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Ghana16 daysMax 12 travellersSolo-friendly

Ghana, Togo and Benin Voodoo Festival

From Benin's living voodoo ceremonies to Ghana's slave coast castles, this 16-day journey crosses three nations at the spiritual crossroads of West Africa

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As Featured In

The TelegraphCulture TripThe TimesLonely PlanetThe GuardianIndependentNational GeographicThe TelegraphCulture TripThe TimesLonely PlanetThe GuardianIndependentNational Geographic
About this journey

What to expect on this trip

A journey to the spiritual heart of West Africa, where myth, religion and reality intertwine to create an intoxicating blend of extraordinary experiences. Stretching from the dusty borderlands of the north to the tropical coast in the south, Ghana, Togo and Benin encapsulate all that is special about West Africa, with great scenery and wildlife complemented by a joyous and exuberant people who will make you feel welcome from the moment you arrive. Starting in Cotonou, we explore the lively capital of Porto-Novo and the stilt village of Ganvie before heading to Ouidah. Here we witness one of the region’s most incredible cultural experiences, the annual festival of voodoo, where people perform unique rituals and ceremonies in devotion to ancient gods, and where you can expect to bump into the earthly manifestations of voodoo spirits. We learn about the history of the region in the once powerful kingdom of Abomey, discover the fortified houses of the Tamberma people, and visit Lome with its bizarre fetish market. Crossing into Ghana’s vibrant landscapes and cultural heritage, we travel to the heart of the Ashanti kingdom in Kumasi. Finally we end up at Ghana’s coast, where we visit the castles of the first Europeans to reach these shores and relax on the beach. Along the way, you’ll also experience the charm of Benin’s lesser-known destinations, uncovering the true soul of West Africa.

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The journey

Ghana, Togo and Benin Voodoo Festival

What makes this trip special

Drawn from the full tour dossier — the standout days, encounters and views our specialists keep coming back to.

Your route
map

The highlights

  • Ouidah Voodoo Festival

    Witness the annual voodoo festival in Ouidah, described as one of the region's most incredible cultural experiences. Elaborately costumed Zangbetos and Kokou followers perform rituals and ceremonies, with adepts falling into trances to the sound of drumming and dancing. Temple groups perform rites around the main performance area in a display rooted in one of West Africa's most important religious traditions.

  • Ganvie Stilt Village on Lake Nokwe

    An evening boat tour reveals Ganvie, a settlement of 25,000 people built on Lake Nokwe and accessible only by water. Legend holds that the Tofinou people fled here in the 18th century to escape slave traders. Boat journeys wind through floating markets and past local fishermen, with the mainland market featuring traditional voodoo sections.

  • Abomey Royal Palaces and the Kingdom of Dahomey

    Abomey was once the capital of Dahomey, described as one of Africa's greatest nations, whose rulers struck terror into surrounding tribes. The remaining palaces function as museums housing Dahomey artefacts, including a throne said to sit on top of human skulls. The city tour also takes in the craft market, Goho Square's Statue of the Brave King Behanzin, and a traditional Guelede performance in Agonlin

  • Koutammakou UNESCO World Heritage Site and Tata Somba Villages

    Crossing into northern Togo, the tour visits the Koutammakou UNESCO World Heritage site to view the Batammariba community's distinctive mud tower-houses known as Takienta. The day also includes the Koussoukoingou Tata Somba community in Benin and a visit to the King of Boukounbe, where a local voodoo ceremony is observed. Lunch is taken at the community's highest point overlooking the landscape.

  • Lomé Fetish Market

    Lomé, Togo's capital on the coast, is home to a colourful central market and what the itinerary calls a fascinating — if rather gruesome — fetish market, where animal parts are sold for use in traditional medicines. Founded by the Ewe people in the 18th century, the city retains colonial buildings including a 19th-century Gothic cathedral and the Grand Marché, whose textile traders are known as Nana Benz.

  • Kumasi and the Ashanti Kingdom

    Kumasi is the historical and spiritual capital of the Ashanti Kingdom, home to Kejetia market — reported to be the largest outdoor market in West Africa — as well as the Ashanti Cultural Centre and the Manhyia Palace of the Asantehene King. Villages nearby include Adanwomasie, the birthplace of Kente cloth, and Ntunso, where visitors can learn adinkra symbols and make their own printed cloth.

Trip highlights for Ghana, Togo and Benin Voodoo Festival

Full itinerary · 16 days

Prefer a PDF? Get the printable dossier
Dates & prices

Choose your departure

Reserve your place with a £600 per-person deposit; the balance is due 70 days before departure. Prefer your own space? A single room is available on every departure.

  • Departure
    27 Dec 202611 Jan 2027
    Guaranteed
    From
    £4,995 pp
    Single supp. +£895
    Book now
  • Departure
    6 Jan 202721 Jan 2027
    Guaranteed
    From
    £4,395 pp
    Single supp. +£745
    Book now
  • Departure
    12 Jan 202827 Jan 2028
    Guaranteed
    From
    £4,395 pp
    Single supp. +£745
    Book now

Can’t find the right fit?

Every one of our Ghana journeys can be rebuilt around your dates, pace and interests — or we’ll design something entirely new.

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What's included

What your tour price covers

Included in the price

  • Arrival and departure transfers
  • Overland transport throughout with professional driver
  • All accommodation
  • Services of English-speaking guide / tour leader
  • Meals as listed
  • Entrance fees for sites listed as part of the itinerary

Budget separately for

  • International flights (, contact , us, for expert advice and a quote)
  • Any airport taxes
  • Travel Insurance
  • Visa – when required
  • Drinks
  • Items of personal nature
  • Tips (Discretionary)
Before you go

Essential information

Shared across all tours that visit this destination. Read alongside your individual tour dossier for trip-specific details.

Foreign Office travel advice

We constantly monitor official travel advice, including the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Ghana Travel Advice, and will always advise clients of any warnings before departure. At the time of writing, there are no specific warnings against travel to the parts of Ghana that we visit on our tours.

Please contact us if you have any specific concerns or would like to understand what measures are in place to ensure your trip remains safe and trouble-free.

For additional official guidance, travellers may also refer to:

Please note this information applies primarily to British citizens — nationals of other countries should check the current position with their respective government travel authority.

Voices from the road

What travellers say about us

Independently verified reviews from travellers who joined Ghana, Togo and Benin Voodoo Festival. Rated 4.9 Excellent on AITO by 250+ reviewers.

Our guide Andrew is a total professional; his knowledge of birds and butterflies of Ghana are second to none. The driver Ben was also First class and we felt totally safe with his driving (along roads I would not have been confident to drive). It felt like we had 1.5 guides
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Dave Mattam, UK

Given the countries involved, I thought the accommodation was better than I expected. Our guide was knowledgeable. He was kind and provided snacks and stories to while away the very long driving days.
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Traveller from the UK

An excellent trip. We saw all that we expected to and more. Very good guide, helpful and considerate. Tour met and exceeded my expectations
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Martin Robathan, UK

The local team were simply great in every way.
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Mark Siggers, UK

I would highly commend Yao, Francis the driver and Ebanezer who went above and beyond when I ran out of some medication, driving me to pharmacies on a Saturday night when their day should have finished
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Chris Powell, UK

Quite the best guide and driver we have encountered in 45 years of travel.
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John Davies, UK

Brilliant guide and excellent driver. Couldn't have done more to accommodate me and make the holiday really. So much was packed into the two weeks that I was really impressed. Really memorable journey with opportunities to meet local people and to engage with them. A great experience that leaves me wanting more.
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Peter West, UK

Excellent service. Challenging itinerary. Terrible roads but excellent driver. Driver was really good, particularly given the need for long hours of driving on some days.
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Andrew Nicholson, UK

Good hotels, good restaurants and good guidance. Overall the trip was a great experience and educational. All the hotels exceeded expectations. Many of the restaurants were good and especially the lunch restaurants.
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Eyjolfur Gudmundsson, Iceland

"Valentine was a superb guide--super knowledgeable, funny, caring, and took amazing care of everybody. Truly, I was amazed at how good the accommodations were. I honestly was not expecting the level of accommodations and Western style amenities which were so readily available--especially in Togo. I could not fault any of them nor could they have been improved upon.All transportation was fantastic. We very impressed with our great driver, Samuel, who managed to get us from one spot to another safely despite some challenging road conditions, especially in Togo. This tour was utterly extraordinary for so many reasons. this is a trip I have long wanted to experience and it was very much worth it. I keep a very open mind when traveling, and so I learned so much from this trip--the culture, people, religion, color, lifestyle. I learned a great deal and sometimes felt like i was actually in a completely different era, time and place. All local persons were super friendly, cheerful, helpful, and very kind to us. I have been all over the world and taken many tours, and this certainly ranks way up at the very top of my experiences for a wide array of reasons. The tour was perfectly organized, thoughtfully prepared, and the overall choice of sights and events was excellent. Valentine was an outstanding tour guide and kept everything moving well. In addition, he looked after all of us individually, keeping us all together (one traveler had a slight tendency to wander away!) and provided me with a loaner iPhone charger cord when mine died.
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John Thomas, UK

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Common questions

Things travellers usually ask

  • How many travellers will be in my group?

    Maximum 12 travellers — that's the cap on every Undiscovered Destinations small-group tour. Small enough to eat in a local family home; large enough to share the wonder with other like-minded travellers.

  • Can I travel solo?

    Yes — there's no compulsory single supplement on our small-group tours. You get your own room at no extra cost. About 60% of UD travellers come solo, so you'll be in good company.

  • How fit do I need to be?

    Fitness requirements vary by itinerary, from gentle to demanding. The day-by-day tour dossier sets out walking distances, terrain and any altitude so you know what to expect. If you have specific concerns, speak to our team before booking — they can talk you through a typical day.

  • When are the next departures?

    The next available departures are 27 December 2026; 6 January 2027; 12 January 2028. See the "Choose your departure" table further up the page for the full schedule and per-departure pricing.

  • What's included in the tour price?

    Included items vary by tour — see the full list above. On this trip, expect: Arrival and departure transfers; Overland transport throughout with professional driver; All accommodation; and more. International flights and travel insurance are not included.

  • Where exactly does this trip go?

    This tour visits Ghana, Togo and Benin. Each destination has its own page with practical information, climate, and the attractions our specialists recommend — linked from the itinerary above.

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