West African Kingdoms

On arrival in Ouagadougou (pronounced waga-doo-goo) you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel where the rest of the day is spent at your leisure.  The surprisingly modern capital of Burkina Faso has a population of approximately 1.5 million and is one of the cultural centres of west Africa.  This evening you will meet with your trip leader and fellow travel companions.

Meals: None

This morning we start to Bobo-Dioulasso, where we spend the next two nights.  While here, we’ll visit the Grand Marché, renowned for being the crossroads of numerous tribes and offers a great selection of tribal arts from all over west Africa.  We can also opt to take a walk through the Kibidwe District and partake in some fascinating people-watching, giving us an insight into the daily lives of the Kibidwe people.  No highlight in Bobo-Dioulasso however, is greater than its music. The town is known as the Music Capital of Burkina Faso and on weekends it really comes alive!

Meals: 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

An hour's drive takes us to Banfora - a sleepy town set amidst a lush green landscape, surrounded by waterfalls and small lakes. We’ll spend the afternoon visiting the wonderful attractions in the surrounding area including some incredible rock formations.   An ideal short hike takes us to a narrow three-kilometre chain of sandstone hills that are occasionally crowned by more erosion-resistant pieces of rocks. Lake Tengréla is home to more than a hundred hippos and a wide variety of bird life – we’ll also get to meet the local fishermen.  We’ll make our way though a magnificent avenue of mango trees and negotiate a chaotic jumble of rocks to reach the magnificent Karfiguel Waterfalls, another sight that’s worth the journey no matter what the season.

Travel time is approximately 12 hours including time spent at the border and game drive.

Meals: 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner

Today we travel to Gaoua (210 kilometres south-east of Bobo), located in the heart of Lobi country, a fascinating and culturally distinctive area known for its unique architecture and age-old traditions. Lobi homes are made with high brick mud walls and have small slits for windows, not unlike a miniature fortress. Living in these remote rural areas, the Lobi are not used to foreigners, and may feel nervous when we visit.  Please refrain from taking any photos here without permission.  In the afternoon we’ll visit the ancient stone ruins of Loropéni which are the best-preserved of the larger Lobi ruins.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We start the day with the return drive to  Ouagadougou (approximately five hours), arriving around lunch time.   After checking into our hotel and freshening up, we’ll have the chance to visit the local cultural centre where you can purchase excellent quality carvings, brass work and other handmade pieces. 

On the second day we will take a full day excursion to the unique village of Tiebele, located just a few kilometers from the Ghanaian border and known for its unusual architecture. Here in the village, the dwellings are either square or round and are all elaborately decorated with black diamond patterns and illustrations of snakes, crocodiles, and other sacred animals. Your guide will help unlock the secrets and the stories of these fascinating frescoes. You have to stoop low to enter the windowless houses, where it is dark and cool in stark contrast to the brightness and heat outside.  In times past, this afforded the inhabitants of the village some form of protection againsts enemies or wild animals, as it took a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. We spend several hours exploring the Tiebele compound and its surrounds before returning to Ouagadougou for the night.

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches
Lodging: Hotel Indepence, or similar

(Driving time: approx 12 hours, including time spent at border and game drive.) Heading east, we travel to the second country on our expedition, Benin. This relatively small, club-shaped country was once home to one of the most powerful empires in West Africa, the Dahomey Kingdom, and is considered the traditional home of the voodoo religion. Musically, Benin's most famous export is the fabulous Angelique Kidjo who helped West Africa stamp its distinctive signature on the world music scene in the early 1990's. Located in the northwest corner of Benin, Pendjari National Park (Parc National de la Pendjari) is known for its abundance of wildlife, including elephant, baboon, lion, cheetah, hippopotamus, buffalo, and various antelope such as kob, waterbuck, hartebeest, and duiker.  The park is most famous for its amazing and wide variety of birds, with over 300 species making the park their home, including many water birds such as cranes and storks.  Although it adjoins Arli National Park in Burkina Faso, Pendjari's isolation creates a unique ecosystem that is often described as one of the most interesting in West Africa. Note, however, that the wildlife in West Africa is somewhat fewer in numbers than in eastern and southern Africa. We visit the reserve in time to do an afternoon-evening game drive safari, the best time of the day for viewing wildlife because many of the animals are more active late in the day.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, take the short drive to Natitingou, stopping en route at Tanougou Falls, where you have the opportunity to enjoy a refreshing swim. Natitingou is located at 440 meters above sea level and enjoys a pleasant climate in the Atakora Mountains of northern Benin. Here we visit the remote Betamaribé people, who still hunt with bows and arrows and live in the middle of their cultivated fields rather than in a village environment. Their small, fortress-like houses consist of three levels -- a ground floor for the animals, a first floor for the kitchen, and a top floor for living space and sleeping.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

(Driving time: approx 8½ hours.) This morning we embark on the 520 km drive south to Abomey, the ancient capital of the Dahomey Kingdom, once one of the greatest empires in West Africa. Here you will visit the must-see restored Royal Palace and learn about the incredible history of the Fon kings. The sometimes-gory history of Dahomey is illustrated in exhibits that include graphic tapestries of war scenes and Ghezo’s throne, which is mounted on the skulls of four of his enemies. In the evening you'll attend a performance of the unique Geleden Masked Dance (Dance Geleden des Fons) performed by the local Yoroba and Fon people. These peoples practice both Voodoo and Christianity, and also worship idols, which are represented on some of the masks used in the dance. Dancers believe that wearing certain masks enables one to communicate directly with the spirits. They dance on special occasions such as at funerals and during harvest time, but they also to entertain foreigners who bring income to their village!

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 1 Dinner

(Driving time: approx 2 hours; optional excursion to Ouidah: approx 2 hours.) A short two-hour drive takes you to the lake village of Ganvié, where you will take trip in a 'pirogue' (dugout canoe), the traditional boat used by West African fishermen. Spend the afternoon driving the coastal highway and passing through small villages dotted with white flags that identify Voodoo practitioners. Your destination is Ouidah, a tranquil, atmospheric town set on a beautiful beach and a wonderful place to rejuvenate. You'll spend two nights here, so there is plenty of time to relax in the shade of the coconut groves and watch the waves come in after your recent long days of travel. This is the Gulf of Guinea along the Atlantic Ocean, so swimming is limited due to the strong currents, but this won't lessen the sleepy charm and tranquility of this place. During your stay, explore Ouidah town to learn about the origins of the often-misunderstood Voodoo religion and meet some local practitioners. Ouidah is the historic center of Voodooism, with thousands of believers often flocking here to rejoice in their faith. Visit the mystical Sacred Temple of Pythons, as well as Avenue D'Esclaves, and witness an energetic Voodoo performance during your stay.

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches

(Driving time: approx 3½ hours, including time at border.) Today we cross the border into Togo. Drive approximately 45 minutes to Lake Togo before continuing by boat to visit Togoville, an historic town which is interesting because of its royal palace and colonial church. It was from here that Voodoo practitioners were taken before being transported to Haiti as slaves. The town still shows a strong influence of Voodoo today, with plenty of fetish stalls in the streets. Continue to Togo's capital, Lomé, where your city tour includes the National Museum, which houses historical artifacts, potteries, costumes, traditional musical instruments, wood carvings, and traditional medicinal remedies. There's also the opportunity (optional) to visit the various markets, such as the central market, arts market, and the fetish market at Akedessewa, located four kilometers from the center of town. Here you'll see remarkable supplies of traditional medicines used by sorcerers, including monkey skulls, snake skins, warthog teeth, lion skin, leopard skin, and dried birds ... fascinating, or perhaps gruesome, depending on one's perspective.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

(Driving time: approx 3½ hours.) Entering your final country, you and the group cross the border into English-speaking Ghana.  Our destination is the capital city Accra, where we will enjoy exploring its offerings, including the National Museum and the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, dedicated to the founder of Ghana.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

(Driving time: approx 4 hours.) Today after breakfast, we embark on a drive to Kumasi, the one-time capital of the powerful Ashanti kingdom. This hilly city is home to over one million people today and has quite a cosmopolitan feel about it. Enjoy a city tour that includes the Manhyia Palace Museum, built in 1925 by the British and home to the Ashanti kings until 1974. The Armed Forces Museum is another interesting place you'll visit where the collection tells the story of the many conflicts that have taken place here, particularly in the 20th century. End your day with a visit to a nearby village known for its talented artisans who weave Ghana's beautiful kente cloth, ceremonial cloth of silk and cotton that is created in strips then woven together.

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 2 Dinners

(Driving time: approx 7 hours.) Travel south to Axim and stay a night at one Ghana’s most isolated and luxurious beach resorts. Two kilometers from the hotel is Axim town, an historical place with a population of about 20,000, where the main occupation is fishing. There are several historical places not far from the hotel including Fort St. Anthony, which was built by the Portuguese in 1515 at a time when they were settling the town as a trading port. Perched on top of a hill in nearby Princess Town, is Fort Princess Town, originally built by the Prussians in 1683 and called Gross Friedrichsburg. There are also opportunities to go trekking in a forest or go whale watching (seasonal: August - February) during the two days you'll spend in this very relaxing coastal haven, sure to be one of the trip's highlights.

Meals: 2 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch

(Driving time: approx 3 hours.) After breakfast, drive to Elmina, where you will visit the notorious St. George's Castle, one of over 20 "slave castles" built along the shoreline of the Gold Coast (former name of what is now Ghana), one of the richest markets for slave traders during the peak of the slave trade, the history of which will be illuminated through visiting some of the key historical sites of the region. You'll also visit a fishing village and the Pursubans animist shrines, then take a short 10-kilometer drive to Cape Coast, the center of the British administration and capital of the Gold Coast from 1700 until 1877, as well as being renowned for its own notorious slave castle.  Return to Elmina at end of the day for the final night of your extended journey in this amazing part of the world.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

(Driving time: approx 4 hours.) Your final day of this adventure will be in Accra, the capital of Ghana. An exploration of the city includes the National Museum and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, dedicated to the founder of modern Ghana. The remainder of the day is yours at leisure. If your flight isn't until the evening, you'll have use of a day room at an Accra hotel, enabling you to freshen up prior to your flight home. An evening transfer is included to Accra's Kotoka International Airport, where your expedition comes to an end.

If your schedule permits, talk with us about a pre- or post-adventure extension in Ghana or another of the countries on this extraordinary itinerary.

Meals: Breakfast
Lodging: Novotel City Center, or similar, for dayroom