It is also located in the central business district of Accra. You will find a theatre hall where local dance groups and actors perform by drumming and dancing. There are numerous stalls used to exhibit and sell traditional arts and crafts. One will find carvings, paintings, and other crafts at almost every street corner in Ghana but here at the art center, you will find Ghanaians from different tribe’s handcrafting (Kente, wood carvings, beads, leather boxes, drums, baskets, fans, bags, etc.) themselves. Mostly at night time, there are dance and music shows portraying Ghanaian culture, customs, and traditions. After the day's tour, we return back to our hotel (African Regent Hotel) for the night.
Day 3: Tuesday, December 5th, 2023
Renowned for its cultural heritage the city of Kumasi serves as an important Esa Nti People's cultural center of the Esa Nti Region in Ghana. The ancient capital of the Esa Nti Kingdom features a fascinating blend of modern and historical treasures. Visitors can look forward to exploring many interesting sites and enjoying a host of wonderful activities including browsing the fascinating open-air Kejetia Market offering locally made goods; visiting the Jubilee Museum which displays ceremonial garments and jewelry of the 20th century. Esa Nti King; and learning more about Esa Nti traditions at the popular, National Cultural Centre.
Day Itinerary
After Breakfast, we check out of the hotel and depart to Kumasi, the capital of the Esa Nti Region. Throughout the trip, stops will be made for us to use the washroom. The Esa Nti People form the
biggest and largest ethnic(Akan) group in Ghana. For centuries, they were the rulers in this region because of their well-organized society.
Visit Adanwomase, where the famous Kente Cloth is handmade on looms in a time-honored tradition passed down through generations. Observe the Kente weavers creating the traditional Kente Cloth. We will have an Akan Traditional Naming Ceremony. Everyone must make sure he/she provides his/her Full Name as stated on the Passport, and full date of birth two months before departure to Ghana.
Our next stop is at the village of Ntonso, where artisans hand stamp or print patterns on cotton cloth to make Adinkra textiles.
Lunch: Ike’s Cafe
After Lunch, we check in to the hotel
(Lancaster Kumasi Hotel) for the night.
Day 4: Wednesday, December 6th, 2023
The following morning, after breakfast at the hotel we check out, then proceed to visit Manhyia Place Museum, the official residence of Esa Nti Kings (Esa Nti hene) until 1974, now a museum containing treasured items relating to the Esa Nti Kingdom then continues to the Central Region. Before we get to Cape Coast, we will pass by Assin Manso Slave River Site (Donkor Nsuo) where our ancestors were forcibly captured and sold at Salaga market and had their last bath before being made to walk to Elmina and Cape Coast Slave Dungeons. From Assin Manso we head to Cape Coast slave dungeons. (we will have a homecoming ceremony at this place so we should all wear White on this day),
Cape Coast Castle - Cape Coast Castle is a fortification in Ghana. The Castle was built for the trade in timber and gold; later it
was used in the trans- Atlantic slave trade. Slaves were kept in dungeons in the castle before they were loaded onto ships to be sold to their slave masters. This gate of no return was the last stop before
crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
Lunch: One Africa Health Resort/Lemon Beach Resort/Coconut Groove Beach Resort.
After the tour at Cape Coast Slave Dungeons, we head to our hotel (Ridge Royal Hotel) to check in for the night.
Day 5: Thursday, December 7th, 2023
Located along the south coast of Ghana, the fishing port of Elmina is best-known for its beautiful beaches and serves as the capital of the region. It is also known as a historical slave trading port and
offers visitors a glimpse into the tragic history of the slave trade. Visitors can learn more about the area's past by visiting a number of fascinating sites including the 17th-century Fort St. Jago, the Elmina
Java Museum, the Dutch Cemetery, and Elmina Castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482, it is the oldest European buildings in existence south of the Sahara.
Day Itinerary
After Breakfast, we check out of the hotel and proceed to visit Elmina Slave Dungeons, Have Lunch then proceed to Kakum National Park
Elmina Castle
The Elmina Castle, showing centuries of the slave trade is of beautiful historical importance as it is known for being the earliest European construction in the Gulf of Guinea and is the oldest castle in sub-Saharan Africa. The castle is situated in the town of Elmina located close to the Cape Coast. The castle gives visitors a clear glimpse of the living conditions of the slaves that were held captive at the fort.
Lunch: One Africa Health Resort/Lemon Beach Resort/Coconut Groove Beach Resort.
Kakum National Park
The Kakum National Park protects an undisturbed virgin rainforest in Ghana and is located approximately 33 km north of Cape Coast. The park is a haven for nature lovers with a wide variety of flora and wildlife, including seven primate species, over 500 species of butterflies, and around 250 bird species. The Diana monkey, giant bongo antelope, yellow-backed duiker, and African elephant are the
most notable endangered species protected by the park. Visitors will especially enjoy the 3-km-long stretch of sandy beach which provides an excellent site for swimming, sunbathing, and bird watching. After the tour of the Central Region, we head back to Accra and check back into African Regent Hotel.
Day 6: Friday, December 8th , 2023
Ghana is the second largest producer of Cocoa in the world, contributing to 25% of global cocoa production after Cote d'Ivoire but in terms of quality of beans and Chocolate, Ghana is number one. After breakfast at the hotel, we leave for a cocoa processing company. We will participate in Cocoa Bean to bar chocolate-making process, the full chocolate tasting experience, and history of cocoa and chocolate in Ghana, wine and chocolate pairings, picnic lunch, chocolate and strawberries, and the making of our own
chocolate. After the day’s tour, we return back to the hotel, freshen up then proceed to Bloom BarNight Club for a night outing.
Day 7: Saturday, December 9th, 2023
Just after breakfast we leave for Nahulenya and visit Nkyinkyim Museum at Ada in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Please do well and read more about Kwame-Akoto Bamfo’s Works. After the day’s tour, we return back to the hotel for the night.
Day 8: Sunday, December 10th, 2023
Beads Making has been part and parcel of Local Ghanaian culture for centuries. On this day immediately after breakfast, we will travel to the Eastern Region of Ghana and participate in a beads-making
workshop. We will be taken through all of the recycled beads processes. Please note the workshop is a hands-on experience so we will all end up making or designing our own beads. After the workshop, we return to the hotel to freshen up then leave for Sandbox Beach Club for our Farewell Lunch. From Sandbox, we return to the hotel, pack, and wait to be transported to the Airport for departure to the US.