Visit the exotic rainforests and vibrant markets of Ghana. See wild butterflies and unique tribal homes in Togo and discover magnificent wildlife and ancient traditions in Benin. Explore former Kingdoms and travel ancient trade routes. Drive through coffee plantations and drift in floating markets. Hear tales of gold-dripping empires and voodoo charms. Experience it all on this unique and exciting holiday of undiscovered West Africa.

• Travelling - 1
  

  Fly to Accra. Join your tour guide and local specialist guide at a welcome dinner in a Ghanaian restaurant. Fish and chicken are cooked in tasty stews with groundnut and okra. Cayenne, allspice, curry and ginger are all used as flavourings and rice or boiled yam served as accompaniments. Your guide will tell you more about the local cuisine this evening. Overnight Accra.

• Rainforest and Canopy walk - 2
  

  Get a glimpse of local life as you drive through ancient towns and villages to the Kakum nature park. Tour the visitors centre then enter a large stretch of rainforest for a jungle adventure. Learn about the complex ecosystem from your local specialist guide and see fauna, more familiar as a houseplant, in a natural environment. Walk high above the forest on the canopy walkway. Enjoy a bird’s eye view of the rainforest and watch the magnificent butterflies as they hover over the giant plants and flowers. Watch crocodiles, monkeys and birds at a reserve and after lunch continue to the coast.

• Colonial Fishing Ports - 2
  

  The coastal town of Elmina translates into ‘the mine’. Portugese occupiers wrongly assumed that there were gold mines nearby. The Dutch and British were here too and Elmina was a shipping point during the era of the tragic African slave trade. Explore this busy fishing town, visit the port and take time to browse in the local market, a great spot for handicrafts. Try one of the local restaurants this evening. Dine on ’waakey’ a dish of rice, beans and prawns, and try ‘fufu,’ the equivalent of British mash, but made from cassava and plantains. Ask your tour guide and local specialist guide for their recommendations. Overnight Elmina.

• Ashanti Kingdoms - 3
  

  Break the journey with lunch overlooking the sacred BosumtwI lake formed by a meteorite many millenniums ago. At Kumasi visit the British built Manhyia palace and hear tales of past AshantI kings who ruled from here until 1974. Now a museum, the former palace houses many ancient exhibits from the kingdom. The current king of the AshantI people is still a respected social and cultural power in Ghana. Overnight Kumasi.

• Travelling - 4
  

  Drive north to the point where the Pumpu river gushes down a rocky step forming the Kintampo falls. This scenic area hosts a rich collection of birds, butterflies and wild flowers and is also home to Colobus and Mona monkeys. Enjoy a picnic lunch in this idilic setting overnight mole.

• Elephants In Mole National Park - 5
  

  Located in the heart of the guinea savannah lies a unique ecosystem that forms mole national park. Wake early for a woodland trek with a local specialist guide and learn about the wildlife. Elephants are the main event but antelopes, hartebeests and waterbucks are also common. Watch out for resilient warthogs and cheeky baboons. At Paga learn about the symbolism of animals. Here they believe that each person has a corresponding crocodile representing their soul. Watch these creatures at feeding time at a local reserve.

• Ancient Trade Routes - 5
  

  Bolgatanga is the meeting point of the ancient trans-Sahara trade route from Mali. Today life continues as it has done for hundreds of years. Enjoy the lively atmosphere as you browse the market stalls stacked high with leather goods, straw-baskets, cotton clothing and jewellery. Learn about local life and chat with traders from Mali and Burkina Faso. Make sure you barter for the very best bargains. Overnight Tamale.

• Kumasi Market - 6
  

  Journey south for a return visit to Kumasi and spend the afternoon exploring the vast market. This is the place to buy authentic Ashanti handicrafts; fertility dolls, stools and carved animals are the local speciality. Traders come from as far as Senegal and Cameroon to sell their goods here and the fruit and vegetable stalls are a riot of colour. The tomato market alone is worth a visit, a sea of ripe red and a photographers dream. Overnight Kumasi.

• City Sights - 7
  

  Return to the capital by road and join your local specialist guide for an afternoon tour of Accra. Drive through the hectic streets overflowing with chaotic life. See Osu castle, now the seat of government, and visit the memorial to Kwame Nkrumah, a former leader of Ghana and a national hero. Visit colonial James town, browse in the national museum and, if time allows, stop and barter for batik and beads at Makola market. Ghanaians are a fun loving nation and love music. You are in the birthplace of ‘highlife’, a sound that combines jazz and multiple guitars. Your guide can make recommendations for the best places to listen to local music in the city. Overnight Accra.

• Butterflies and Wild Flowers across the border - 8
  

  The rolling hills and valleys of the Volta region are quite breathtaking. Rocky outcrops overlook sparkling lagoons and the sound of gushing waterfalls fills the air. Cross the border into pint sized Togo and journey onto Kpalime, gateway to the plantations of the ‘coffee and cocoa’ triangle. Drive out to the densely forested hill country of Mt Kloto. Your local specialist guide will introduce to a wonderful world of wild flowers, butterflies and giant ant hills. At the Kloto craft centre barter for pottery, macramé and batik. Spend the evening exploring the colonial hill town of Kpalime. The French left Togo in 1960 but their influence can still be seen along the streets and in many of the restaurants. Order a glass of palm wine and soak up the local atmosphere. Overnight Kpalime.

• Tribal Dwellings in the Tamberba Valley - 9
  

  Journey north through the charming hill town of Atakpame. The open doors of churches and the chapels may allow a glimpse of a gospel choir, their uplifting voices filling the African air. Drive onto rural Tamberma valley. You are now in the homeland of the Batammariba, a tribe well known for their distinctive Takienta dwellings. These towering structures are built with mud and straw by hand, no tools are used in the construction. Stop for photographs and maybe take the opportunity for a consultation with the local medicine man. Cross the border into Benin. Overnight PendjarI national park.

• Wildlife of Pendjari National Park - 10
  

  Spend a day in this little gem of a park, rich in wildlife. The Pendjari river runs through the park creating a fertile environment and a magnet for the wildlife. Watch snorting hippos wallowing in the cool waters and elephants on the river bank, shading with their young under the trees. Monkeys and baboons chatter and antelopes graze. Have your camera and binoculars ready and your fingers crossed for a sighting of a lion. Hornbills and kestrels regularly patrol the skies, look out for storks too. More than 300 birds inhabit the park so there is always another species for your guide to identify. Overnight Pendjari.

• Ancient Kingdoms - 11
  

  The history of the Dahomey royal family is steeped in brutality and bloodshed. A visit to Abomey, once the capital of this former kingdom, reveals a pre-colonial past. Explore the atmospheric narrow alleys and fetish temples and listen to your guide tell tales of a past of perpetual war, and wealth built on the slavery of neighbours. Visit the ancient palace, now a museum. Symbols of former kings decorate the interior, and thrones, altars and statues still furnish the chambers. See the house of pearls, a temple built by a former king to honour his father, the walls constructed with clay and human blood. Continue by road to Cotonou, the commercial capital of Benin. The music of this country is now well known across the world. Order a la Beninoise beer and listen to some local sounds. Overnight Cotonou.

• The Village on Stilts - 12
  

  Travel by boat across lake Nokoue for a visit to the stilted village of Ganvie. The Tofinou tribe fled from 16th century slave traders and settled here. Thatched huts balance on teak stilts and the business of daily life is conducted on the water. Fishing is the principal activity undertaken by the men of the village. Women deliver goods to the floating market and children travel to and from school in traditional wooden Pirogues. The village soothsayer still guides the people of the village through the drums and haunting rhythms of voodoo dances. Take in the mesmerising sights and sounds and barter with cheerful traders in the floating markets. Cross the borders of Togo and Ghana and continue to Accra by road. Overnight Accra.

• Travelling - 13 to 14
  

  After a late checkout at your hotel you enjoy a final dinner before departing for the airport. Fly back to the UK, arriving on day 14.

Accommodation

• Novotel Hotel, Accra (3-Star) - 3 Nights
• Elmina Beach Resort, Elmina (4-Star) - 1 Night
• Golden Tulip Hotel, Kumasi (3-Star) - 2 Nights
• Mole Hotel, Mole (3-Star) - 1 Night
• Picorna Hotel, Tamale (2-Star) - 1 Night
• Hotel Cristal, Kpalime (2-Star) - 1 Night
• Campement De La Pendjari, Pendjari (3-Star) - 2 Nights
• Novotel Orisha, Cotonou (4-Star) - 1 Night

• Flights are scheduled services of
• Flights depart at 12:00 am and return at 10:55 pm

Includes

Not Included