Itinerary Highlights

  • Experience cultural highlights, including Nzulezu Stilt Village and the Fantasy Coffins
  • Visit historically significant sites such as Cape Coast, Elmina Castles and Independence Square
  • See unusual Upper Guinea forest birdlife in Kakum National Park and Ankasa Reserve
  • Enjoy coastal time at Elmina

What's Included

  • Flights
  • Accommodation Throughout
  • Travel Guide
  • Transfers
8 nights from £3,725 per person
(Single person supplement from £465)

Helen Kennedy

Travel Specialist

I'm here to tailor-make your perfect holiday. Give me a call and I'll use my expertise to create your personalised experience.

Our Ghana Cultural, Wildlife & Coast itinerary gives you a perfect introduction to this wonderful country. Enjoy meeting the welcoming resident people, learn about significant cultural and historically significant sites, seek the fascinating wildlife of the Upper Guinea Forests and experience the Ghanaian coast. You'll be travelling around the country with your experienced, dedicated, private, professional, expert guide who'll enable for you to understand, rather than just seeing. Our guides have expert knowledge when it comes to culture, history and wildlife (including mammals, birds and butterflies) of all the locations you'll be exploring.

You can also rest assured that your visit will be responsibly operated and that it'll be contributing directly to admirable local initiatives. To date, our exemplary local agent has constructed two schools in different locations, offering creche, kindergarten and primary school education to more than 400 children who previously had no access to education. Your visit will also benefit habitat and wildlife conservation as our representatives have founded an eco-tourism project protecting tracts of Upper Guinea rainforest and its resident wildlife.

 

Please note that this recommended sample itinerary can easily be extended for those keen to stay longer in Ghana. We can, for example, recommend a three or four-night beach extension at the lovely Lou Moon Lodge on the West Coast, or, for those wanting to see some dry-country natural history, we can arrange an extension to Mole National Park in the far North. Do contact us for details.

Itinerary

Take the daily, direct 6hr,35min flight from London Heathrow to Accra. On arrival, you'll be welcomed by your private, experienced, professional guide and your private driver, who'll transfer you to the comfortable La Villa Boutique Hotel where you stay overnight.
After breakfast, set off with your private guide and driver in your private four-wheel drive vehicle for a tour of Accra, passing through the economic and administrative districts on your way to Jamestown, where you enjoy a walking excursion. See some of the historical structures that predate the colonial era. The residents are committed to conserving these buildings and have made significant efforts to maintain them. Your time here gives an idea of what it was like during the colonial era. The 30-meter-high lighthouse built by the British in 1871 and the attractive fishing boats on the beach are striking. Continue to Fort James, built by the British as a trading post in 1673, before it joined the Dutch Fort Crêvecoeur, and the Danish Fort Christiansborg. Fort James gave its name to the Jamestown neighbourhood of Accra. Here, you'll begin to understand the 'old' Accra, distinguishing between British Accra and Dutch Accra. Of interest are the Brazilian stone houses, built by free enslaved Africans who resided in Brazil: they made their way back to Africa after the slave trade was abolished and their descendants have now integrated with the locals in Jamestown. Pass by Black Star Square, which houses the independence monument, and continue to Independence Square, which is Accra's main ceremony grounds and where you'll find the enclosed flame of African liberation - which was lit by Kwame Nkrumah in 1961. A short distance away, you'll see the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the final resting place of Ghana’s founder. Set in attractive gardens, there's an adjoining museum, which contains photos, artifacts and an insight into this incredible man’s life. The centre was designed by a Ghanaian architect and built using Italian marble. Adjoining the park is the National Cultural Centre, which is Ghana’s largest outdoor arts and crafts market, where you'll see vendors selling traditional crafts from all over West Africa. Visit the National Museum, where most exhibits are ethnographic. The museum gives an excellent overview of West African culture. The adjoining garden houses various sculptures which depict West African traditions and customs, giving an overview of West African history. Lunch will be taken at a local restaurant (Country Kitchen), serving a selection of West African and continental dishes. In the afternoon, head to the “Fantasy Coffins” of Teshie Nungua. Funeral and burial ceremonies in Ghana are solemn occasions. But after burial, celebrations follow. Ghanaians believe that the departed move on into another world, the coffins made here may represent the occupation of the deceased or depict something that was important to them. You can see all manner of coffin designs - from cars, cocoa pods, cigarette packets and airplanes to crocodiles, shoes, bottles of beer and boats. Return to your accommodation for dinner and overnight.
After breakfast, depart for Cape Coast - where on arrival, you visit Cape Coast Castle, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle is a thought-provoking monument to a harrowing period in the region’s history - it held more enslaved Africans captive than any other in West Africa. Your guide will show you the dungeons and the infamous “Door of No Return”. ln the museum, exhibits explain the history of the castle and Cape Coast itself. Drive to Kakum National Park, with its world-famous rainforest canopy walkway, enjoying a Cocoa and Palm Wine experience en-route. Kakum National Park is a beautiful, tropical Upper Guinea rainforest and the canopy walkway is sure to be a highlight. The walkway consists of seven bridges, attached to seven emerging trees which are 40 meters above the rainforest floor. Take a deep breath as you walk on the suspended bridges. You'll be able to marvel at the panoramic views across the rainforest. Return to the park headquarters, where there's an informative information centre. After a wonderful day, continue to Elmina to check into your hotel, have dinner and relax.
After breakfast, depart to Ankasa Reserve, visiting Nzulezu Stilt Village en-route. On Lake Tadane in Jomoro District, Nzulezu is a unique lacustrine settlement where everyday life is adapted to the watery conditions. All activities pertaining to normal life chores such as the pounding of fufu (a traditional meal) schooling, worship and burial are conducted on the lake. Newborn babies are baptised in the lake - a body of water which is believed to aver possible disasters like fire and murder. Enjoy our lunch at a local restaurant and, on arrival at Ankasa Reserve, check in to your lodge for dinner.
After breakfast, enjoy guided morning and evening wildlife tours of Ankasa Reserve and Nini Suhien National Park. Lunch will be taken at the restaurant of Ankasa Reserve Lodge. Ankasa Reserve and Nini Suhien National Park cover 509km² of continuous, Upper Guinea humid evergreen rainforest. While there are some rainforest mammals present, they tend to be skittish - as is the case in much of West Africa. Birds and butterflies abound. The lodge has a fleet of sturdy land-rovers with which guests are taken deep into the rainforest, to seek diurnal as well as nocturnally active wildlife. Night walks and drives are an integral part of the Ankasa experience - with the help of your dedicated guide and a local ranger, you may see unusual mammals here such as Potto (during our October 2024 visit we saw three); Demidoff's galago; the bizarre Hammer-headed bat and Pel's anomalure. The combined vocalisations of a group of male Hammer-headed bats at their lek site, with a pair of Nkulengu rails kicking off simultaneously - and a million frogs and invertebrates, created a fascinating soundscape deep in Ankasa's rainforest one night.
After breakfast, depart for Elmina, where you visit the local fishing market and walk the short distance to visit the boat builders. Almost all the boats used by this vibrant fishing community are traditional wooden boats. Their design has not changed in centuries and neither have the tools and methods used to build them. You'll see many colourful fishing boats bringing their daily catch into the harbour. Visit the castle of St. George, the oldest extant colonial building in sub-Saharan Africa, dating back to 1482. This castle featured in the tragic transatlantic enslaved African trade era; you'll be able to learn about it in the museum there. After lunch, head to Lemon Beach Hotel for some rest and relaxation time. Energetic visitors can be taken to see some live music tonight.
Staying at   Lemon Beach Hotel
Enjoy the day relaxing at your seaside hotel, where you can chill at the beach or by the pool. - Do note that if you wish to be at a beach site where swimming is safe, it is better to go either to Lou Moon Lodge (excellent boutique accommodation) or, to Busua Beach where there is rustic, mid-range accommodation.
Staying at   Lemon Beach Hotel
After a leisurely breakfast at Lemon Beach, relax for the rest of the morning. Depart for Accra after lunch. In the afternoon, you may have time to head to the National Cultural Centre, Ghana’s largest outdoor arts and crafts market, which sells traditional items from all over West Africa. Enjoy dinner at a locally owned restaurant, serving a selection of traditional and international dishes. After dinner, our representative will transfer you to the airport to check in for the BA flight departing around 11:30pm to London (if you're flying BA).
Arrive back into London early this morning.

Helen Kennedy

Travel Specialist

I'm here to tailor-make your perfect holiday. Give me a call and I'll use my expertise to create your personalised experience.

Pricing Information & Dates

8 nights from £3,725 per person
(Single person supplement from £465)

Helen Kennedy

Travel Specialist

I'm here to tailor-make your perfect holiday. Give me a call and I'll use my expertise to create your personalised experience.

Price Includes

  • Return International Flights as per the itinerary
  • All airport taxes and security charges
  • Accommodation and meals as specified
  • Transfers as specified
  • Activities and excursions as specified
  • All entrace fees on sightseeing tours as specified

Price Excludes

  • Travel Insurance
  • Any meals not specified in the itinerary
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Optional excursions
Visa fee; personal items (drinks, phone calls, laundry); travel insurance

Why Choose Us?

Passionate travel experts

  • We've been leading wildlife travel since our first South Africa tours over 25 years ago
  • Our Travel Specialists have lived in their specialist area for years
  • We work with local guides to immerse you deeper in our diverse range of experiences

Personal & tailor-made

  • You'll speak to your own expert who'll share their first-hand knowledge
  • We'll make your itinerary seamless with 24/7 emergency contact available
  • Your Travel Specialist will listen to ensure you have the best chance of seeing the wildlife you love

Responsible by nature

  • We take care to actively contribute to the conservation of environments we visit
  • For select countries, we make a charitable donation on your behalf when you make your booking
  • We've partnered with conservation experts and NGOs to curate responsible tours
British Travel Awards Crest
ATOL Protected ABTA Protected IATA Protected
Trust Pilot LATA Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office check www.gov.uk/travelaware

Stay in Touch

Subscribe to our newsletter to hear about exciting offers and experiences