| HIGHLIGHTS: Ouagadougou - Bobo Dioulasso - Banfora - Gaoua - Tiebele - Bolgatenga - Mole National Park - Boabeng - Fiema Monkey Sanctuary - Kumasi - Cape Coast - Kakum National Park - Accra - Kpalime - Mt Agou - Klouto - Abomey - Ganvie Stilt Village - Ouidah - Birthplace of Voodoo - Togoville - Lome
Here come the drums This trip will see you shimmying from West African night spot to powerful religious site. Get amongst the vibrant nightlife and brilliant drumming musicians of Ougadougou and Bobo - Dioulasso, Burkina Faso's pumping big cities. Afterwards, wind down and relax before the spectacular landscapes of the Sindou rock formations and Karfiguela Waterfalls. The intricately decorated villages and fascinating customs of Gaoua and Tiebele await, as do the great elephant herds of Mole National Park - see them on an early morning game walk alongside herds of antelope. More animals welcome us at the Boabeng - Fiema Monkey Santuary and the Kakum National Park. Learn of the harrowing history of the Cape Coast slave castle and revel in lush forest alive with medicinal plants, butterflies, meerkats, monkeys and pygmy elephants. Head to the beach and relax on the golden coast, before exploring the stilt village of Ganvie, the royal palaces of Abomey, the home of voodoo in Ouidah and the fetish markets of Lome. This last stretch through Benin and Togo ends back on the beach in Ghana with more mesmerising sand and sea.
Day 1 Ouagadougou. Ouaga, as it is known to the locals, is Burkina Faso's vibrant capital and commercial heart, a perfect place for an evening amid Africa's thriving urban nightlife. The country's largest city has a population of 1.5 million, all known as ouagalais; Ouagadougou is spelled with French in mind - if written with English in mind it would be spelt Wagadugu. Besides a lively bar and music scene, other attractions include the National Museum of Burkina Faso, the Moro - Naba Palace, the National Museum of Music and several craft markets. There's also an excellent cultural centre well worth a visit. It has fantastic examples of local artist's work - prices are reasonable, quality excellent and no one hassles you to make a purchase. It's a great place to pick up quality souvenirs, jewellery, paintings, clothing, pottery, drums, masks and an assortment of other craft from the region.
Day 2 - 3 Bobo Dioulasso. A pleasant market, a distinctive mosque and a fascinating old quarter, Bobo - Dioulasso is perfect for relaxed daytime wandering. At night, however, Bobo is a hotbed of live music and dance, no more so than on Saturday night. Perhaps enjoy percussive, fun performances over a few drinks and a bowl of fried caterpillars. The best place to see live music is a local night spot and music venue known as Bamboo, home to a collection of world famous drumming groups. There are about eight well - renowned groups of incredible musicians in Burkina Faso and they each take a weekly turn playing at Bamboo. These musicians are the same ones that tour Europe and the quality of music is astonishing - there is nothing like seeing them play to their home crowd. A night in Bobo will have you jumping with the locals in no time, or kicking back to salvos of hypnotic drumming.
Day 4 Banfora. An easy run from Bobo, Banfora is best renowned for the spectacular World Heritage-listed Sindou rock formations - eroded cones that rise directly out of the African plain. They are stunning at sunset and considered sacred by the local people. A short distance away, take a walk through mango orchards for a refreshing swim at the beautiful, 20 - metre Karfiguela waterfalls. The walk is easy and takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get to the top. Remember to bring your bathers along, as the deep rock pools at the upper part of the falls are a pleasure to swim in. We'll probably set up camp nearby, so you can relax and enjoy a totally chilled afternoon.
Day 5 - 6 Gaoua - Tiebele. Gaoua is home to the Lobi people. We explore their unusual compounds and learn of their superstitions and fetish and ancestor spirit worship. Gaoua is a market town and long the centre for Lobi sacred rites and myths. Other attractions in town include a sacred grove of trees, a museum, a mosque and a cave system. The following day, we visit the symbolic and intricately decorated village of Tiebele, spending another day in some of least visited and most remote climes in the world. The well - preserved traditional adobe houses of the local Gourounsi people are either square (for married couples) or round (for bachelors) and are decorated with patterns and images of sacred animals to bestow protection. There is also an interesting open - air market nearby.
Day 7 - 8 Bolgatenga - Mole National Park. We cross the border into Ghana and head for Bolga, through a region of painted mud homes. Beyond lays Mole National Park, straddling an elephant migration route. Over two days, we explore and camp in the park, going on safari in search of antelope, monkey, warthog, baboon and elephants. A highlight is an early morning guided walk with one of the rangers, with the opportunity for a more intimate encounter with Ghana's wildlife. Elephants are common in the park and are readily seen at dawn and dusk grazing and bathing. There are usually plenty of baboons and warthogs within sight of camp too.
Day 9 Boabeng - Fiema Monkey Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a small, triangular forest and ecotourism site between the twin towns of Boabeng and Fiema. Here monkeys are sacred and live in harmony with the villagers. Wander the sanctuary trails, look out for the shy colobus monkey and get up close to the inquisitive mona monkeys. It takes about an hour or two to cover all the tracks in the sanctuary, including a monkey graveyard. The villages are also worth wandering through. We stay at a local hotel or in the village.
Day 10 - 11 Kumasi - Cape Coast - Kakum National Park. We continue south to the former capital of the Ashanti Empire and visit the Royal Palace. The powerful Akan people dominated much of modern Ghana from the 17th to 19th centuries and formed their empire from their wealth in gold. The monarchy and kingdom still exists as one of Ghana's traditional states. Overlooking a beautiful Atlantic Ocean, we learn of the harrowing history at the Cape Coast slave castle. The Castle was built as a fortification by Swedish traders of timber and gold, but was taken over by the Europeans and used in the trans - Atlantic slave trade. We walk through the castle dungeons to witness the cramped conditions in which hundreds of slaves were held before being transferred to boats bound for the Americas. We camp at Kakum National Park.
Day 12 - 13 Kakum National Park - Kokrobite Beach. Kakum covers lush tropical rainforest replete with medicinal plants, butterflies, civets, meerkats, monkeys and pygmy elephants. Take a guided canopy walk amongst the tree - tops and learn about the flora before heading to the beach: swim, surf, wander and kick back with happy, easy going locals. Big Milly's Backyard, our beach camp, is an institution and an iconic beach backpacker's that frequently wins awards for best backpacker's stay in Africa. It's shady coconut palms and chilled vibe are fronted by Kokrobite Beach, a long stretch of sand popular with travellers seeking tropical paradise. The beach is usually a fun mix of foreigners, local traders and fisherman from the nearby village, who sing as the haul their dugout canoes onto the beach. A great place to tuck into fresh seafood, relax on the sand and have a good time.
Day 14 - 15 Accra - Kpalime - Mt Agou. Cross the border into Togo and head into the steamy green forest and orange dirt roads of Kpalime. Today we will trek through local villages with magnificent views to the summit of Mt Agou. Also known as Mount Baumann, it is the highest mountain in Togo, at 986 metres. On return, we stop at the beautiful Kpime Falls for a refreshing swim. We stay two nights in this remote mountain region.
Day 16 Klouto - Abomey. Get up early - morning is the best time of day to see the butterflies and beautiful views at Klouto. Abundant flora and fauna and quaint mountain cottages frame amazing panoramas of the landscape below. After leaving the cool mountains, we cross the border into Benin and continue to Abomey.
Day 17 Abomey - Ganvie Stilt Village. We visit the World Heritage-listed Palaces of Abomey, the former royal seats of the Dahomey kingdom built by the Fon people between the 17th and 19th centuries The palace is an amazing earthen complex with a rather grim history. In 1894, when the French defeated King Ghebanzin, the complex contained 12 palaces - each successive king built his own as it was considered unlucky to live in a previous King's palace. Ghebanzin burnt most of the city of Abomey and the palaces to stop the French taking them over, but the ones that remain are those of King Guezo and King Glele, the latter renowned for building his throne atop the skulls of four of his enemies. You can also see the ‘golden stools' - the thrones - of the other kings, as well as many other artifacts. And explanatory displays. One striking detail is a past army entirely made up of women. Later in the day, we take a boat out to Ganvie Stilt Village, set on a huge lake on the border with Nigeria. Watch life unfold by the tranquil waters and stay overnight in a thatched home on stilts. Accommodation is very basic, but spending a night on the water is a great way to experience life as the locals live it.
Day 18 - 19 Ouidah - Birthplace of Voodoo. Experience the shuffling, writhing, drumming and music of Voodoo while watching a ceremony in its birthplace of Ouidah. See the Temple of Pythons where snakes are revered and learn about the mystical and largely misunderstood practices of Voodoo. The temple's scores of pythons are let out into the town each evening and are returned by the inhabitants each morning…But don't fret - We stay a little out of town in the evenings. We also walk the ‘Avenue of Slaves' and see the ‘Door of No Return' at the beachfront, and, as an optional activity, visit an excellent museum detailing the history of the slave trade and the influence of Portuguese colonialism.
Day 20 Togoville - Lome. Crossing back into Togo, we visit the cathedral and voodoo shrines of Togoville. We then continue to the capital, Lome, where we visit the local fetish market. The market is filled with the bizarre and often gruesome ingredients used by voodoo practitioners, including monkey skulls and dehydrated bats. Pope John Paul II visited Togoville but its main claim to fame is a renowned voodoo fetish thought to be the most powerful in West Africa. To see it and be within its proximity is to be aware of the power of local tradition, so much so it may give you the creeps. Chilling stuff. Lome is not a place we recommend you wander at night, so a good night in might be just the ticket.
Day 21 - 22 Kokrobite Beach. We cross back into Ghana and spend our final day and night relaxing at Kokrobite Beach. Our tour ends the following morning. Please book additional accommodation or a departure transfer to Accra airport (30 km away) at the time of booking, if you like. (Please be aware that there have been incidences of theft along the beachfront in Kokrobite. Please observe the signs at your guesthouse and do not take any valuables with you if you go to the beach).
Explore the fetish markets, voodoo ceremonies and colonial history for which this region is renowned 22 day tour departing Ouagadougou. 17 nights accommodation camping. 1 night accommodation onboard a riverboat. 3 nights accommodation in hotels. 21 breakfasts, 19 lunches, 15 dinners. Camping equipment, sleeping mat - You must bring your own sleeping bag. An experienced driver, safari guide and camp cook whilst on tour. Transport in custom-built safari vehicle and riverboat
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