Cultural Heritage Tour To Ghana Including Akwasidae Festival

ARRIVAL – AKWAABA

DEPART USA TO GHANA from Washington Dulles International Airport via UA # 996 at 6:30 p.m. or the airline of your choice.

ARRIVE IN ACCRA (WELCOME – AKWAABA) – ACCRA CITY TOUR

Arrive in Accra, Ghana. at 8:40 a.m. You will be met at the airport by Landtours representatives who will assist you with your transfer from the airport to your hotel. Enjoy a welcome drink at the hotel and participate in an orientation session. Dressmakers will take measurements to sew and tailor African dresses and shirts for interested participants.

Afterward, depart for a sightseeing tour of Accra, the Capital of Ghana. Experience the city’s highlights during this Accra orientation. The capital of Ghana since 1877, Accra, also the capital of the Greater Accra Region. In addition, it’s the country’s most populous city. Travel through the administrative and economic districts of Accra. Also, see the Artiste Alliance Gallery, the W.E.B. Du Bois Center for Pan-African Culture, and the Independence/Black Star Square. Learn about important events in Ghana’s history and the country’s first president who helped lead Ghana to independence.

Continue your tour to The National Museum of Ghana is in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. It is the largest and oldest of six museums under the administration of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum building was opened on 5

 March 1957 as part of Ghana’s independence celebrations. End the day tour at the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for arts and craft

s from Ghana and West Africa in an open-air market. On display, you will see fabrics of different materials, designs, colors, and textures to purchase from.

Overnight at African Regent Hotel / Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Meals Included: Dinner.

ACCRA – BESEASE SHRINE – KUMASI CITY TOUR

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart for Kumasi. En route to Kumasi, stop on the way at the Besease Shrine, a world heritage site. The Besease Shrine is a traditional fetish shrine near the town of Ejisu. Each of these shrines is a home for a particular spirit, called obosom that mediates between mortals and the supreme god Nyame. Observe the unique architecture and experience the mode of ancestral worship of the ancient gods.

After lunch, visit the Manhyia Palace Museum to obtain first-hand information on the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. A regal history that dates back to 1700 is told with relics and artifacts. Enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people. Your city tour on this day will also include a visit to the famous Kejetiamarket, the National Cultural Centre which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum, and various studios of the brass makers, potters, and batik makers.

Overnight at Lancaster Kumasi Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.

ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGES

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and visit the three famous Ashanti craft villages; Ahwiaa, the wood carvers’ village, Ntonso, the home of Adinkra cloth, and Bonwire, the Kente weaving village. You will have an opportunity to see how African crafts are made and to buy directly from the artisans who make them.

Overnight at Lancaster Kumasi Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.

AKWASIDAE – ACCRA

Today you will have the privilege to witness the Akwasidae Festival in the Ashanti Kingdom. Akwasidae rituals and events are held in Ghana by the Akans every six weeks, honoring the ancestors and the Ashanti king. Akwasidae, according to the Ashanti cultural archive record is an ornate ceremony, commemorating the date that the Ashanti Golden Stool was magically brought down from heaven. A visit to Kumasi during an Akwasidae celebration is an invitation for spectacle. A celebration which parades colorful canopies and umbrellas amongst fonton from kete and mpintsin drummers, dancers, horn blowers, and singers who perform in honor of their ancestral spirits. After lunch return to Accra.

A visit to Kumasi during an Akwasidae celebration is an invitation for spectacle. A celebration that parades colorful canopies and umbrellas amongst fonton from kete and mpintsin drummers, dancers, hornblowers, and singers who perform in honor of their ancestral spirits. After lunch, return to Accra.

Overnight at Lancaster Kumasi Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.

LIVING HERITAGE CEREMONY (TORGORME VILLAGE)

After breakfast, depart Accra to a beautiful village located on the lower course of the splendid Volta River. You will pay a courtesy call on the chief and elders amidst traditional drumming and dancing by the villagers. The group will participate in a naming ceremony of recognition during which a Ghanaian name is given to participants,

Overnight at African Regent Hotel / Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch.

SLAVE DUNGEON EXPERIENCE(CAPE COAST CASTLE)

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Cape Coast. Upon arrival, embark on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles, and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade of which the impact is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. Visit the Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. Here, you will learn about the relationship between the Western slave traders and the African tribes that made the trans-Atlantic slave trade possible. It is an opportunity to be up close with history – to stand in the dark and stuffy dungeons, imagining the experience and conditions that millions of Africans endured. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum.

Overnight at Ridge Royal Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch.

Join the group for “kasa” (talk time). Kasa provides an opportunity to learn more about Ghanaian culture or simply talk to each other and share impressions of the tour experience. Kasa discussions are led by your tour leader or tour guide. (This activity is optional).

SLAVE DUNGEON EXPERIENCE (ELMINA CASTLE) AND FISHING VILLAGE TOUR

After breakfast, visit Elmina Castle, also known as St. George’s Castle, which was built by the Portuguese in 1482. Here, learn about the relationship between the western slave traders and the African tribes that participated in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Here participants will witness the dark and stuffy dungeons local people were forced to endure before being sent on a long and perilous passage across the Atlantic. To see the truth of these conditions in person is a powerful reminder of the inhumanity of the slave trade.

After lunch on your own, explore Elmina, a fishing village that’s both picturesque and gritty, charming and thought-provoking. What better way to appreciate it than to immerse oneself in its main industry – fishing! Meet with local fishermen to learn the intricacies of their trade and the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Next, meet the fishmongers in the village who will demonstrate the various stages of smoking the fish in earthenware ovens. This is a unique way to experience one of Ghana’s oldest and most important trades.

Overnight at Ridge Royal Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch.

GLOBAL MAMAS (BATIK MAKING) – FAREWELL/DEPARTURE

After breakfast, visit the Global Mamas workshop where you will discover the art and beauty of African batik and get a glimpse into the life of a local artisan as you work side-by-side during this four-hour class. You’ll join a Global Mamas’ batiker in her workshop to learn the traditional techniques of batik production using wax and dye to create colorful patterns – to make your own one-of-a-kind fabric. Afterward, take your two yards of handiwork home to sew into a finished product that will always have a special place in your home or wardrobe.

After lunch on your own, join Auntie Nana in her salon to learn the cultural history and technical wonders of African head wrapping. Head wrapping has been a part of African culture for centuries and are worn by men and women with pride. You will master an array of Gele head-wrapping styles and learn how headwraps identify a woman’s religion, social status, and celebrations. Apply your skills to show reverence at your next African event by attending with a perfectly fashioned head wrap.

Overnight at Ridge Royal Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.

After lunch on your own, depart to Accra. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the airport for check-in and flight back home.

Cape Coast – Accra

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and return to Accra. Upon arrival, enjoy the afternoon at leisure.

Overnight at African Regent Hotel / Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast.

Farewell/Departure

After breakfast, spend the morning at leisure. Have lunch on your own and return to Accra. Later in the evening, depart to the airport for check-in and fly back home.

***End of Cultural Heritage Tour To Ghana ***