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 Ghana was the first sub Saharan country to gain its independence in 1957, the Gold Coast as it was formerly known has been occupied for more than 300000 years. Europeans landed on the soil of the Gold Coast in an attempt to find a back door to India, soon trade started between them and the local people. They used the Barter trade system where items were exchanged between each other, Europeans brought household items like cooking utensils, mirrors, used clothes and schnapps in exchange for gold, ivory and cotton amongst other things. With the discovery of the new world (America), African labour became very crucial to Europeans who owned sugar, cotton and rice plantations. The Europeans built at least 60 forts and castles stretching from Senegal, Gori inland to Portuguese Angola. On the West African Coast, there were 45 outstanding forts and castles, with the Gold Coast (now Ghana) having 32 of these. With Ghana having more than 70% of the forts and castles found in West Africa on its coastline the majority of enslaved Africans were sent away passing through Ghana more than any other West African country. From the north of the Gold Coast, beyond Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Nigeria and Cameroon, the enslaved Africans in chains and shackles were forced to march to the Salaga Market.
The Salaga Market was the second largest market in the region, from here the ancestors were forced to continue their journey for over 300 miles whilst being subjected to whips and having to cross rivers and streams through dense forests, wild animals, almost naked to Assin Manso and the enslaved African river. Assin Manso was the largest enslaved African market in the Gold Coast and was where enslaved Africans were taken for their last bath before transportation to Cape Coast Castle, formerly the headquarters to the West African Trans Atlantic Enslaved African trade era. There are still over 20 castles and fortifications dotting Ghana's coastline today, all with a harrowing story to tell.
Many Africans in the Americas and Africans in the Caribbean have been able to trace their roots back to Ghana. One of the first to arrive from Brazil were the family of Professor Azomah Nelson, the former boxing champion, who settled in Brazil House, which is the central part of Accra Ghana's capital. They made the emotional journey retracing the steps their ancestors were forced to make all those years ago. For many, this is an emotional and thought provoking experience, which has given the majority an overwhelming feeling that they have returned home. |
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| Duration: |
| 8 Days/ 7 Nights |
| Transport: |
| Air-conditioned vehicle |
| Activities: |
| Cultural, historical and spiritual expedition |
| Guides: |
| Expert guides with a wealth of knowledge and experience |
| Date |
| 29 July - 5 August |
| Grading |
| Easy |
| Included: |
Collection
Accommodation
All meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner
Mineral water |
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Park entrance fees
All guide fees
Excursion costs
Professional care and attention
Transportation in and around Ghana
Fuel |
| Excluded: |
Flights
Travel Insurance
Ghana entry visas
Alcoholic and soft drinks
Items of purely personal nature |
| Price: |
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| £795pp |
| Single Supplement (if applicable): |
| £175pp |
| Deposit: |
| £250pp |
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| Day 1 |
| You arrive on the motherland at Kotoka International Airport Accra, the capital city, where you will be met by your brothers and sisters from Ashanti African Tours. We set off for your hotel where our expert guide, who will accompany you for the duration of the tour, will check you in and offer you Akwaaba (Welcome), before briefing you on all aspects of the pilgrimage. |
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| Day 2 |
| After a relaxing breakfast we travel to Teshie where we are greeted by Nii who will perform a traditional naming ceremony for our group, once we have all received our African names which are a reflection of the day we were born on we start our tour of Accra with a visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park the final resting place of Ghana's founder. After lunch we visit Ussher Fort and the Du Bois center which is the former home and final resting place of Dr William W. Burghardt Du Bois, who led the Pan-African congress between 1919 and 1927. |
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| Day 3 |
 After your breakfast, we head west along the Gold Coast to the Central Region, on our arrival we check into your beautiful beach front hotel, before setting off for the Cape Coast Castle a UNESCO World Heritage site, which held more enslaved Africans captive than any other in the region's history. In the evening we join our brothers and sisters in Cape Coast for the emancipation midnight candlelight procession, which we participate in annually on the 31st July to commemorate the Reverential Night. |
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| Day 4 |
| This morning after a good breakfast we visit Kakum National Park and the world famous Kakum canopy walkway unique in this part of the world. After this exciting excursion we enjoy lunch at Hans Cottage Botel near Kakum, which is built over a lake containing Nile crocodiles. In the afternoon we visit the Castle of St. George, the oldest extent colonial building in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dating from 1482, this castle is steeped in the tragic history of the enslaved African trade era. |
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| Day 5 |
| On our way to Kumasi capital of the Ashanti region, we make an emotional stop at Assin Manso, an important town along the enslaved African trade routes. We pass through Obuasi where we find Ghana's largest Gold mine before visiting the Manhiya Palace home to the Asantehene King of the powerful Ashanti Empire. |
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| Day 6 |
| A morning tour of Kumasi, visiting West Africa's largest outdoor market and the national cultural center, before lunch. In the afternoon we visit Bonwire, home of the world famous Kente cloth before proceeding to Ntunso where traditional Adinkra stamps originate, that have adorned beautiful fabrics for centuries. A late afternoon visit to a coco farm before returning to our hotel in the evening |
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| Day 7 |
| A relaxing breakfast before setting off for Accra, en route visiting Boti waterfalls (seasonal) near Koforidua. After lunch, we continue our journey stopping at the Aburi Botanical gardens which are set in a beautiful location and were founded in 1890. A stop at the nearby Aburi craft village is a must before our arrival back in Accra. |
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| Day 8 |
| The day is at your leisure, you can relax at your hotel or spend the day buying more souvenirs. In the early evening we enjoy our final meal together, before we transfer you to the airport to catch your flight after an unforgettable 8 days with your new family, Ashanti African Tours in the motherland Ghana. |
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For More Information Download Our Full Trip Details Dossier |
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