Tribal Ghana, Togo and Benin

Arrive in Lomé, the vibrant capital of Togo, and enjoy a tour of the only African city that was a colony of the Germans, the British, and the French.

Ouidah, Benin, is captivating, with its python temple and slave monument on the coast, and we boat through the vast stilt village of Ganvié. Around Lomé, Togo, we meet traditional healers, visit a fetish market, and witness an authentic local voodoo ceremony accompanied by the rhythm of chanting and drums.

In a baobab-dotted landscape that was once a caravan route between Ghana’s Gold Coast and Timbuktu, we call at remote villages that rarely see outsiders. We meet northern Togo’s Dagomba people, with their round clay homes, and the isolated Tamberma, known for their fortified adobe castles. Among the Bassar and Kabye tribes, we watch a “fire dance” and meet traditional blacksmiths.

The Ashanti Kingdom was once one of the most powerful nations in Africa. In Kumasi, the Ashanti “capital” and spiritual center, we explore the open-air market and enjoy the pageantry of the traditional Akwasidae Festival.

We head along the palm-fringed coast to the lively trading town of Elmina, with its harbor full of wooden boats. Here we explore the 15th century Elmina Castle, entering its eerie slave dungeons and peeking through the “Door of No Return.” We’ll also take a walk in the rainforest of Kakum National Park and visit 17th century Cape Coast Castle, with its museum on the slave trade. Depart on Day 15 via Accra.