Wild Ghana: Journey into the Ashanti Kingdom

Akwaaba – welcome to Ghana! Your adventure begins in Accra, situated on the beautiful Gold Coast. Buzzing with a vibrant energy and packed with incredible wild spots, diverse wildlife, intriguing Ashanti culture, gorgeous beaches and friendly communities, Ghana is without a doubt the most accessible introduction to West Africa. Hop on a short transfer from the airport to your charming boutique hotel in the city centre, where later you'll meet your guide and fellow adventurers for a welcome briefing. If you arrive early enough, you can enjoy a relaxing group evening meal whilst acclimatising yourself to West Africa. Otherwise, you can kick off your epic overland journey tomorrow morning.

You leave the city before sunrise, sidestepping the traffic and making the most of the cooler morning air. Breakfast is taken en route to Shai Hills Resource Reserve, where your first hike heads out through open savannah scattered with granite outcrops. The trails are gentle but rewarding, and you'll have a good chance of spotting antelope, baboons and a wide variety of birdlife along the way. You'll also pass through the Obonu Tem caves, once used by the Shai people — a reminder that this landscape has a long history beyond its wildlife. By late morning, as the heat builds, you make your way to Akosombo and settle into your riverside accommodation on the banks of the Volta River. After lunch and time to rest, the afternoon opens up with a three-hour kayak on the water — paddling past fishermen hauling in their daily catch, with the aim of being back on shore as the sun drops behind the hills.

Another early start gets you into the best of the day's hiking conditions as you head deeper into the Volta Region. Setting out from a local village, the trail winds through forest towards Tagbo Falls, where cascading water and cool mist make for a welcome break from the heat. From there, the route climbs steadily towards Twin Mountain, the tree cover thinning as the views open up across the valley. The day continues to Tafi Atome, where Mona monkeys move freely through the village — protected here as sacred animals for generations. Walking quietly through the forest with your local guides, you get a rare look at a community that has lived alongside wildlife for centuries. From Wli village, the trail pushes on through forest to Wli Waterfalls, the highest waterfall in West Africa. It's a dramatic setting — sheer cliffs, the roar of falling water, and fruit bat colonies wheeling overhead. If time allows, the trail beyond the lower falls grows more challenging as it climbs towards the upper falls, passing through forest thick with butterflies and birds. Lunch is at a nearby guesthouse, and after a long day on your feet, you head back to your riverfront accommodation in Akosombo.

Day 4 takes you north, with a stop in the cooler Aburi Highlands breaking up the journey. At Aburi Botanical Gardens, you walk beneath towering trees, getting to know the region's plant life with views stretching back towards Accra. Nearby, the Aburi craft village gives you a look at local craftsmanship — wood carvings, textiles and more — before lunch in Koforidua and a visit to its lively bead market. The day ends in Kumasi, the cultural capital of the Ashanti Kingdom.

Day 5 is built around the Akwasidae Festival in Kumasi, one of the most significant cultural events in West Africa. Before the celebrations, you head out to the surrounding villages of Adanwomase and Ntonso Adinkra Village, where you'll meet master weavers and artisans creating kente and Adinkra cloth using techniques passed down through generations. Back in Kumasi, a visit to the Manhyia Palace Museum sets the scene before you make your way to the palace grounds for the festival itself. Chiefs adorned in richly coloured kente are seated beneath grand umbrellas, surrounded by drumming, dancing and ceremony as they gather to honour the king, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II — a vivid display of Ashanti culture, pride and pageantry. The afternoon takes you into a different side of Kumasi, exploring Kejetia Market — a sprawling maze of traders, colour and everyday city life.

You leave Kumasi at 06:30, heading south into a quieter, more remote part of Ghana. The landscape shifts from busy roads to farmland and forest, and for the final two hours you swap the bus for bikes, riding through small villages to Bonkro — your base on the edge of Upper Guinea rainforest. You're welcomed into the community by a local family who are members of the Kuapa Kokoo cooperative, and you head out to their farm for a hands-on look at cocoa production from tree to harvest. Back in the village, the same family demonstrates how cocoa by-products are made into traditional black soap, and you'll meet the village herbalist, who explains how plants and roots from the surrounding forest have been used for generations to treat illness and maintain wellbeing. After lunch at the community guesthouse, the afternoon takes you into the forest on foot to a hidden rock overhang — the nesting site of the white-necked rockfowl, also known as the yellow-headed Picathartes. You sit quietly and wait. Gradually, these extraordinary, almost prehistoric birds appear, hopping along the forest floor and returning to their mud nests. It's one of the rarest wildlife encounters in Africa. The evening offers a choice: a guided night walk in search of pangolins, pottos and other nocturnal mammals, or an outdoor cinema night under the stars with villagers from the surrounding area.

After breakfast in Bonkro, you walk to a nearby reforestation site — part of a community-led conservation initiative — where you may help plant native tree species, directly contributing to the restoration of Upper Guinea rainforest. As your local guides explain the long-term vision behind the project, the links between tourism, conservation and community livelihoods become clear. You then head south towards the coast, the landscape shifting from dense forest to open farmland as you approach Cape Coast. Your first stop is Cape Coast Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the edge of the Atlantic that served as one of the principal departure points during the transatlantic slave trade. A guided tour takes you through the preserved dungeons, courtyards and narrow passageways, ending at the Door of No Return. After time for reflection and lunch, you continue to Kakum National Park, where the main draw is a canopy walkway suspended high above the forest floor between trees over 300 years old. It's a completely different way to experience the rainforest — keep an eye out for monkeys in the branches and brightly coloured birds cutting between the trees. By early evening you're at your beachfront accommodation on the coast, with the rest of the evening to yourself.

After breakfast you head west on a five-hour drive towards the Ivory Coast border, the landscape shifting through small towns, farmland and forest as you go. By early afternoon you arrive at Ankasa Conservation Area — connected to Nini-Suhien National Park and spanning over 509 square kilometres of Upper Guinea rainforest, one of the last intact stretches of its kind in West Africa. After settling into the lodge, you head straight out on foot along the forest trails. The forest is home to elephants, bongos, primates, over 200 bird species and countless butterflies, and your guides bring it to life — pointing out tracks, calls and details that are easy to miss. As darkness falls, the option is there to head back out on a guided night walk beneath the canopy, searching for pottos, bush babies and, with luck, pangolins. Those who'd rather stay put will find the lodge a fine place to spend the evening, with the sounds of the forest carrying through the night.

The day starts deep in the reserve, heading to one of its most distinctive features — the Bamboo Cathedral, a natural formation of towering bamboo arches about 12 kilometres from the main gate that creates a tunnel-like passage through the forest. Getting there is part of the experience: you can set out early by mountain bike along forest tracks, or take a 4x4 if you'd prefer a more relaxed approach. Along the way, your guides help identify bird calls, butterflies and any signs of larger mammals moving through the forest. Time at the Bamboo Cathedral is unhurried, giving you a chance to take in the scale and silence of the place before heading back to the lodge for lunch. The afternoon shifts to a nearby rural village — a community where families farm the land and trade produce in local markets. Walking through, you'll meet residents, visit the local school and get a feel for daily life. You may try pounding fufu, watch gari being processed from cassava, or stop into a local chop bar. The evening brings you back to the lodge, with the sounds of the rainforest carrying through the night.

After breakfast you leave the rainforest and head east along the coast, the jungle giving way to open skies and salt air as you approach Brenu Akyinim — a quiet coastal community with a stretch of unspoilt beach. After lunch by the ocean and time to swim, the afternoon takes you to the nearby Brenu Lagoon for a kayak on the still water, paddling past local fishermen in traditional wooden canoes and through an ecosystem thick with birdlife. You land near the fishing settlement of Ampeyin and walk through Brenu village, where brightly painted boats are pulled up on the sand, nets are being mended by hand and fish smoked using traditional techniques. From there, you can continue on foot along the beach towards Elmina, or transfer by vehicle. Walkers arrive at Lemon Beach Resort with the last of the day's light, the sky shifting into the warm tones of sunset. After checking in, the rest of the afternoon is yours — swim in the ocean, use the pool, or sit and listen to the waves. As night falls, the group gathers on the beach around a bonfire for a final evening of traditional drumming and dance beneath the stars.

Your final morning is an unhurried one — time to swim, walk the beach or simply sit and enjoy the coast before checking out. By mid-morning you're in Elmina, starting at Elmina Castle, also known as St. George's Castle, the oldest surviving European building in sub-Saharan Africa. A guided tour takes you through its courtyards, dungeons and narrow passageways, tracing its role in the transatlantic slave trade. From there, you explore Elmina on foot — colourful fishing boats lining the harbour, smoke rising from traditional fish-smoking ovens, boat builders shaping large wooden canoes by hand. After lunch, you begin the drive back to Accra, arriving in the late afternoon for a final group dinner — a chance to reflect on the past 11 days before transferring to Accra International Airport for your onward flight.