Description

Adventure by Tro-Tro
Akwabaa and welcome to a grand adventure across West Africa's most welcoming country. You will travel by tro-tro from the remote villages in Ghana's north to the castle-studded coastline in the south. Along the journey you will work at an orphanage, encounter exotic wildlife, shop in a bustling local market, bask in the sun on a palm-studded beach, meet with development experts, canoe to a village built on stilts, taste the local cuisine, dance to the rhythm of African drums, and experience the wonders of life in Ghana.

A good Ghanaian adventure always starts with a tro-tro. These brightly painted vans are ubiquitous in Ghana, blasting lively music as they bump down dirt roads overstuffed with passengers (and sometimes livestock too!). We will hire a sturdy tro-tro and a professional driver exclusively for this program and ride it from the top of Ghana to the bottom. With our own trusty van, we will be able to access remote villages, stop for photos whenever we please, and experience all that Ghana has to offer!

Service Off the Map
The journey will start with a beachside orientation in Accra followed by a short flight north to Tamale, where you will meet your tro-tro driver and get the real adventure underway! Your service will begin in Bolgatanga, where you will work with the excited kids of a local orphanage. Help them with their school work, exchange language lessons, and play games. In addition to spending time at the orphanage, you will improve an underfunded school in the area. Here, the children will be happy to show off the traditions of the north through a cultural show. During your time in the north, you will learn about development issues in this impoverished northern region by meeting leaders of effective NGOs that operate projects in the rural villages surrounding Bolgatanga. In the hours when you are not volunteering, we will venture into the hills in the village of Bongo accompanied by the chief's son, visit a sacred crocodile pond, and learn about the history of slavery by visiting an old slave camp.

Wonderful Wildlife and the Largest Market in West Africa
The journey will continue as you travel across red-dirt roads towards Mole National Park, the country's most impressive wildlife viewing area. Accompanied by a gun-toting park ranger, you will join a walking safari in the morning and a driving safari in the afternoon, giving you the opportunity to safely encounter elephants, crocodiles, antelope, baboons, warthogs, and other wildlife.
During the day, lounge by the pool that overlooks the largest waterholes in the park where animals come to bathe and drink. Then leave Mole behind and journey to Kumasi, the heart of the Ashanti kingdom. On the way, stop off for a picnic lunch below a thundering waterfall and let the cool water refresh you on the journey south. In Kumasi, visit the Kejetia Market, where a maze of thousands of tiny tin stalls sell everything from dried chameleons and kente cloth to cheap toys and fresh fish. Here the group will divide up into teams and scavenge the marketplace for a list of wild items.
Beautiful Beaches and Castle-Studded Coastline
After an epic scavenger hunt, journey south to Ghana's tranquil, palm-fringed coast. Sink your toes into the soft sands of an empty beach and let the tropical waters wash away the dust from a long journey. Learn to bodysurf in the rolling breakers, play beach volleyball and soccer, and listen to music around a beachside campfire. In Beyin, you will paddle a canoe through a coastal wetland to an ancient village built on stilts. Further up the coast, explore the town of Cape Coast and its historic castle- a solemn reminder of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and then walk through the treetops during a canopy walkway at Kakum National Park. This beautiful and fascinating coastline is the perfect place to spend your last days in Ghana and will provide a magical finish to a grand Ghanaian tro-tro adventure!

Who Should Come?
This program is perfect for students who are seeking a rustic African adventure in a friendly country and who don't mind traveling long distances on bumpy dirt roads, eating local foods, and visiting remote villages. We hope you join us on this unique journey across Ghana.

Highlights

ADVENTURE by tro-tro through exotic, off-the-beaten-path Ghana.

BARTER your way through West Africa’s largest marketplace on an epic scavenger hunt.

SAUNTER along some of Africa’s finest beaches in search of sun, sand and waves.

TEACH eager children at an orphanage in Northern Ghana.

CLIMB the Bongo Hills for an unforgettable sunset over the northern plains

GO ON SAFARI into Ghana’s most impressive national park in search of African elephants and other wildlife.

CANOE to Nzulezu, a remote stilt village built over a lagoon.

EXPLORE the impressive Cape Coast Castle and learn the sobering history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

MARVEL at the rainforest canopy while traversing treetops on hanging bridges in Kakum National Park.

Qualifications

Students must be 14-years old and up to participate on the program. Additionally, participants must submit an application through the Rustic Pathways website and complete the appropriate documents before traveling on the program.

Type of Programs

• Community Service / Volunteerism
• Cultural Exploration
• Student Tours

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

USD 2,895 + 230 Internal Airfare

Cost Includes:

• Travel while in host country
• Housing
• Food
• Excursions
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Written materials pre-departure
• Written materials abroad

Program Fees Include:

The above cost includes all ground transportation in-country, 3 meals a day, housing, staff through the duration of the program, all supplies for the volunteer projects and all excursions on the program itinerary not listed as optional.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Building Maintenance
• English Teaching
• Orphans
• Painting
• Tutor
• Youth

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Typically The Application Process Time is

1-2 business days

Rustic Pathways's Mission Statement

Rustic Pathways is a pioneer in providing superior quality travel and service programs for students and families in some of the world's most welcoming countries. Rustic Pathways demands professionalism and integrity across all of its operations, insists on quality in all aspects of its programs, and places the safety of its students above all other considerations. We enrich the lives of our students and our staff, benefit the parts of the world we serve, and build cultural bridges that lead to greater global understanding and cooperation.

Year Founded

1983