Panafest 2021

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Accra

Pass By: Greater Accra, Greater Accra
Upon arrival at the Kotoka International Airport, a representative from Blastours will meet guests for a hotel transfer.

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Roots Apartment Hotel, a boutique hotel located in Accra

Day 2: Accra City Tour

Stop At: Makola Market, Kojo Thompson Rd, Accra Ghana
In the morning, we visit the Makola Market, to experience the hustle and bussle of an African market. Visit the textile and bead section of this market for interesting purchases.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Osu Castle, Accra Ghana
Continue to the Osu Castle (Christiansborg), which was originally built by the Danes was a trading entrepot during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The castle which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site has been converted into a presidential museum, which houses artifacts, papers, waxworks of our presidents and also on display are personal possessions of past leaders like books, artworks and items of clothing to allow us to honor appropriately their memories.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Independence Square, Accra Ghana
Stopover at the Independence square, the location where Ghana was first declared a free country. Here, we will see monuments dedicated to Ghana’s independence struggle.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, High St., Accra Ghana
Visit to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum (the final resting place of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President). The Mausoleum is surrounded by water which is a symbol of life. Its presence conveys a sense of immortality for the name Nkrumah. It shows that even in death he lives on in the hearts and minds of generations here and generations yet to come.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: W.E.B. DuBois Center, 1 Circular Road, Cantonments just few meters from the US Embassy and close to Ghana International School, Accra Ghana
After lunch, we visit the W.E.B Dubois Centre for Pan Africanism, a library to commemorate the late W.E.B DuBois. The Centre was established in 1985 by the Ghana government to encourage visitors to contemplate the ideals to Pan Africanism and to reflect upon the work of Dr. Du Bois. Here, we will join in a wreath laying
ceremony with tributes to the Ancestors.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: James Town Lighthouse, Cleland Road, Accra Ghana
In the evening, we can walk through the fishing village of James Town. Situated where the Gulf of Guinea sends tidings from the Atlantic Ocean, Jamestown happens to be one of the oldest settlements full of beautifully disheveled colonial buildings, clapboard houses and corrugated iron shacks – but it remains one of the most vibrant districts in the Accra.
Here, we will spend the evening to a live band performance.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Roots Apartment Hotel, a boutique hotel located in Accra

Day 3: Accra Arts & Traditional Tour

Stop At: Artists Alliance Gallery, Labadi Road, Omanye House, Accra Ghana
Start the day with a visit to the Artists Alliance Art Gallery for contemporary African art. This is a well-respected gallery of painting and sculpture by established and up-and-coming Ghanaian artists.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Nungua, Nungua, Greater Accra
Continue to the Fantasy coffin makers, where caskets are made to highlight a person’s affiliation. In Ghana, funerals are about the celebration of a person’s life, rather than a bemoaning of their demise. As such, a themed coffin which comes in different sizes and shapes symbolizes an important part of a person’s life.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Center for National Culture, 28th February Rd Near Nkrumah Memorial Park & Mausoleum, Accra Ghana
After lunch, attend a traditional religious service of the Afrikania Mission. A religious ceremony based on ancient African spirituality. Service will begin with an educational talk on the Afrikania Religion, pouring of libations to ancestors, sprinkling of water over people, healing rituals, drumming, and other activities characteristic of the Afrikania services. End the day at the Arts Centre for National Culture (Ghana’s biggest craft market).
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Roots Apartment Hotel, a boutique hotel located in Accra

Day 4: Drive from Accra to Kumasi

Stop At: Kumasi, Kumasi, Ashanti Region
Depart for the Ashanti Region ‘the Kingdom of Gold’ with a legacy of fine craftsmanship and cultural traditions.
On arrival, we visit the Asante Traditional Buildings, one of the World Heritage Sites in Ghana, comprising of 13 traditionally built buildings from the time of the Ashanti Empire in the area. The buildings were described as "home of men and gods", and are the last remains of the history and culture of the Asante people.
End the day with a visit to a traditional Palace to meet a Queen mother and elders for an interaction.

Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at the Golden Bean Hotel, a 4-star hotel in Kumasi

Day 5: Kumasi Cultural Tour

Stop At: Kejetia Market, Kumasi Ghana
Start the day with a visit to the Kejetia Market, the largest open air-market in West Africa with women at the helm of affairs. Also known as the Kumasi Central Market, this mammoth market spans a head-spinning 11,000 stalls and runs the gamut from kente, food stuffs, sandals, batik, bracelets, beads, and second-hand clothing among other things. Kejetia is a great space to see a slice of everyday Kumasi life and indulge. The sounds, smells, sights and atmosphere sums up the community that spreads into the margins of the Ashanti region.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Manhyia, Kumasi, Ghana
Continue to the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Ashanti Kingdom. Its large compound holds statues of past Kings and Queens of the Ashanti Kingdom. This palace remains in use today and houses an interesting history museum.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Prempeh II Museum, Bantama High St, Kumasi Ghana
After lunch, we visit the Kumasi Cultural Centre, which offers a good account of the rich Ghanaian culture, provides evidence of the Ashanti Kingdom's eminent past. It houses the Prempeh II Jubilee museum, which provides a fascinating collection of Asante’s history.

Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at the Golden Bean Hotel, a 4-star hotel in Kumasi

Day 6: Drive from Kumasi to Cape Coast

Stop At: Assin Manso, Assin Manso, Central Region
Set off for the Central Region the former seat of government of the Gold Coast and known for its Slave forts
and castles. The Ancestral River Park in Assin manso, where people from the northern parts of Africa and
Ghana, were taken for a last bath in the "Donko Nsuo" slave river, before being sent off to the dungeons of our coastal slave castles for shipment to the "New World". This is also the venue of the annual Emancipation Day celebrations, held in remembrance of the gallant Africans who died during the trans-Atlantic slave trade,
and to immortalise their souls.

Duration: 5 hours

Stop At: Adanwomase, Ghana
Stopover at the craft villages of Ntonso, a village famous for adinkra design and Ahwiaa for carving. Also visit the village of Adanwomase (Kente) to interact with locals and to learn the art and history of the craft.

Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at the Ridge Royal Hotel, a 4-star hotel in Cape Coast

Day 7: Kakum & Cape Coast Tour

Stop At: Kakum National Park, Cape Coast Ghana
Visit the Kakum National Park, is home to endangered species such as the forest elephant, the bongo antelope and the Diana monkey. The forest also provides an opportunity to spot much of Ghana's indigenous plant life, as well as its rare butterflies and birds. The canopy walkway is the longest and highest of its kind in West Africa.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast Ghana
Join Esi Kitchen for a cooking class, where we will have our own cooked lunch.

Continue to the Cape Coast Castle (Fort Carlsborg), which was under Swedish administration. Experience a walk through the Door of No Return. Marking the beginning of a perilous journey of our ancestors. Only this time we will also experience a return through the same doors. Take a walk through the ancestral Cape Coast
township.

Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at the Royal Ridge Hotel, a 4-star hotel in Cape Coast

Day 8: Sekondi/Takoradi City Tour

Stop At: Essikado, Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana
Depart for the Western Region along a coastline marked with Slave Forts and castles.
On arrival, we visit the Bisa Aberwa Museum, dedicated to promoting African values and celebrating Pan-African heroes.
Participate in a naming ceremony amidst traditional drumming and dancing by the villagers and also be given traditional African names.

Return to Cape Coast in the late afternoon.

Duration: 6 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at the Ridge Royal Hotel, a 4-star lodging in Cape Coast

Day 9: Elmina City Tour & Midnight Declaration of Emancipation Day

Stop At: Elmina Castle, Elmina Ghana
Experience a guided tour of the Elmina Castle, declared as a UNESCO World heritage site, was built by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine). It is a well preserved castle with an incredible history and infamous for its pivotal role in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Cape Coast and Elmina Day tour, 40 Sarbah road Cape coast St Johns Lodge, Cape Coast 03320 Ghana
Continue with a walking tour through the Elmina township to view some houses built in colonial style, including the Dolphin house, Churches and the Dutch Cemetery. Also visit the Asafo Shrines, where warriors prepared mentally and spiritually before going to war.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast Ghana
In the evening participate in the reverential night at the Cape Coast Castle; candle light processions and vigil to commemorate the Africans who died in the slave trade. There will be a ceremony and re-enactment of the slave passage through the “Door of No Return”. Midnight Declaration of Emancipation Day. This is the
highlight of PANAFEST CELEBRATIONS.

Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at the Ridge Royal Hotel, a 4-star hotel in Cape Coast

Day 10: Emancipation Day Celebrations and Grand Durbar

Stop At: Assin Manso, Assin Manso, Central Region
Set off to participate in an Emancipation Day celebration, which will be opened with a Grand Durbar of Traditional Chiefs. Witness this grand ‘colorful’ and spectacular event that showcases the pomp and pageantry of Ghana’s traditional rulers. These festivities are held at Assin Manso, the site of the “last bath” where slave are taken for bath before being shipped to the new world. Return to Accra in the late afternoon.
End the day with a farewell dinner at the Fulani Kitchen.

Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight stay at the La Villa Boutique in Osu

Day 11: Free day in Accra for departures

Pass By: Osu Oxford Street, Oxford St No 22, Accra Ghana
Spend the morning free before departure

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.