Ashanti craft workshops & community tours, Ghana
| country: | Ghana |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at any time to suit you in Jan, Apr, Aug, Oct or Dec |
| price: | From £990 (11 days) excluding flights. Includes day trips to nature reserves, markets and museums |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
Chosen by the Observer as one of Africa’s top non-Safari holidays March 2005.
Eleven day Ashanti Multiple Craft tour including Kente weaving, brass casting, wood carving, hand shaped pottery and bead-making. Explore the diverse craft villages around Kumasi. Try your hand at Adinkra printing, pot making, Kente weaving, brass casting and bead-making – all taught to you by the traditional craftsmen in their villages.
Eleven day Ashanti Multiple Craft tour including Kente weaving, brass casting, wood carving, hand shaped pottery and bead-making. Explore the diverse craft villages around Kumasi. Try your hand at Adinkra printing, pot making, Kente weaving, brass casting and bead-making – all taught to you by the traditional craftsmen in their villages.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Arrival and transfer to hotel. Orientation on health, customs and behaviour, geography and currency: orientation on the culture of Ghana – how to interpret what you see and hear, how to behave and interact; tour of Accra, Ghana's capital. |
| Day 3: | Drive North to Kumasi, through exquisite scenery from the coast up onto the central plateau, visiting Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary en route. |
| Day 4-8: | The Kumasi region is famous for its craftsmen, brought back from conquered countries by Ashanti kings and settled in villages around the capital. You will make your own powder glass beads in the village of Dabaa; make your own brass works using the lost wax process in the village of Krofrom; visit the Kente weaving village of Bonwire and the wood carving village of Ahwiaa; make your own pot in Pankronu, and make your own printed cloth in Ntonsu. You will also see Kumasi Central Market, and the Cultural Centre, gardens and Museum. |
| Day 9: | Drive South through the gold rich region of Obuasi to the coast. Visit Cape Coast Castle and slave dungeons. |
| Day 10: | Early morning guided tour of Kakum Rainforest Reserve with its Treetop suspended walkways followed by scenic drive to Accra along the coast. |
| Day 11: | Free time in Accra to spend shopping in Makola Market and the Arts Centre, or on the beach before transit to airport, return flight. |
travellers' tales
We have just returned from an amazing holiday in Ghana which we shall remember for a long time... a very well organised and memorable holiday. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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You will work in the village workshops - sometimes outdoors in the shade of a tree, or in the courtyard of a house - and receive tuition directly from the crafts people. Each visit will include a tour of the craft village, and you will have the the opportunity to shop, cook, and eat with the villagers.
Guests are briefed beforehand and on arrival on how to behave and interact eg with regard to greetings, photography, bartering, dress code, etc. The tours allow visitors to appreciate the skills of the indigenous artists and craftspeople, and to interact with them as guests learning from the artists. Guests are encouraged to share their own craft skills. Each tour group will contribute to leave behind a legacy of their presence – such as new tools and workshop facilities. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |