The Ultimate Adventure in Ghana

You'll be led by a local, expert, English-speaking tour leader. Some of the hikes or activities will be also accompanied by additional specialist guides, such as forest rangers. You'll also have a professional driver with you throughout the trip to transport you and your main overnight luggage.

Marta Marinelli, raised in Italy’s serene Prosecco Hills, dreamt of global adventures, inspired by her father's travel stories. Her passion evolved into a career, backed by a decade of studies including degrees in international tourism and destination management. She’s worked in the adventure travel sector since 2012, living in Italy, the UK, and now sunny Portugal.

Over twenty years, Marta has explored over 60 countries, visiting remote areas like Ghana, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Haiti and Nepal’s Upper Mustang region. As a Senior Adventure Expansion Manager at Much Better Adventures, she focuses on creating life-changing experiences, ranging from multi-activity adventures, challenging treks to ultimate adventures in iconic places. She loves the challenge of finding the best local adventure hosts around the world, collaborating on adventures that offer genuine immersion, pushing beyond the beaten path and working on exclusive itineraries that challenge your comfort zone.

What makes her tick? Enabling people to live adventure-rich lives while positively impacting and empowering local communities around the world, generating sustainable opportunities for both the host, guides, community, and the environment.

Unlimited filtered water is available for the duration of the tour and will be provided by your host. So just bring a couple of refillable bottles to avoid purchasing single-use plastic locally.

The trip is run by an experienced and established local host who is committed to operating low-impact, ethical tours in order to create authentic, cultural connections. This not only enhances the traveller experience, but also creates economic opportunity and social development locally, whilst preserving cultures in this region for future generations. Your host is West Africa’s leading travel company and part of their profits go back into building schools, protecting wildlife, rainforest, biodiversity and connecting communities to the conservation of their environment. Here are just a few of their key guiding principles and successful initiatives:

• They run their own NGO organisation called Rainforest Rescue Ghana
• They only use locally-owned and locally-operated infrastructure; all staff members are local
• They have an ongoing reforestation project where they have commited to planting 75,000 indigenous trees. In addition to this, they purchase and plant three indigenous forest tree species for every guest that travels with them. The main aim for this project is carbon offsetting – guests choosing to join this trip would offset their flights to/from Ghana by more than 15 times if the trees live to their expected lifespan.
• At their project sites and in areas they visit they advise local communities on how to reduce their plastic waste and use more organic materials instead, when possible.
• They directly support various local charities and organisations, having actively contributed to school building projects, sponsored local girls’ and boys’ football teams, and built tourist accommodation in Bonkro (where you'll stay), with all income generated going into the community fund
• They sponsor 23 community forest committee members who patrol and protect the forest from illegal logging and hunting.

One of the great highlights of the trip will be attending the Akwasidae Festival, one of the most important events celebrated by the Ashanti people in Ghana. It is held every six weeks, on a Sunday; it is a time for the community to gather and celebrate their cultural heritage while giving thanks to their ancestors. It is very much an essential and authentic part of Ashanti culture to this day and is not staged for visitors. The word 'Akwasidae' means 'the day of the sacred stool' in the Ashanti language and it refers to the sacred stool, a symbol of unity and strength, brought out for all to see and to pay homage to. The festival will involve a procession of chiefs and elders who make their way to the palace of the Ashanti king, the Asantehene. The king also attends, sat on his throne, surrounded by his advisors and other dignitaries, while the people gather around dressed in traditional colourful kente cloths to watch the proceedings. It will last a few hours and it will be a joy to watch the vibrant and colourful celebrations, full of energy, excitement and music.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

You'll usually be provided with Cambridge Sunfish sit-on-top leisure kayaks, which seat two people, or Zander sit-on-top single-person kayaks (on request). The maximum combined paddler weight is 220kg.

You'll be provided with Rockrider mountain bikes. Please provide your height upon booking so that the right bike frame can be assigned to you.

To better understand and respect cultural differences in Ghana, please keep the following information in mind:

• Ghanaians tend to dress more conservatively than in Western cultures. In rural areas and more formal settings, it is considered inappropriate for women to wear sleeveless or low-cut tops, or short shorts or skirts.
• Greetings are important in Ghana. Whenever you pass a group of people (especially if they are elderly), it is expected that you greet them. When approaching a group, it is polite to greet and shake hands if possible.
• Public displays of affection between men and women are not common in Ghana, even between spouses. Men may hold hands or hug, but male/female relationships are strictly controlled. In public, it is best to display a quiet, careful, and friendly attitude. -It's important to remember to ask permission before taking pictures of people, as a sign of respect.

This trip visits locations where daytime temperatures can be extremely high during the times of year when this trip operates. High humidity and limited access to shade can also be factors, and warm temperatures can continue into the nighttime, which additionally influence the body’s ability to cool down. Personal care should be taken to keep cool as best possible in the conditions, such as wearing appropriate clothing and proper hydration. Very high temperatures can impair an individual’s physical abilities to perform an activity that they may otherwise be able to do competently at cooler temperatures. People may experience symptoms associated with dehydration and Heat Stroke. Your guide(s) are trained to mitigate the risks associated with high temperatures, by carefully managing the intensity of the activity, and to provide the appropriate support response should someone feel ill during the trip. Should you experience health issues during your trip you should inform your guide immediately so the proper care can be provided.

This trip visits locations where wild animals are present in a natural environment, where protections and controls on their movement may be limited or non-existent. Some wild animals may be predatory in nature, poisonous, venomous or otherwise can be considered dangerous in a close encounter. Wild animals by their nature are unpredictable and visitors into their habit should follow the safety instructions given by their local guide(s) and/or any signage present. It is a privilege to see wild animals in a natural environment and an experience that should be respectfully conducted at all times.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.

Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.

Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.

We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.