Black History, Accra

AM - Visit Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and Memorial Park 

Located in downtown Accra, Ghana is the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum. The Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra holds the remains of Osagyefo (the Messiah) Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president and one of its founding fathers. A national park was built in his memory on the site where Nkrumah declared independence in 1957. The mausoleum designed by Don Arthur is meant to represent an upside-down sword which in the Akan culture is a symbol of peace. 

Afterwards grab some lunch at a local restaurant as you prepare yourself for the afternoon.

PM - Visit Osu Castle & the Independance Arch with a local guide

Osu Castle, also known as Christiansborg Castle or simply the Castle, is a 17th-century castle located on the shores of the vibrant township of Osu. The first substantial fort was built by the Danes and has changed hands between Denmark, Norway, Portugal, the Akwamu, Britain, and finally post-Independence Ghana, and was rebuilt numerous times. It has also been the seat of government in Ghana with some interruptions until the seat of government was moved to the Jubilee House.

During its Danish rule, the castle was used to trade in first gold, and then also in enslaved people. This gruesome trade required the castle to quadruple its original size. You can visit the dungeons the enslaved peoples were kept in, locked to each other, before they were being moved by way of smaller ships out onto the bigger ships. Once they passed the aptly named “door of no return” they would never see their homelands or freedom again, and millions of enslaved Africans died on the cruel passage to the Americas.

After your visit to Osu Castle you will move on to the Independance Arch. The Arch was built by the president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah in 1961 for Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Accra, and represents Ghana's struggle for independence from imperial British rule. It also honours the fallen soldiers who died fighting for Ghana's freedom.

Following your visits to both Osu Castle and the Independance Arch, bring the curtain down on your day with dinner at a local restaurant for some delicious and authentic Ghanaian cuisine.

AM - Visit Aburi Botanical Garden

Aburi Botanical Gardens is situated in Aburi, a small town in the Eastern Region of Ghana and is one of only five botanic gardens in Ghana. It is about an hour’s drive north of Accra, the capital of Ghana. Aburi’s location in the green Akuapem Hills has long been favoured as a serene escape from the capital. Thanks to an altitude of around 450m, Aburi enjoys a relatively cool and breezy climate. The botanical gardens remain its main attraction today. In clear weather, the bird’s eye views back to Accra can be awesome.

PM - Ghanian cooking class

What better way to experience Ghanaian hospitality than through food. Learn and cook alongside the chef and have a deeper understanding of what Ghanaian cuisine is like. You will have the opportunity to taste meals, drink and dessert and go home with a recipe book to try after the class.

AM - Journey to Cape Coast

Hop on a coach and travel to Cape Coast, where you will visit Cape Coast Castle, which is one of about 40 "slave castles".

PM - Visit Cape Coast & Elmina Castle

Originally a Portuguese "feitoria" or trading post, Cape Coast Castle was established in 1555, and was named Cabo Corso. In 1653 however, the Swedish Africa company constructed a timber for there. It originally was a centre for the trade in timber and gold and was later used in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Elmina Castle was erected by the Portuguese in 1482 as Castelo de São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine Castle), also known as Castelo da Mina or simply Mina (or Feitoria da Mina), in present-day Elmina, Ghana (formerly the Gold Coast). It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, and the oldest European building in existence south of the Sahara. First established as a trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic slave trade. The Dutch seized the fort from the Portuguese in 1637, after an unsuccessful attempt in 1596, and took over all of the Portuguese Gold Coast in 1642. The slave trade continued under the Dutch until 1814. In 1872, the Dutch Gold Coast, including the fort, became a possession of Great Britain.

AM - Visit to Ussher Fort Museum 

Ussher Fort Museum is located within Ussher Fort, a former European stronghold in Accra.  It was opened in 2007, having been developed by Ghana’s Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with the European Union and UNESCO. The museum aims to draw the attention of Ghanaians and tourists to the history of the slave trade in Ghana.  The story of the industry’s development and impact is told inside the museum through wall paintings and through the display of articles once used by the captors and their victims.

PM - Departure

Spend your remaining free time in Accra getting in some last-minute sightseeing and souvenir shopping before you get your private transfer back to the airport for an evening flight back to the UK.