Ghana - Beaches and jungles of the West 34 days, Accra to Douala
Adventure Details
Travel in West Africa is often challenging, and you'll need a well-developed sense of adventure to overland through the region. Beginning on Ghana's Gold Coast we'll head for Togo, where voodoo is still very much a way of life. Crossing this long, thin country we make for Benin where we'll stay in a stilt village, visit Ouidah, a poignant former slaving port, and explore Abomey, the former royal capital.
It gets even more adventurous as we cross into Nigeria, visiting a wildlife reserve and heading up to the Jos Plateau. We'll travel right the way across this African giant, skirting the edge of the Afi Mountains - home to drill monkeys and chimpanzees - before crossing the border into Cameroon, overlanding through the rainforest on mud roads to Douala and the end of this epic trip.
What's included?
Week 1: Ghana & Togo
Accra and the beaches of the Gold Coast
Visit to the stunning jungles of Kakum Nat. Park including an amazing canopy trek
Explore the Ghanaian slaving forts at Elmina Beach and Cape Coast
Discover voodoo, a religion firmly embedded in local culture, amongst the jungle-clad hills of Mount Klouto
Week 2: Togo & Benin
Local pirogue dugout trip across Lac Togo to Togoville
Guided city tour of the voodoo centre of Togoville
2 nights to relax on Benin's Grand Popo Atlantic beaches, meeting the local fishermen
Discover the history of slavery at the Ouidah 'Route des Esclaves'
Afternoon visit to Ganvie, where fishermen live in stilt houses on a marine lagoon
Week 3: Central Nigeria
2 nights in Abomey, capital of the Dan Homey Kingdom with guided tour of Palace and Museum
Overland through southern Nigeria to Jos Plateau
Big game safari in Yankari National Park, Nigeria's best wildlife reserve. Stay at the beautiful hot springs
Week 4: Southern Nigeria & Cameroon
Overland through Nigeria to the Afi Mountains, the edge of the rainforest
3 night stay at the Drill Ranch Monkey Conservation Project in the Afi Mountains
Jungle mayhem: drive dirt roads into Cameroon's rainforests, digging out when it rains
Week 5: Cameroon
Time for some R&R on the black sand of the Atlantic beaches at Limbe
More R&R on the white sands of Kribi Beach
Explore Douala, the capital of Cameroon
There is a local kitty payment of approx USD$520-$550 due on day 1 of the adventure. The payment varies with departure date.
What can I do on the way?
(Activities available at extra costs)
Day's guided butterfly walking safari through forests of Mont Klouto
Night walk with local Turtle conservationists along Benin's Atlantic beaches
Jungle trip to visit the Pygmy villages around Lolodorf
*Please note this trip also runs in reverse depending on departure dates. The 26/11/2011 runs Accra to Douala, and the 05/01/2012 runs Douala to Accra.
