Ghana tour and community project

This expedition offers a blend of volunteering adventure and the opportunity to visit Ghana’s best eco-tourism sites, all within a two week trip. You will spend the first part of your time in Ghana living and working in one of our partner communities, providing hands on support to an infrastructure project, or running afternoon workshops for the school children. You will be welcomed by the community, and given a unique insight into village life. Either working alongside community members at the project site or providing instruction to the village children through the afternoon workshops, you will be sure to strike up friendships which will stay with you long after you return home.

After a week or more on the project, you will then embark on your tour of Ghana: travelling north to the Mole National Park via Kumasi, before returning back to Accra, stopping to take in Wli falls or Lake Volta on the way. The style of travel is evocative of a bygone era, with your comfort assured by the on board cook, as well as your expedition leader and driver. You will camp in the bush, eating and sleeping under the African stars. Ghana is leading the way in community based ecotourism and the sites you visit are all contributing to the well being and development of the communities that run them. Because of the short term nature of the volunteering section of this expedition, considerable care is taken to ensure that your contribution fits within our ongoing programme of whole school improvements, so that the benefits of your efforts are sustained long after you leave.

Infrastructure Projects: If you elect to spend your time working in a hands on capacity on one of our Infrastructure Improvement projects, you are likely to be labouring alongside community workers to build a kindergarten school. In its 2007 Education Reform, the Government of Ghana formally recognised the importance of kindergarten education, and two years of pre-primary were added to the basic education system. In response to this challenge, our trust is working with its corporate partner, Davis Langdon LLP, to implement a kindergarten school building programme which is based on an innovative and low cost school structure.

The building work is timed to ensure you are not labouring during the heat of the day, with the cooler early mornings and late afternoons spent on site. In the middle of the day you will be able to relax in the community, take a trip into town or visit the stunning beaches on Ghana’s tropical coast.

Activity Workshops: If you choose to spend the volunteering section of your expedition providing afternoon activity workshops, you will need to familiarise yourself with the Trust's Extra-Curricular Activities programme. You should select a subject area from the following disciplines: Arts & Craft, Sports, Music, or Drama; and consider the activities that you could cover during your week with the community.

In country you will have access to workshop plans and materials used by previous volunteers as well as the Trust’s resource library, and your mornings will be taken up preparing for that afternoon’s session. We recommend that you take with you any specialist resources you would like to use, and as you prepare for your expedition, we will be happy to discuss your ideas and suggest additional resources or activities. To ensure that you get the very most out of your two weeks in Ghana, we have designed an itinerary that takes in all of Ghana’s most interesting and diverse attractions. From the palm-fringed beaches of the south, through the tropical jungles up to the northern savannah plains you will come face to face with Ghana’s exotic wildlife and its myriad of fascinating traditional cultures and tribal groups. As outlined above, your travels in Ghana will be preceded by the project element of the expedition, lasting up to ten days. This hands on experience is sure to leave you with incredible memories.

The travel itinerary is flexible and we will endeavour to accommodate any specific interests that the group may have. Below is a selection of the sites your itinerary is likely to include.

Elmina: Built in 1482, Elmina Castle is the oldest European settlement in Sub-Saharan Africa. From 1637 to 1871, the castle became a key transit point in the Atlantic Slave Trade, where conquered tribesmen and women from the hinterland were sold into slavery by the dominant coastal tribes. The knowledgeable local guides will show you around the castle and educate you about its role in the region’s tragic history, culminating in a visit to the infamous door of no return.

Kakum Nature Reserve: This national park is constantly developing as the gamekeepers win community support for their anti-poaching programme and develop game viewing infrastructure. Monkeys, pygmy elephants, antelope, leopards, warthogs and forest buffalo roam 350 square km of protected rainforest. Most unique of all is the rope bridge walkway which has been built through the rain-forest canopy, it offers a treetop perspective of the forest’s rich and diverse flora and fauna.

Kumasi: Kumasi is the capital of the Ashanti region and is known as the “Garden City of West Africa.” The Ghana National Cultural Centre showcases the best of Ghana’s heritage, with artisans demonstrating traditional handicrafts such as hand woven kente cloth, bronze casting and the making of palm wine. Kumasi is also home to West Africa’s largest market, a sprawling expanse where you can shop for the most obscure items and wonderful keepsakes.

Mole National Park: In north west Ghana, Mole National Park receives relatively few visitors, which is what makes the wildlife viewing so very special. We think the best way to see the park is on foot, on one of the guided treks led by park rangers, which allow you to get unbelievably close to the park’s elephant population. We also stop to see the Larabanga Mosque. Believed to be the oldest building in Ghana, it is a fascinating example of traditional architecture, with wooden posts projecting from the mosque’s mud walls.