Tour Overview

Join us on an immersive Rock My Adventure tour through Ghana, Benin, and Togo, three of West Africa’s most spectacular destinations – with beautiful beaches, interesting cultural traditions, and fascinating history.

Benin is also the birthplace of the Voodoo religion, so on this trip, you will learn all about and experience firsthand the Voodoo way of life.

Expect magic, intrigue and one of the most unusual trips of your life…

Kpalime

Elmina

Essential Info

Cost

Total – from £3,280 (subject to current USD to GBP exchange rates)*

• Deposit: £500 (non-refundable)
• 2nd Payment: £2,295 (due 62 days before the departure date)
• 3rd Payment: €560 (local payment, paid on arrival)

The local payment is part of the overall cost of the trip. You pay the local payment to your tour leader in US Dollars (unless specified otherwise) upon arrival in Africa.

This includes the on-tour expenses that we cannot pay prior to arrival, such as national park entry fees, meals, local transport, and some activities.

The local payment is NOT your spending money.

Notes

• Start: Lome, Togo.
• End: Accra, Ghana.
• This is a Rock My Adventure ‘Exploratory’ trip, therefore we are limiting places to 10 people MAX.
• This also means that it is a brand new Rock My Adventure trip and/or Helen’s first trip to some of the areas on this trip – so, we’ll be discovering some of it together.
• Saying that, our local guides know the area well, so you will be in good hands.
• This is an adventurous and unusual trip, so please bring your patience, sense of humour and an open mind.
• Voodoo is a very interesting concept, so you may need to suspend your disbelief sometimes…

What’s Not Included

• Flights
• Airport transfers (however we can arrange these for you)
• Visas (if needed)
• Medications, antimalarials or vaccinations
• Travel/health insurance (required)
• Drinks & meals not mentioned
• Optional activities
• Transport & tips for optional activities

Itinerary

Day 2: Lomé, Togo

We’ll spend our first full day getting an introduction into Togolese life. In the morning, we’ll head out to a nearby local village to experience a Voodoo twin doll ceremony. Twins are revered and if one twin dies, the other must carry a doll of his or her twin with them at all times. 

We’ll explore the community and surrounding farmland on foot and experience how people process palm nuts into palm oil, palm wine.

After lunch in the village, we’ll return to Lomé to enjoy the Francophone atmosphere, which was once claimed to be the ‘Paris of West Africa’, with its broad boulevards, palm-fringed beaches, and crumbling colonial buildings.

In the afternoon, we’ll visit Nana Benz, the flamboyant market in Lomé and the Akodessawa Fetish Market, the market where people buy unusual items for their traditional Voodoo ceremonies.

In the evening we’ll go for dinner at a great local restaurant. The evening is then free to experience the Lomé nightlife.

• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Twin Doll Ceremony, Akodessawa Fetish Market, Nana Benz

Day 4: Ouidah, Benin

In the morning, we’ll enjoy a cruise by boat along the beautiful Mono River to the river mouth at Bouche du Roi. Along the way you will see many small villages dotted at the riverside.

From there we’ll continue to Ouidah, a town with a rich history, known for being the birthplace of the Voodoo religion. Voodoo is not just a belief system, but an entire way of life, and practitioners believe in hundreds of smaller gods and one supreme being.

The word Voodoo comes from the word in the Fon language for spirit. The belief is that after a person dies, his or her soul turns into a spirit, and has supernatural powers. Traditional priests, also called juju men or fetish priests, are able to communicate best with the spirits.

Through a variety of rites or ceremonies, the spirits manifest themselves on earth in different ways and can communicate with the living, as well as intervene in particular areas of people’s lives.

While in Ouidah, we will visit the Slave Route, the Sacred Forest of Kpasse and the Python Temple.

• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Mono River Boat Trip, Slave Route, Sacred Forest of Kpasse, Python Temple

Day 6: Abomey, Benin

After breakfast, we’ll say goodbye to our hosts before making our way to the city of Abomey.  

Abomey is the capital of the ancient Dahomey Empire. The twelve kings who ruled over the empire built a palace within the same mud-built enclosure at Abomey, which now forms the UNESCO Royal Palace. 

The Kings of Dahomy were feared by other local powers and played an essential role during the era of the slave trade, gaining wealth by trading prisoners of war from other tribes with European merchants. 

Voodoo is vibrant in Abomey and you will see many temples and shrines scattered throughout the city. A visit to the Royal Palace Museum will give your insight into the evolution of the empire and the myths, customs, and rituals of the Fon people. 

Abomey is a great place to experience a Voodoo ceremony, so if there’s any happening this evening, we will be there. In the evening we will hopefully attend a voodoo ceremony.

• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Royal Palace Museum & Temple/Shrines, Voodoo Ceremony

Day 8: Sokode, Togo

From Dassa Zoume we will make our way to Sokode, across the border in Togo.

On the way we will stop at the most famous shrine in Benin, the Dankoli Fetish, which is situated under a magnificent tree and receives streams of believers who wish to ask for help and guidance of the spirits.

Unfortunately, this once magical place has also attracted opportunists who hope to make money from those believers. Nonetheless, it’s still an interesting place to visit.

We’ll then continue on to Sokode, the second largest city in Togo where we will witness the spectacular and traditional Fire Dance. The rhythm of the drums, the dancing of the crowd, the night sky and the heat of the flames all add to the magic.

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Dankoli Fetish, Fire Dance

Day 10: Liate Wote, Ghana

We’ll start the day by exploring the artist village of Kouma-Konda. During the walk, our guide will explain the medicinal properties of some of the tropical greenery, as well as the plants and and herbs that supply natural pigments used by the artists.

Our hike will also take us to the coffee farming village of Kouma-Dunyo. The perfect place for a coffee and lunch break. It is also possible to take a dip in the pretty Tomegbe Falls. The hike down offers panoramic views over the surrounding hills and tropical forest.

From there, we’ll cross over the border to Ghana and head for the rural village of Liate Wote, a community-based tourism destination situated at the foot of Mount Afadjato, Ghana’s highest peak.

If there’s time, we can hike to Wli Waterfalls, if not we can add this in tomorrow!

• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Accommodation: Guesthouse (Ensuite)
• Activities: Botanical Walk in Kouma-Konda & Kouma-Dunyo, Tomegbe Falls

Day 12: Accra, Ghana

Although it will be sad leaving Liate Wote, today is an exciting day as we’re heading to Ghana’s vibrant capital, Accra.

On the way, we’ll visit the Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary. The villagers of Tafi Atome take pride in protecting the sacred forest and and it’s inhabitants, the endemic Mona monkeys. This village is an official community-based tourism destination, offering a chance to see the monkeys up close.

We’ll also stop at a Kente cloth weaving centre in Tafi Abuipe, to see how this icon of West African culture is made and visit a Cedi glass beads factory. Beads play a crucial role in Ghana’s culture. Originally, beads were used by kings and queens to display their social status, today they are part of Ghana’s cultural identity.

Arriving in Accra, we’ll check into our hotel. In the evening, we’ll head out to a great local restaurant.

• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, Tafi Abuipe Kente Village, Bead Workshop

Day 14: Elmina, Ghana

After breakfast, we’ll continue to Elmina, an attractive fishing town with a terrible past.

We’ll explore the town and visit the Elmina Castle, a UNESCO Heritage Site and the oldest European building in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was first established as a trade site but became one of the most important stops on the Atlantic slave trade route.

In the afternoon we’ll take a batik workshop with a group called Global Mamas, a social enterprise that empowers women in the area.

• Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
• Accommodation: Hotel (Ensuite)
• Activities: Elmina Walking Tour, Elmina Castle, Batik Workshop

Day 16: Departure Day

After breakfast, we’ll make our way back to Accra, making a stop at one of the Ga coffin galleries along the way. The Ga people of Accra are known for their talented carpenters who create figurative coffins in their workshops.

These coffins are designed to represent an aspect of the deceased person’s life, for example, coffins in the shape of a mini bus, a beer bottle or fish. These coffins are originally part of the Ga tradition but are becoming more popular among other tribes.

You can book your flight out this evening, or those who want to can book an extra night in Accra and fly out the following day. We can arrange the transfer to Kotoka International Airport or you can continue your Africa travels from there.

If you need any support with your pre or post-tour Africa travels, please don’t hesitate to contact us. It’s all part of the Rock My Adventure service!

• Meals: Breakfast
• Accommodation: None
• Activities: Ga Coffin Shop