2019 Wilderness Travel Catalog of Adventures

Tribal Ghana, Togo & Benin ROYAL FESTIVALS, MASK DANCES, VOODOO SPIRITS, CASTLES OF CLAY

FRANS LANTING

HIGHLIGHTS • Traditional Ashanti culture, with its kente cloth, bead-makers, and elaborate funerary rites • The stilt village of Ganvié and the voodoo capital of Ouidah on Benin’s coast • Elmina Castle, Abomey’s Royal Palace, the Tamberma people and their castles of clay • Vibrant Akwasidae and Egun Mask festivals on every departure DETAILS • 15-day trip begins in Accra, Ghana, and ends in Lomé, Togo • 14 nights hotels and guesthouses • All meals included

Experience authentic festivals, unique architecture, and voodoo ceremonies as you explore a kaleidoscope of cultural wonders in West Africa.

Traditional cultures, renowned art forms, flamboyant festivals, mask dances, and a dazzling ethnic mosaic are the golden gems of West Africa. Our cultural odyssey brings us across Ghana, Togo, and Benin to discover lost tribal worlds guided by ancient spirits.  Along the way, we meet unforgettable people including the Tamberma, whose fairytale clay castles are spectacular examples of uniquely African architecture. We finish on the coast, the heart of voodoo country, visiting practitioners, watching trance-dances, and learning about the awesome power the voodoo spirits still hold over people. Our journeys witness the Akwasidae Festival in Kumasi, honoring the Ashanti king, and the exuberant mask dances of the Egun Mask Festival in Benin.

Days 1-3 Accra, Ghana / Elmina Castle From Accra, we head along the palm-fringed coast to the 15th century Portuguese fortress of Elmina, entering its eerie slave dungeons and peeking through the “Door of No Return,” where captives were taken to awaiting ships. Days 4-5 Kumasi / Ashanti The Ashanti Kingdom was once one of the most powerful nations in Africa. In Kumasi, the Ashanti “capital,” we explore the lively market and enjoy the pageantry of the traditional Akwasidae Festival. Days 6-9 Traditional Tribes of the Savanna / Castles of Clay 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, animists known for their fortified adobe castles. Among the Bassar and Kabye tribes, we watch a “fire dance” and meet traditional blacksmiths. Days 10-15 Voodoo Priests and Fetish Markets of the Coast Ouidah is captivating, with its python temple and slave monument, and we boat through the vast stilt village of Ganvié. Around Lomé, Togo, we meet traditional healers, visit a fetish market, and witness a voodoo ceremony accompanied by the rhythm of chanting and drums. Depart on Day 15 via Lomé.

DATES Mar 6-20, 2019 Feb 5-19, 2020

TRIP COST $7395 (6-12 members) $7595 (3-5 members) Single supplement: $1200

TRIP LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rugged road travel, cultural exploration, easy walks

JANET WISHNETSKY

QUESTIONS? 1.800.368.2794 OR EMAIL AFRICA@WILDERNESSTRAVEL.COM 35