Kakum Rainforest & the Cape Coast: Canopy Walks, Castles & Beaches

Today you journey west to the Cape Coast, gateway to rainforest and history. You leave Accra and travel along the palm-fringed coast, through fishing towns and past lagoons, to the Cape Coast region. In the afternoon you head inland to Kakum National Park, settling into your forest-edge accommodation, and, depending on timing, take a first nature walk on the forest trails, learning from expert guides about the medicinal plants, giant buttressed trees, birds and butterflies of this rich ecosystem, and listening for the calls of the rainforest as evening falls. As the day ends, you are surrounded by the sounds of the forest, poised for tomorrow's canopy adventure. This evening, savour Ghanaian cuisine and the peace of the forest edge. Rest well, for tomorrow you walk the famous canopy walkway high above the treetops of Kakum.

Today combines rainforest adventure with profound history. You rise early to reach Kakum's famous canopy walkway before the crowds, while the forest is cool and misty, and walk the series of rope-and-plank suspension bridges strung up to forty metres above the forest floor, swaying gently among the treetops with breathtaking views over the green canopy alive with birdsong, a thrilling and beautiful experience. Later you visit Cape Coast Castle, a great white fortress above the sea and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on a guided tour through the grim slave dungeons and the Door of No Return, the threshold through which countless enslaved Africans passed to the ships, a place of profound reflection, with an excellent museum. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation, exhilarated and moved. This evening, savour the coast and reflect. Rest well, for tomorrow brings Elmina and gentle wildlife.

Today you deepen the history and enjoy gentle wildlife. In the morning you visit Elmina, where St George's Castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482, is the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, later a major slave-trading centre. On a guided tour you walk the courtyards, the dungeons and Elmina's own Door of No Return, above the vibrant, colourful fishing harbour crowded with painted boats, one of the great sights of the coast. Later you enjoy gentle wildlife, visiting the famous Hans Cottage Botel, built on stilts over a lake, to see crocodiles at close quarters and enjoy the birdlife, and a community sanctuary to meet habituated Mona monkeys in the trees. The history and wildlife are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your accommodation. This evening, savour the coast. Rest well, for tomorrow you head to the beach at Busua.

Today you journey west to relax on the beach at Busua. You leave the Cape Coast and travel along the beautiful western shore, through fishing villages, coconut groves and past lagoons, to Busua, one of Ghana's most relaxed and welcoming beach towns, a crescent of golden sand lapped by the warm Atlantic. You settle into your beachside accommodation and spend the rest of the day unwinding, swimming in the warm sea, lazing on the sand, and perhaps taking your first surf lesson on the gentle breaks, for Busua is Ghana's surf capital. As evening falls you feast on fresh seafood, grilled lobster and fruit at a laid-back beach bar, watching the sun set over the Atlantic. The relaxed rhythm and beautiful setting are lovely. As the day ends, you savour the peace of the beach. Rest well, for tomorrow is a full day to enjoy Busua and pretty Butre.

Today you enjoy a full, relaxed day on the beautiful western coast. You might spend the morning swimming, surfing or simply lazing on Busua's golden sand, soaking up the laid-back beach-town atmosphere and the warm welcome of the community. Later you can walk or paddle a short way to Butre, one of the loveliest spots on the coast, where a river meets the sea amid palm-fringed hills, colourful fishing boats and a golden beach, and climb to the atmospheric ruins of Fort Batenstein, a seventeenth-century Dutch fort, for beautiful views over the estuary, coast and forest. You can take a canoe up the mangrove-lined river and enjoy the peace of this beautiful corner. The beach and beauty are lovely. As the day ends, you return to Busua for a final beach evening. This evening, savour fresh seafood by the sea. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final, relaxed morning by the sea at Busua, perhaps a last swim, surf or beach walk, you are transferred back along the coast to Accra and Kotoka International Airport for your onward international departure (allowing time for the scenic drive). You leave having enjoyed a wonderfully varied coastal adventure through Ghana, the thrilling canopy walkway high in the rainforest of Kakum, the profoundly moving slave-trade castles of Cape Coast and Elmina and the Door of No Return, gentle encounters with monkeys and crocodiles, and the surf, golden sand and fresh seafood of Busua and pretty Butre. The images stay vivid long after you land, the swaying canopy walk among the treetops, the silent dungeons and the Door of No Return, the colourful fishing harbour of Elmina, and the golden sunset over Busua beach. Ghana's coast offers adventure, history and beach in glorious combination, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this welcoming land.