Culture ~ Panafest ~ History ~ Fun ~ Friendship!

Depart from NY/JFK July 28, 2009 - Return to NY/JFK August 6, 2009
*JUST $3899. per person, double occupancy

DAY

ITINERARY

HOTELS

Day 1
Late night

DEPART FROM NEW YORK on overnight flight to Casablanca aboard regularly scheduled Royal Air Maroc jet.
(D)

In flight

Day 2

CASABLANCA/RABAT/DEPART

Good morning! You will wake up in the beautiful and romantic North African city of Casablanca, the same one seen in the famous Humphrey Bogart film of yesteryear. On arrival in Casablanca you will be met, assisted and transferred to your day room to refresh. Late morning begins the tour of Casablanca, the economic capital of Morocco: Mohammed V square, Central Market, the Habbous or souk District, residential district of Anfa & Ain Diab, where rich and famous continentals have vacation homes.
After lunch continue to Rabat, the white imperial city and the administrative capital of the kingdom. The sightseeing includes the Mechouar (ramparts and walls surrounding the Royal Palace), the Oudaya Kasbah, the splendid Mohamed V mausoleum, the Hassan tower.

Return to dinner (not included) at a seaside restaurant in Casablanca.
After dinner, transfer to the airport for the late night flight to Ghana. (L)

Hotel Day Room
 

Day 3

ARRIVE IN ACCRA 

Upon arrival in Accra, you will be met, assisted and transferred to your hotel.
This afternoon there is an orientation, which includes a 2 –hour Lecture/discussion on Ghanaian institutions, religions, and the significance of births, marriages, death and life after death. After orientation, we will depart on a short city tour visiting the Kwame Nkrumah Park. Drive past the Independence Arch and Black Star Square-Accra’s ceremonial grounds. View in the distance Christiansborg Castle, official residence of the President of Ghana.
This evening enjoy a welcome dinner and receive your African name in a traditional naming ceremony. Overnight at your hotel. (D)

Novotel
Hotel

Day 4

 ACCRA CITY TOUR
Good morning! After breakfast at the hotel, continue the city tour of Accra and vicinity including the National Museum, W.E.B. Du Bois Centre for Pan Africanism and the Artists Alliance Gallery.
After lunch we visit Makola Market to see first hand one aspect of Ghanaian women’s contribution to the development of Ghana.
Our tour of Accra continues with a visit to a local casket making shop to see a collection of caskets carved in the shape of different objects, depicting traditional beliefs in life after death. The “Fantasy Coffins” of Teshie-Nungua have been featured in National Geographic and can be found in museums and galleries worldwide.
Overnight in Accra. (B)

Novotel

Day 5

ACCRA/KUMASI
Good morning! After breakfast at your hotel, check out and depart for a drive through the forest zone to Kumasi, the seat of the Ashanti Empire to explore the legends of the famous Ashanti’s, whose legacies are still evident today. This evening visit Manhiya Palace Museum, to obtain firsthand information on the legacies of the Ashanti kingdom. A regal history that dates back to 1700 is told with relics and artifacts in Kumasi. (B/D)

Sir Max Hotel
or similar

Day 6

KUMASI

Good morning! After breakfast we will visit the Kumasi Central Market, the largest open-air market in West Africa, where more than 10.000 traders ply their wares. Continue with visits to the Ashanti craft villages starting with the Woodcarving Village of Ahwiaa, known for the talented craftsmen who fashion royal stools, walking sticks and fertility dolls. Our second stop is the village of Ntonso where Artisans hand-stamp patterns on cotton cloth to make Adinkra textiles that are worn for funerals and other solemn occasions. Our third village is Bonwire where the famous Kente cloth is handmade.
 This afternoon visit the home of Nana Yaa Asantewaa, the legendary female general who led Ashanti Armies against British Forces in 1900.

Enjoy a drive through the city with monuments dedicated to the memory of the great Ashanti people.  End the day’s tour at the National Cultural Center, which features the Prempeh II Jubilee Museum and various studios of the brass makers, potters and batik makers. (B/D)

Sir Max or similar

Day 7

KUMASI TO CAPE COAST

Good morning! After breakfast depart to Cape Coast in the Central Region. We will stop to visit Assin Manso, the burial site of two former slaves from the U. S. and Jamaica whose remains were re-interred in August 1998, during Ghana’s first Emancipation Day Celebration. We will visit the “Slave River” where captured Africans had their last bath before being confined in the Slave Castles to await shipment to the Americas.
We arrive in Cape Coast early evening to check in our hotel for the next two nights. (B/D)

Elmina Beach Resort

Day 8

CAPE COAST

Good morning! After breakfast visit the infamous Forts, Castles and Slave Dungeons of Ghana. History will unfold the story of the slave trade, which the impact is still felt beyond the shores of Africa today. Visit the Cape Coast Castle built by the Swedes in 1653 and was later taken over by the British. This castle also houses the West African Historical Museum established by the Smithsonian Institute in collaboration with the Ghanaian Government in 1994.  After lunch, visit the Elmina Castle built by the Portuguese in 1482 and is also known as St. George's Castle.  This castle was the first European structure built in Sub – Saharan Africa.  The view of the colorful harbor nestle below the Elmina Castle, full of pirogues preparing to go to sea offers one of West Africa’s best picture perfect opportunities.  Dinner and overnight at hotel in Elmina. (B/D)

Elmina Beach Resort

Day 9

CAPE COAST TO ACCRA

Good morning! After breakfast, return to Accra where Just how good are you at bargaining? Find out this afternoon when you visit the Arts and Crafts market where you will have the opportunity to test your newly acquired bargaining and trading skills against the vendors.  Unbelievable prices can be secured for souvenirs and other products but you must bargain
This evening we enjoy a farewell dinner with entertainment. (B/D)

Novotel Hotel

Day 10

DEPART

Early morning breakfast then transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
Arrive in the U.S. with great memories, beautiful pictures and lots of new knowledge.  (B)

In Flight

$2,210

$ 1,689

$ 3,899

Your Tour Will Include:
* Round-trip airfare* JFK  to Ghana.
* Round trip airport/hotel  transfers in Casablanca & Accra.
* One day in Casablanca, Morocco with hotel day room .
* First Class hotel stays in Accra, Kumasi & Cape Coast, Ghana.
* Guided Sightseeing tours in Morocco, Accra, Kumasi & Cape Coast.
* 16 Meals, Including Full Breakfast Daily at Hotels.
* Admission to sites indicated on itinerary.
* Luggage handling.
* Opportunity  to Participate in Panafest '09 activities.
* Farewell dinner with entertainment in Accra.
* Shopping opportunities in Kasbahs, Souks, & Markets.
* Hotel  taxes.
* Equator3 Tours staff escorts on trip.
* Luggage tags, Lots More!!!

Your fare will not include:

* Travel Insurance We offer Access America policies for your consideration.
* Gratuities for Guides & Drivers.
* Ghana visa.
* Meals not listed on itinerary.
* Items of a personal nature.
* Airline taxes & fuel surcharges-to be determined at time of ticketing.

E-Z Payment Plan Available
Family Reunions, Groups, Singles, Couples, Welcome
 
We assist singles in finding roommates (no guarantees)

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