Best Ghana Heritage Tours and Expeditions with Sarah Tours, Inc.

You will explore the best of Ghana Heritage Tours by joining one of our tours. Ghana is a culturally diverse nation with diverse and significant heritage sites:

• Explore Cape Coast and Elmina Castles: These castles are UNESCO World Heritage Sites and significant symbols of the transatlantic slave trade. Tours of the dungeons and historical exhibits provide profound insights into Ghana's history. Our guides will enrich your knowledge and smooth your ride.

• Overland to Kumasi and the Ashanti Kingdom: Kumasi, the heart of the Ashanti Kingdom, is known for the Manhyia Palace, the Ashanti royal family, and the vibrant Kejetia Market. Visitors can explore the rich traditions of the Ashanti people, who are known for their kente cloth, gold, and the significance of the Golden Stool. You will have the best Ghana experience traveling with Sarah Tours.

• Visit Larabanga Mosque: One of the oldest mosques in West Africa, Larabanga Mosque, built in the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, reflects the Islamic influence of the Moors of North Africa, especially from the Kingdom of Morocco.

• Discover W.E.B. Du Bois Center: This museum and research center in Accra is dedicated to the life and work of W.E.B. Du Bois, a prominent African American scholar and civil rights activist who spent his later years in Ghana. Sarah Tours caters mostly to African Americans, so we offer academic discoveries and in-depth history. ** • Discover the Northern Region:** Sarah Tours offers tours that unsurpassedly focus on Ghana's spiritual aspects. The northern parts of Ghana, such as Tamale, offer insights into the country’s Islamic heritage, with mud-and-thatch homes, traditional mosques, and crafts like leatherwork and weaving.

In-depth cultural and music tours are our specialty. Ghana is home to a variety of vibrant and colorful festivals that reflect its rich cultural diversity:

• Enjoy Akwasidae Festival: this traditional festival is Celebrated by the Ashanti people in Kumasi every six weeks. It honors the ancestors and displays Ashanti royal traditions. The Asantehene (King of Ashanti) presides over ceremonies filled with drumming, dancing, and pageantry. Sarah Tours always tries to time these cultural activities with its tours.

• Homowo Festival: This is one of the classic festivals in Africa, celebrating gratitude for what nature offers for people's needs. The harvest ceremony held by the Ga people of Accra, Homowo (meaning “hooted at hunger”), celebrates the harvest season and the defeat of famine. The festival features traditional dances, drumming, and the consumption of special foods like kpokpoi.

• Enjoy Panafest (Pan African Historical Theatre Festival): This biennial event in Cape Coast and Elmina commemorates the African diaspora and the transatlantic slave trade primarly to the new world. It includes performances, lectures, and visits to historical sites, encouraging reflection and unity. It is a wealth to amass for your intellect and well-being.

• Damba Festival: This is considered an Islamic spiritual festival. Celebrated by the people of northern Ghana, particularly the Dagomba, it honors the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, Eid Al Moulid, and celebrates community unity with traditional drumming, dancing, and horsemanship.

All of our tours to Ghana offer a wide range of immersive cultural experiences:

• Kente Cloth Weaving: Visitors to towns like Bonwire can learn about the traditional art of kente cloth weaving. Kente symbolizes pride for the Ashanti people, and visitors can watch weavers work intricate patterns on looms and even try weaving themselves.

• Traditional Drumming and Dance: Travelers on Heritage tours with Sarah Tours can participate in drumming and dance workshops, learning rhythms and movements passed down through generations. This activity is popular in Cape Coast, Kumasi, and even Accra. Our guides will help you jump in and immerse in these haunting drumming ceremonies.

• Village Homestays: For a truly immersive experience on our tours to Ghana, we offer village homestays where travelers can live with local families, participate in daily activities like farming, cooking, or crafting, and engage with community traditions.

• Discover Slave Route Tours: Walking with a good guide along the Slave Route, which includes visiting the “Door of No Return” at Cape Coast Castle, is a profoundly moving cultural experience. Our tours offer emotional insight into the transatlantic slave trade and Ghana’s role as a key point in this tragic history.

We try to bring the best landmarks for our travelers on every tour to Ghana. Ghana has countless historical sites that provide a glimpse into its rich past:

• Cape Coast and Elmina Castles: These castles are central to understanding the transatlantic slave trade and are preserved as national monuments. Walking through the dungeons and slave quarters offers a sobering experience.

• Independence Square and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park: Located in Accra, these sites are dedicated to Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, who led the country to independence from British rule. The park contains Nkrumah’s mausoleum and a museum highlighting his role in Pan-Africanism.

• Discover the Ancient Bead Markets: Trading Beads, as we call them, plays an essential role in Ghanaian culture. They are used in ceremonies, weddings, and festivals. Koforidua, in the Eastern Region, has a famous bead market where travelers can learn about the history and meaning of traditional trading beads. When Europeans began trading with West Africa, they exchanged these Bohemian beads for pure gold as Ghana was a very wealthy gold destination.

• Explore Nzulezo Stilt Village: This village, built on stilts over Lake Tadane in the Western Region, offers a unique cultural experience. Nzulezo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provides insight into ancient architecture and the connection between the people and the environment. Respectfully, this is a tradition in African cultures.

This is an important question. We time our tour departures with the best time to explore the marvels of Ghana. The best time to visit Ghana for cultural tours is during the dry season, from November to March, when the weather is more comfortable for travel:

• Festival Season: Many of Ghana’s major festivals, such as Akwasidae, Homowo, and Panafest, take place during this period, offering travelers opportunities to participate in traditional celebrations.

• Harmattan Season: From December to February, the Harmattan winds that blow from Northeast Sahara to southwest Africa bring dry, dusty conditions. While it can be more incredible, the clear skies are ideal for visiting historical sites and outdoor activities.

It is very generous of you to think about supporting local communities. By being there, you have already contributed to the well-being of these communities. In most of Sarah Tours, we focus on helping communities. So, we encourage our travelers to be Responsible tourists to help preserve Ghana’s culture while benefiting local communities:

• Purchase Local Crafts: Ghana is known for its vibrant arts and crafts. Buying authentic kente cloth, beads, wood carvings, and pottery directly from artisans' workshops ensures that money returns to local communities.

• Hire Local Guides: Engaging local guides, especially for tours of Ashanti, Ewe, or Dagomba communities, enhances the cultural experience and supports local employment.

• Stay in Locally Owned Lodges: Sarah Tours uses boutique hotels and guesthouses for most of its Ghana tours. Opt for locally owned or community-based accommodations that contribute directly to the local economy.

One of the highlights of your trip to Ghana is the Ghanaian gastronomy. Ghanaian cuisine is flavorful and diverse. It often features spicy stews, soups, and staples like rice, yams, and plantains, giving you an authentic African fest with every meal. Here are some great staples you can try.

• Jollof Rice: A beloved West African dish, Ghanaian Jollof is made with rice, tomatoes, and spices. It's often served with chicken, fish, or beef.

• Fufu and Light Soup: Fufu is a starchy dough made from boiled cassava, yams, or plantains, pounded until smooth. It's typically eaten with soups like light soup (a spicy tomato-based soup) or palm nut soup.

• Waakye: A traditional dish made from rice and beans, waakye is commonly served with boiled eggs, fried plantains, and shito (spicy pepper sauce).

• Banku and Tilapia: Banku, a fermented corn dough, is often paired with grilled tilapia and a spicy pepper sauce, making it a popular dish among the coastal communities.

• Kenkey: A fermented maize dough, kenkey is similar to a banku dish but steamed in corn husks and served with fish and pepper sauce.

In Ghana, most people live from agriculture or crafts. Traditional crafts are integral to Ghanaian culture and reflect centuries-old skillful practices and trade since the dawn of time:

• Kente Weaving: Kente cloth, originally from the Ashanti Kingdom, symbolizes pride and heritage. Each color and pattern hold specific meanings, often linked to proverbs or historical events.

• Adinkra Cloth: Adinkra symbols, originating from the Akan people, are printed onto fabric using traditional methods. The symbols convey various meanings and are often worn during significant events such as funerals or weddings.

• Beadmaking: The Krobo people of Ghana are known for their intricate beadwork. Travelers can visit workshops to see how beads are made from recycled glass and learn the cultural significance of bead designs and colors.

• Wood Carving: Our tours include workshops of skilled artisans in Ghana who create beautiful wood carvings, including stools, masks, and drums. These items often carry spiritual or symbolic meaning and are used in rituals and ceremonies.