Join Dr. Deanna Cooke for the journey of a lifetime to beautiful and bountiful Ghana. This 12-day trip will be a journey through culture, history, and spiritual reconnecting. We will begin in Accra, the capital city, where we will learn about the history of Ghana and its role in Pan-Africanism. We will also visit contemporary artists and schools seeking to keep culture and history alive for the next generations and the African diaspora.
After several days in Accra, we will journey into a spiritual sojourn, to experience the paths where Africans were marched to the shore, held in captivity, and sold into slavery. We will walk in the steps of our collective ancestors and pay homage to them, their spirit, and their legacies.
Next, we will journey to Kumasi, the seat of the Asante Kingdom. Kumasi is known for its cultural communities, royal palaces, and spirituality. Here we will officially reconnect to the culture of our African past. We will receive our Asante names, visit cultural sites where they make Kente and Adinkra clothes and learn the power of the past and present Asante Kingdom
We also learn about African spirituality with a special visit to the Shrine of the Black and White Powers, led by Nana Abass where we will get to better understand traditional medicine and spirituality.
This is an experience of a lifetime. Along the way, we will have good food, opportunities for shopping, visits to museums and cultural sites, and great fellowship.
AKWAABA
TUE 30TH JUNE 2026
Arrive at Accra airport.
Akwaaba! Welcome to Ghana.
Meet, greet and transfer from Airport to your hotel
Brief orientation by guide
Welcome Lunch at Hotel with cultural entertainment.
Hotel Check-in time at 3PM
Rest of evening free for relaxation
Meals Included: Lunch
GETTING TO KNOW GHANA
WED 01 JUL 2026
Go on a half day city tour of Accra, a visit to the National Museum of Ghana - the oldest and largest museum in the country which offers a rich insight into the nation's cultural, archaeological, and historical heritage.
The group will visit Black Star Gate and Independence Square for a panoramic view of the Independence Square and a photo opportunity.
Lunch
Proceed to the National Centre for Arts and Crafts that has a variety of Ghanaian hand-crafted items on sale. Here you will have the opportunity to try your bargaining skills to shop in an open-air market and shop for family and friends back home
Transfer to the hotel and relax for the rest of the day
Evening: Meet Tailors and dressmakers for a display of ready-made clothes to place an order for a custom-made outfit.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
KEEPING CULTURE AND PASSING IT ON
THUR 02 JUL 2026
Breakfast
This day-long journey will help us connect our culture and our future.
Depart Accra to visit the Royal Tema School. This school focuses on teaching youth about the cultures of Ghana in order to continue the rich legacy of Ghana. You will have the opportunity to interact with the school kids and teachers and contribute to the school, if you choose.
Lunch
After lunch we will continue on our journey to visit an amazing living outdoor art museum situated on several acres in Ada. This museum gets its name from an Akan Adinkra symbol, Nkyinkim , which means Twists and Turns. The museum is an evolving art installation/monument of sculptured pieces, portraying the story of Africa, the Maafa (African Holocaust), and the resilience of our ancestors.
Return to Accra and transfer to your hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
PAN AFRICANISM DAY
FRI 03 JUL 2026
Breakfast
Today, we explore Ghana’s road to Independence.
Our first visit will be to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum to experience Ghana’s rich history and the events that led to the independence of Ghana, a celebration of the first Ghanaian President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Lunch
After lunch, we will visit the WEB Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture. Enter the home of Du Bois and experience the last days of his life here in Ghana.
Continue next for a courtesy call to meet the Ambassador for the Diaspora African Forum. Learn and discuss opportunities for business development, partnerships, and citizenship.
Return to the hotel for a relaxing evening.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
JOURNEY TO CAPE COAST
SAT 04 JUL 2026
Enjoy the Ghanaian rainforest on our way to the beach
Breakfast and early check out
Depart Accra and journey to the Central Region to visit Kakum National Park. We will go on a walk on the “Kuntan Trail” with its countless trees with medicinal properties. For the young at heart, experience the “Canopy Walkway” suspended 100 feet from the forest ground for a panoramic view of the flora and fauna of the remaining vestiges of the rainforest.
Lunch
After lunch, we will continue to our hotel for check-in.
Travelers will spend the rest of the day enjoying the beauty of the Coconut Grove Beach Resort.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
RETURNING AND COMMITTING TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF AFRICAN PEOPLES
SUN 05 JUL 2026
Breakfast
Depart hotel dressed in all-white for our pilgrimage to the Elmina Dungeons, the first and oldest European structure built of any substance on African soil. This was built by the Portuguese in 1482 and later used as an auction market. Dr. Cooke will lead a ceremony of commitment, recognizing our shared past and our commitment to our forward movement.
Lunch
Proceed to visit the Cape Coast Dungeons, which founded by the Swedes in 1652. It served as the headquarters and seat of the British colonial government until 1877. Go on a comprehensive tour of the Slave Dungeons, and here Dr. Cooke will lead us through a ceremony to recognize our return from the Great Tragedy for African peoples. Travelers will experience the dungeons, and travelers of African descent will have the opportunity to reenter through the Door of No Return, signifying our perseverance and return to our ancestral home.
Return to our hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
DAY OF REFLECTION
MON 06 JUL 2026
Day free for rest and reflection
Enjoy the hotel’s beach front, swimming pool, horse riding etc.
Dinner
Evening: Bonfire and Group Reflection
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
THE LAST BATH AND JOURNEY TO KUMASI
TUE 07 JUL 2026
Breakfast and check out
Depart Elmina for Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
Stop en route to visit Assin Manso where enslaved Africans had their last bath in preparation for auction at the nearby slave market before being transferred to the dungeons. It is also the burial site of the remains of the two ancestors exhumed from New York and Kingston and re-interred on Emancipation Day 1998.
Lunch
Transfer to your hotel for check-in
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
NAMING AND CULTURE
WED 08 JUL 2026
Depart in the morning for a Kente weaving village. Learn and observe weavers exhibit their skills in producing the Kente fabric that is adorned during special traditional occasions.
Pay a courtesy call on a local Chief to participate in a traditional Ghanaian naming ceremony. Participants will be given Ghanaian names with attributes. It would be interesting to compare your given attributes with who you are today.
Continue to Ntonso - noted for its indigenous artisans, expert in Adinkra textile printing. They use traditional symbols that express the spiritual, moral, political and socio-cultural philosophies of the Akan people. In the Ntonso Adinkra village you will be able to try your hand at creating your own designs.
Next, we visit Nana Abass – a traditional priest. Pay a courtesy call and learn about African traditional spirituality.
Finally, we stop at the Wood Carver's Village where you will find all sorts of carvings for your collections.
Lunch
Return to hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
JOURNEY BACK TO ACCRA
THUR 09 JUL 2026
Breakfast.
Check out of hotel and then visit the Manhyia Palace Museum. This was the home of the Asantehen (King), but now as a museum, it provides a good insight into Ashanti culture and traditions, and the over 300 -year history of the Ashanti Kingdom.
Travel back to Accra through the diverse geographies and beautiful communities.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
EXPLORE ACCRA AND FAREWELL
FRI 10 JUL 2026
Breakfast
This day is open for travellers to explore Accra on your own, book one of the optional excursions, or simply relax. This also a day when you can meet and make final alterations on your outfits ordered from the tailors and dressmakers.
Evening: Farwell dinner with some Ghanaian family and friends.
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
SAT 11 JUL 2026
Breakfast
Last day free for packing and personal activities
Transfer to the airport in Accra for departure.
Meals Included: Breakfast
OPTIONAL ADD-ONS FOR JULY 10th (Available for booking starting March 1)
Guests have the option to enhance their experience with the following self-sponsored activities:
- Visa on Arrival
- Early check-in / Late Check-out
- Waterfall Massage – Available upon booking
- Photoshoot in The Motherland – Capture memorable moments with a professional shoot
- Hair Braiding Experience – Embrace Ghanaian culture with a stylish braided look
These add-ons can be arranged upon request to personalize your journey in Ghana.
Package Rate Includes the following
- 6 Nights stay in Accra at 5 Star Hotels
- 3 Nights stay at a beach hotel in Elmina
- 2 Nights stay in Kumasi at a 4 Star Hotel
- 2 Meals per day, as outlined in the itinerary
- Overland Transportation via air-conditioned vehicle
- Tours and Entrance fees to Tour Sites as outlined in the itinerary
- English speaking Professional Tour Guide
- Cold water during tours
Package Does Not Include
- Airfare
- Visa charges
- Immunization (Yellow Fever Required, Anti-Malarials Strongly Recommended)
- Travel Insurance (Recommended)
- Expenses of a personal nature
- Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary
- Optional tours/services
- Entrance fees to evening events
- Gratuity and Tips
- Any other item not mentioned in the inclusions
Cancellation policy:
- Deposit is non-refundable.
- 50% of trip cost is refundable between until February 15th, 2026
- 20% of trip costs refundable between February 16th and April 15th
- Starting April 16th - no refunds.
Cancellation request must be emailed to drcooke@blackonyxtravel.com by the due date for the refund to be made via transfer or check payment.
Black Onyx Travel
530 W. Raymond St. Compton, CA 90220
734-972-1182 DrCooke@blackonyxtravel.com
Disclosures:
Black Onyx Travel is registered with the California Seller of Travel program: CST Number: 2150476-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California
Upon cancellation of the transportation or travel services, where the passenger is not at fault and has not canceled in violation of any terms and conditions previously clearly and conspicuously disclosed and agreed to by the passenger, all sums paid to the seller of travel for services not provided will be promptly paid to the passenger, unless the passenger advises the seller of travel in writing, after cancellation. This provision does not apply where the seller of travel has remitted the payment to another registered wholesale seller of travel or a carrier, without obtaining a refund, and where the wholesaler or provider defaults in providing the agreed-upon transportation or service. In this situation, the Black Onyx Travel provide the passenger with a written statement accompanied by bank records establishing the disbursement of the payment, and if disbursed to a wholesale seller of travel, proof of current registration of that wholesaler.
This transaction is covered by the California Travel Consumer Restitution Fund (TCRF) if the passenger is located in California at the time of payment. Eligible passengers may file a claim with TCRF if the passenger is owed a refund of more than $50 for transportation or travel services which the seller of travel failed to forward to a proper provider or such money was not refunded to you when required. The maximum amount which may be paid by the TCRF to any one passenger is the total amount paid on behalf of the passenger to the seller of travel, not to exceed $15,000. A claim must be submitted to the TCRF within 12 months after the scheduled completion date of the travel. A claim must include sufficient documentation to prove your claim and a $35 processing fee. Claimants must agree to waive their right to other civil remedies against a registered participating seller of travel for matters arising out of a sale for which you file a TCRF claim. You may request a claim form by writing to: Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation; 468 Manzanita Ave., Suite 1, Chico, CA 95926; or by visiting TCRC’s website at: www.tcrcinfo.org. Passengers purchasing from outside of California are not covered by the Restitution Fund.
California law requires certain sellers of travel to have a trust account or bond. Black Onyx Travel has a trust account with Found Bank.