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Cultural Heritage Tour to Ghana including Akwasidae Festival

September 24 - October 4, 2025

This tour is being brought to you by Leisure Services International, LLC in cooperation with Henderson Travel Service. Henderson Travel opened its doors in Atlanta, GA in 1955 as the first fully appointed African American owned travel agency in the U.S. and has a long and distinguished history in African travel and tourism. Their commitment to promoting travel to Africa has garnered numerous awards and distinctions over the last six decades from African heads of State as well as many travel and tourism associations and organizations. Dr. Gaynelle Henderson, who has operated the business from Washington, DC since 1984, has continued the Henderson Travel Service pioneering legacy and received many awards and honors as well. Since 1957, Henderson Travel has literally sent hundreds of thousands of delighted tourists to Africa. Please review below the Itinerary and Summary of Tour Package after which is our phone number and email address for registration and additional Information.

TOUR SUMMARY

Tour includes the following:

Transportation: Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle.

Accommodations: Best 5/4 Star hotels in Accra, Elmina and Kumasi. Hotels feature air-conditioned rooms with private baths, TV and telephone, bar & restaurant and swimming pool.

Meals: Breakfast daily.

Entry Fees: All entry fees included in this tour package are included as stated in itinerary.

Guiding Services: A trained licensed chauffeur and a professional tour guide will accompany.

Price Includes:

All ground transportation and transfers as per itinerary or similar

All accommodations as specified in this itinerary or similar

All meals as specified within the budget as outlined as in Breakfast daily, 4 Lunches and 4 Dinners

Entrance fees for all tours and excursions specified in the itinerary or similar

Professional driver at all times and a tour guide at all times.

Price Excludes:

International flights.

Early check in and Late check out

All airport departure taxes (international departure taxes to be paid in USD)

Excess baggage charges

Passport and visa fees

Meals not specified in this itinerary

En route meals, hotels, transportation, and other arrangements

All drinks except bottled water or soda with meals

Personal items such as laundry, email, fax, telephone, souvenirs, etc.

Gratuities for tour and site guides and drivers

Trip cancellation, travel delay, and baggage insurance (Note: This optional coverage is highly recommended and can be purchased through your local insurance company)

Charges incurred as a result of delays beyond Henderson Travel, such as delayed or cancelled flights

All Covid 19 tests and its related expenses

What to Expect:

Accra City Tour

Kumasi City Tour

Ashanti Craft Villages

Akwasidae – Accra

Living Heritage Ceremony (Torgorme Village)

Assin Manso - Ancestral Slave River

Slave Dungeon Experience (Cape Coast Castle)

Global Mamas (Batik Making)

ITINERARY

Day 1 Wednesday, September 24, 2025

DEPART HOME COUNTRY TO ACCRA, GHANA (FLIGHT – TBD)

DAY 2 Thursday, September 25, 2025

ARRIVE IN ACCRA (WELCOME - AKWAABA) – ACCRA CITY TOUR - VISIT A TRADITIONAL AFRICAN MARKET

Arrive in Accra, Ghana in the morning. 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 and sew cloths for interested participants.

Afterwards, 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 is 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 Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, dedicated to the legacy of Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and his role in African independence. The tour includes visits to Nkrumah's mausoleum, a museum showcasing his life, his personal residence, the eternal Flame of African Liberation, and beautifully landscaped gardens. Learn about Nkrumah's early life, political career, and Pan-African vision. End the day’s tour at the Arts Center, where participants can sharpen their bargaining skills to shop for goods 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 Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Meals Included: Dinner.

DAY 3 Friday, September 26, 2025

SCHOOL VISIT (NIMA 1 BASIC SCHOOL) – ACCRA – KUMASI

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and drive to Kumasi. Enroute stop at Nima. Embark on 3-4 hours visit to the Nima 1 Basic School in Accra. After lunch on your own, continue your drive to Kunasi. Overnight at Lancaster Kumasi Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.

DAY 4 Saturday, September 27, 2025

ASHANTI CRAFT VILLAGES

After breakfast, embark on a Kumasi City Tour. 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 artefacts. 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 Kejetia market, the National Cultural Centre which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum and various studios of the brass makers, potters and batik makers.

After lunch on your own, 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.

DAY 5 Sunday, September 28, 2025

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, honouring the ancestors and the Ashanti king. Akwasidae, according to the Ashanti cultural archive records 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 colourful canopies and umbrellas amongst fontonfrom, kete and mpintsin drummers, dancers, horn blowers and singers who perform in honour of their ancestral spirits. After lunch, return to Accra. Overnight at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Meals Included: Dinner.

DAY 6 Monday, September 29, 2025

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, where a Ghanaian name is given to participants, and a gift presented as part of celebrating a new identity as a Ghanaian and a member of the local community. After lunch, return to Accra. Overnight at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch.

DAY 7 Tuesday, September 30, 2025

ASSIN MANSO - ANCESTRAL SLAVE RIVER

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and depart to Cape Coast. Enroute, stop at the at the former slave river in Assin Manso. Visit the site of “Donkor Nsuo”, the former Slave River and market, as well as the final transit point for a large number of enslaved Africans. This is the final resting place for two ancestors whose mortal remains were returned from the USA and Jamaica and re-interred there. Afterwards, continue your drive to Cape Coast. Upon arrival, check into your hotel. Overnight at Ridge Royal Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

DAY 8 Wednesday, October 1, 2025

SLAVE DUNGEON EXPERIENCE (CAPE COAST CASTLE)

After breakfast, depart your hotel and embark on a tour of the infamous Forts, Castles, and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade 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 would 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 and 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 Dinner.

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).

DAY 9 Thursday, October 2, 2025

GLOBAL MAMAS (BATIK MAKING & HEADWRAPPING)

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. Afterwards, take your two yards of handiwork home to sew into a finish 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.

DAY 10 Friday, October 3, 2025

CAPE COAST – ACCRA

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and return to Accra. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and spend the rest of the day relaxing. Overnight at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel. Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner.

DAY 11 Saturday, October 4, 2025

FAREWELL DEPARTURE

After breakfast, spend the day shopping and doing last minute packing. At noon, check out of the hotel and transfer to airport for check-in and final departure back home.

END OF ITINERARY

To register and/or receive additional information,

call 301 602 4574 or email [email protected]

Registration Deadline with Payment in Full - July 24, 2025