Growing up in the United States, Africa always seemed so far (and it is) that it was somehow out of reach. It’s always been a desire for me to place my feet on the motherland. The land where my ancestors came from, and the opportunity to actually see where they were before they boarded the ships to America was something I always wanted to experience. Well in 2024 we took the trip. My husband wanted to go years ago, but honestly, I was the hold-up. Mentally I wasn’t ready. I was afraid. I let images I saw on TV sway my view. Then I started to meet people who have visited Africa and its beautiful countries, I started to see things differently. I was ready. Ghana
Through a business mastermind friend, we met Jay Cameron, owner & creator of Maximum Impact Travel. He started hosting tours to different African countries and shared his life-changing experience with us. Deep down, I honestly wanted that same feeling. After much research, and speaking with friends who took the trip to Africa, we were told that if we had to pick our first country to visit, Ghana should be it. Our trip was from Dec 27 – Jan 5. We were able to celebrate bringing in 2025 and my birthday!! We picked those dates because the kids were out for holiday break and it was a 10-day trip plus 2 days of travel. It just happened to be my birthday!
Why Ghana?
I wanted to know more history about the slave trade and see it with my own eyes, the walk of no return. The slave trade started in the 1400s, and those slave dungeons are still up. Today you can walk through them and see the horror our ancestors went through. It’s also a beautiful country with people who have such a kind spirit.
I feel blessed that we were able to take our children on such a life-changing (for me), once-in-a-lifetime trip. It was a 10-day trip with Maximum Impact and every day was planned for us. We had two amazing tour guides, Paul & Victoria who were with us every day, giving us the history of the country and allowing us to experience new things firsthand. Everything was included in our trip, including our daily transportation and flights within the country. Things that were not included were the flights to Africa, lunch & dinner. Breakfast was included. Although lunch and dinner (meaning they didn’t pay for our meals) weren’t included, they took us to amazing restaurants EVERYDAY!!
Here is the list of things we did over our 10 days:
10 Day itinerary
- Day 1: Welcome to Ghana – We arrived around 9 pm due to a flight delay, so we missed the first day’s dinner and welcome. We went to our hotel to settle in and prepare for the next day.
- Day 2: Historic tour of Accra – We learned about Ghana’s first president or Prime Minister, Dr. Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, and visited his museum where he and his wife are buried. Ghana is only 62 years old. He was the driving force behind leading Ghana to independence from Britain.
- Day 3: Flight to Kumasi – We took a day trip to Kumasi, the 2nd largest city in Ghana. It was a 40-minute flight, but would have been a 5-hour drive. We learned about the Asante tribe and what they believe. They are over 300 years old. After lunch, we participated in a renaming ceremony and my family all got names based on the day we were born.
- Day 4: Batik Fabric designs – We designed and created our own Batik fabric and ate fresh coconuts. Batik (pronounced ba-teek) is an ancient handmade fabric art. During the batik process, hot batik wax is painted or stamped onto fabric, which is then dyed. After one or more dyeings, the batik wax is removed, revealing differently colored patterns and designs.
- Day 5: Aburi Botanical Garden – This beautiful garden was opened in 1890. Before it was a garden, it was a sanatorium built in 1875 for Gold Coast government officials. In May 2019, chief Otoobour Djan Kwasi II, called for the privatization of the garden, as he knew it would be a great opportunity to invite tourists and improve business in the area. So many different trees and plants help make the products we use today like; Shea Butter, Cocoa, Cinnamon, Mace (spray), Pepper, Palm Oil, Cotton, and more. Amazing!
- Day 6: Free day – this was supposed to be our day to explore on our own but my daughter had her own plans. She got her hair braided at a local shop and it took 7 hours. My husband and I sat there and waited with her … so no real free day for us. Her hair was beautiful. I wished I could’ve gotten mine done. We did go to the mall after that. Her braids are shown on my other social media channels.
- Day 7: Cape Coast (Slave River & Dungeons) – This day was my birthday. It was a 2-hour drive to the Slave River & Coast. We learned how the enslaved Africans were taken and how they had to walk chained and naked to the river, sometimes it took weeks and months. Many died along the way. We were able to get into the river and whisper a prayer to our ancestors. Those who made it to the river were washed and then taken to the dungeons for months before they got on the ship. Oh, the stories of torture. You can see their nail imprints on the wall as they tried to escape. I will never forget that experience.
- Day 8: Oxford Street (shopping) This area is known for shopping. Get ready to haggle for what you want. They sell everything. I got tired of haggling so I made my way back to the car. It was overwhelming for me. Now, they were all so kind, but it was too much.
- Day 9: Shai Hills – There were mountains where the Shai people lived in for years. Yes, they lived in the mountains. We climbed the mountain and even saw the caves where they slept. These mountains look like the inspiration from The Lion King. Once you make it to the top, it’s like you’re looking at the world.
- Day 10: Departure – Our plane didn’t leave until 10 pm, so we went to have our last lunch at a resort on a beach, more shopping, and then off to the airport.
What you need to know before you go to Ghana
Yellow fever vaccine – this shot is mandatory for almost all of Africa. Check with your insurance to see if it’s covered. It was for us (adults), but for my two youngest, we had to go to the health department and still pay about $200 each. Other vaccines are recommended but this is the only one required.
Visa – You need a visa to get into Ghana, in addition to your passport. We paid about $100 per person for our Visas. You can choose to get it for a year or 5. That will dictate the price. It’s a lot of paperwork and steps, so make sure you give yourself enough time before you leave so you will have it in time.
Patience – When you’re in Ghana, pack your patience. We were told before we came that they do NOT rush. They do things in their own time. So if they tell you 5 minutes, it could mean 15-20. We learned that was very true, especially regarding our food.
Money transfer – Ghana has its own currency which is valued at less than the American dollar. That means you can get more for your money. At times, I felt like I was cheating them because the prices were so good. One tip is to exchange money at the hotel. We stayed at the Marriott and we were told that if you do it at the airport, they will not give you a fair trade, basically giving you less.
Bug Spray – One of the main reasons I was afraid to go to Africa is the BUGS! I didn’t want to be bitten by mosquitoes and be all scared up or catch something. Well, the blessing is we went in December/Jan. and that is the time when they have the least amount of mosquitoes out because it’s dry season. I was like, THANK YOU GOD! But 40% Deet Bug spray is recommended. I had the spray and the bracelets. I was ready. My children got tired of me spraying them, but I had to be prepared. Their mosquitoes carry diseases, hence all of those vaccines.
Haggle – No matter how hard you try to look like a local, they are going to know you are not from there. And when they try to sell you something, they will give you the highest tourist price that they think they can get out of you. You have to learn to haggle if you want the best deal. We were told, whatever price they say, cut that in half and tell them you would pay that price. The haggle begins! I haggled a few times and got some cute earrings and an outfit!
Fresh food – remember I said, pack your patience. Every place we went to eat took about 45 minutes to 1 hour to get our food. One reason is that we were a party of 11 (another family on our trip), and they cooked EVERYTHING to order. They make it fresh, so you are going to wait. Also, 85% of their food is organic. Anddddd delicious too! I tried a few new things that I miss already like Goat Jollof rice!
We loved Ghana
Overall, our trip was simply amazing. I can’t even write all of the things I experienced and felt. Just know if you have the opportunity to experience Ghana, you should take it. For me, having a company that planned our entire trip was the icing on the cake. We wouldn’t have known where to go to get all of the history and experiences we had. Of course, we could have researched, but having the tour guides, that came with daily transportation, saved us valuable time and mental stress.
They taught us their language and cultural expressions to make our trip more enjoyable. Now many people are moving to Ghana from America and I understand why. They are growing and now is definitely the time to purchase land. However, also know that growing means that there are still many parts that are not developed and probably won’t be for years. Ghana has a president, kings, and chiefs, not Governors or Mayors.
I am open to visiting Ghana again, but first I want to see more African countries. I want to visit South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania, and even Nigeria! It seems I’m smitten with Africa and can’t wait to return. Have you ever been to Africa? Where did you go and how was that experience? Where do you want to go next?
