Welcome to Ghana
Akwaaba! When you embark on a concert tour of Ghana, you are likely to hear this word of welcome often. Ghanaians are without a doubt some of the friendliest people you will ever meet. There aren’t many places like Ghana – beautiful weather, rich culture, historical significance, tropical beaches, and lush rainforests. This country located on the western coast of Africa has all of this and more. Musically, Ghana can only be described as a land of festivals, music, and traditional dances. Without a doubt, there is hardly any community, clan, or tribe in Ghana that lacks an occasion to celebrate. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and culturally exciting countries on the continent.
On your trip to Ghana, your choir will learn about Ghanaian arts, music, and culture, and above all, perform alongside local choirs. at unique and historic venues for enthusiastic Ghanaian audiences. Visit the capital city of Accra, regional villages, and the historic port of Cape Coast. In each region, you will meet and mingle with members of the community.
Enjoy a concert tour of Ghana. Immerse your ensemble in all that Ghana has to offer as you share your music with the local people.
Itinerary
Depart your local airport on an overnight flight to Accra, Ghana.
Welcome to Africa! Transfer to your hotel, and enjoy an introduction to Ghana with your tour manager en route.
Tonight a welcome dinner of local specialties is served in the hotel restaurant, accompanied by a dance presentation showcasing local dancers and drummers.
Following dinner, your tour manager will preview the days ahead.
Enjoy your first full day in Ghana! This morning take a guided city tour of Accra including highlights such as the bustling Makola Market, Black Star Square, and Ussher Town, the center of the city.
After lunch served at a restaurant, participate in an afternoon workshop at the University of Ghana on the roots and traditions of African music.
Dinner will be arranged for your group this evening.
This morning depart for a visit to a Ghanaian village where your group will be greeted by the Chief and Queen Mother in a special ceremony. Enjoy being welcomed with dancing and drumming, and invited to perform for the villagers.
Return to Accra for lunch and have time to prepare for your concert. This evening, perform a friendship concert with a local choir and enjoy sharing your music together.
Dinner will be arranged to complement your concert schedule.
Check out of your hotel and depart for Cape Coast.
Upon arrival, enjoy lunch served to your ensemble before taking a guided tour of Cape Coast Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This evening, check into your oceanfront hotel. Take some time to prepare for your evening concert at the Castle.
Perform a friendship concert this evening alongside two local choirs in the courtyard of the Cape Coast Castle. Tonight’s concert will undoubtedly be a profoundly moving experience.
Depart for your nearby hotel after your concert in time for dinner.
This morning embark on an excursion to Kakum National Park to explore the rain forest with a park guide.
Those interested may enjoy the canopy walk, wood and rope walkway suspended 130 feet above the rain forest floor. Lunch is served en route back to your Cape Coast hotel.
This afternoon enjoy time to swim and relax at the hotel before dinner.
Check out of the hotel this morning and depart for Accra.
Take some time for last minute shopping to experience the tradition of Ghanaian open-air markets overflowing with handmade crafts such as drums, masks, kente cloth, and clothing.
Enjoy a festive farewell dinner this evening with your group at a local restaurant serving Ghanaian specialties.
Tonight transfer to the airport for your late evening flight back to the United States.
Arrive in the U.S. Welcome home!
Concert Tour Highlights
ACCRA
Ga people founded the capital of now Ghana, Accra, in the 15th century. Bordered by the Gulf of Guinea to the south and the Korle Lagoon to the east, the Ga settlement was ideally situated for trade with passing Portuguese ships. James Town is an interesting section of the city marked by colorful markets and colonial-era shops. The colonial-era lighthouse stands almost 100 feet high above the old fishing harbor located on the beach below Fort James. Fort Ussher is a Dutch-built fort and the central point of Ussher Town, the section of Accra most often referred to as the city center, and home to bustling Makola Market, the largest open-air market in the city. The National Theater was built in 1992 and regularly hosts plays and dance performances as well as the annual African Choral Festival. The famous Independence Square (also known as Black Star Square) was created as a monument to pan-Africanism and Ghanaian independence. There are two symbolic focal points of the square—the white marble Independence Arch, inscribed with the words “Freedom and Justice,” and the enclosed Flame of African Liberation, which was lit by the first Prime Minister of Ghana in 1961.
CAPE COAST
The four-hour journey from Accra to Cape Coast is a spectacular scenic drive leading from the northern hills and jungles to the picturesque seascape of the south. Cape Coast (originally Oguaa) was founded in the early 15th century with its English name being derived from Cabo Corso (Short Cape), the name given to it by Portuguese captains in 1471. By the time the English arrived in 1555, Oguaa was a fishing village of roughly 20 small houses. The rapidly growing village changed hands many times, going from the Portuguese to the Danes, briefly to the Dutch and finally to Britain following the Anglo-Dutch War of 1664.
KAKUM NATIONAL PARK
The Kakum rainforest, ranked among the most extensive pristine rainforest habitats in Ghana, is home to more than forty large mammal species and over 275 forest bird species. Park guides accompany you on a forest walk, and those interested can continue the tour along the canopy walk, wood and rope walkway suspended 130 feet above the rainforest floor.
FRIENDSHIP CONCERTS IN GHANA
Our friendship concerts are a featured experience on our tours and are at the heart of our mission to foster cultural connections through music. We benefit from a vast international network in the choral world built over our thirty years' experience of helping choirs share their music both in the United States and abroad. Your choir will share a venue and a concert program with a host choir from the region. Your singers will have the chance to hear their host choir's repertoire (often showcasing local musical styles) and to share your own repertoire in turn. Fellowship time usually follows the friendship concert, giving both choirs the chance to mingle and enjoy the camaraderie of creating cross-cultural connections through a shared love of music.