Ivory Coast & Ghana: 9 Days — Abidjan, Grand Bassam, Kumasi & Cape Coast

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Land at Felix Houphouet-Boigny International Airport. Abidjan is West Africa’s most cosmopolitan city — often called the “Paris of West Africa” for its sophisticated culture, modern skyline, and lagoon-front setting. Transfer to your hotel in the Plateau district (the business center) or Cocody (the diplomatic area). Evening: orientation drive past St. Paul’s Cathedral (a striking modern architectural landmark), the Presidential Palace, and the Banco National Park (a 30 sq km primary rainforest reserve within city limits). Welcome dinner featuring Ivorian cuisine — attieke (fermented cassava couscous) with grilled fish, alloco (fried plantains), and fresh tropical fruit. Overnight in Abidjan.

Day 2: Abidjan — West Africa’s Manhattan

Full day exploring Abidjan. Morning: visit the National Museum of Ivory Coast for an overview of the country’s 60+ ethnic groups and their artistic traditions — the Baule masks and Senufo wooden sculptures are world-renowned. Continue to the Treichville Market, Abidjan’s largest, and Village Ki-Yi Mbock, an extraordinary cultural center founded by Werewere Liking — a creative space combining dance, theater, art, and music that has launched many of West Africa’s most important contemporary artists. Afternoon: the Cocody art market (CAVA) for contemporary Ivorian art — vibrant paintings, batik textiles, and wood carvings. Evening: drive across the Charles de Gaulle and Houphouet-Boigny bridges (Abidjan is built on lagoons, and its bridges are landmarks) for views of the skyline from the Plateau. Overnight in Abidjan.

Day 3: Grand Bassam — Colonial Capital

Drive to Grand Bassam (45 minutes), Ivory Coast’s former colonial capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Grand Bassam (founded 1893) was the first French capital of Ivory Coast and its colonial architecture — trading houses, administrative buildings, and mansions from the 1890s-1920s — is remarkably preserved. The streets are lined with faded grandeur: peeling pastel facades, wooden shutters, and wide verandas designed for tropical living. Walk through the Quartier France (the colonial administrative district) and the Quartier Commerce (the merchants’ quarter along the lagoon). Visit the National Costume Museum (housed in the former Governor’s Palace, 1893) for Ivorian textiles and regalia from across the country.
Afternoon: relax at one of Grand Bassam’s beaches — they stretch for kilometers along the Atlantic, backed by coconut palms. Grand Bassam is also a center for contemporary art — visit local artist workshops and galleries. Overnight in Grand Bassam.

Day 4: Cross into Ghana — Nzulezu Stilt Village

Morning border crossing to Ghana. Drive to Nzulezu (3 hours from the border), one of West Africa’s most extraordinary villages. Nzulezu is built entirely on stilts over Lake Tadane — 500 people live in this village, accessible only by a 45-minute canoe ride through flooded forest. The village was founded over 500 years ago by people fleeing war — guided by a snail (according to oral tradition) to this hidden location. Walk the single main “street” — a wooden boardwalk connecting the stilt houses, where daily life (cooking, school, church, community meetings) happens suspended above the water. The isolation has preserved a way of life that has essentially disappeared elsewhere. Overnight near Axim.

Day 5: Elmina & Cape Coast — The Slave Castles

Drive east along the coast. Morning: Elmina Castle (UNESCO, 1482), the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa. Afternoon: Cape Coast Castle (UNESCO, 1653). Both sites document the transatlantic slave trade with power and poignancy — the dungeons, the “Door of No Return,” and the contrast of beautiful colonial architecture with terrible purpose. These visits are essential for understanding West Africa’s history and its connection to the African diaspora. Overnight at Cape Coast.

Day 6: Kakum National Park & Kumasi

Morning: Kakum National Park canopy walkway — 40m above the rainforest floor. Afternoon: drive to Kumasi, capital of the Ashanti Kingdom. Overnight in Kumasi.

Day 7: Kumasi — The Ashanti Kingdom

Manhyia Palace Museum (the Ashanti royal seat), the National Cultural Center, and the vibrant Kejetia Market — one of West Africa’s largest open-air markets. Afternoon: visit the Ashanti craft villages — Ahwiaa (woodcarving), Ntonso (adinkra cloth stamping), and Bonwire (kente weaving). Overnight in Kumasi.

Day 8: Return to Accra

Drive to Accra (4 hours). Afternoon: visit the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre and the Artists Alliance Gallery. Last chance for souvenirs at the Centre for National Culture — kente cloth, adinkra symbols, wood carvings, and beads. Farewell dinner with live highlife music. Overnight in Accra.

Day 9: Departure

Morning: visit Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park. Transfer to Kotoka International Airport for departure.

Included

• 8 nights accommodation
• Daily breakfast + 5 dinners
• Expert guide throughout
• Private vehicle
• All entrance fees
• Nzulezu canoe trip
• Kakum canopy walkway
• Border crossing assistance
• Airport transfers