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You'll feel you've stepped into the pages of National Geographic on this total immersion into the dazzling tribal world of Ghana, Togo, and Benin. This is a greatly under-visited destination, the richest of tribal Africa, and our itinerary is one of a kind.

Watch voodoo priestesses whirl in trances at fetish altars, hike up a ridge to commune with a famous oracle, peer into the dungeons of a 15th-century slave castle, attend a flamboyant Ashanti funeral - and who knows what else, since serendipity plays a big role on this journey. Every day will bring something new, from spontaneous mask dances to voodoo rituals to festive village funerals with music and singing.

This is a truly eye-opening adventure, an intimate look and interpretation of some of West Africa's most intriguing peoples. Travel in this part of the world can be quite rugged, so bring along a spirit of adventure and a flexible attitude.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• An in-depth cultural experience—meet more than 10 fascinating cultural groups!
  
• Witness a vibrant festival or special ceremony on every departure
  
• Follow the trade trail of goods and slaves, visit tribal villages, colonial outposts, palaces, coastal castles

Day 1 - Meet in Lomé, Togo.

Day 2 - Witness an authentic Kokou voudou ceremony, arriving in Grand Popo, Benin by evening.

Day 3 - Visit the village of Ganvié, Africa's largest village on stilts, which is spread across Lac Nokoue. Continue to Abomey, which in pre-colonial times was the capital of one of the great West African Kingdoms, the Dan-Homey empire.

Day 4 - Visit Abomey's painted voodoo fetish temples and the vestiges of former royal palaces, and continue to the land of the Taneka in the rocky cliffs of central Benin.

Day 5 - Hike to clifftop villages of the Taneka, home to many voodoo priests.

Days 6-9 - Cross the savannas of Benin, Togo, and Ghana to visit the Somba, with their ritual scarification, the Dagomba in their tatch-roofied clay huts, the Moba warriors, and the Tamberma, each with their own particular architecture, customs, and traditions.

Day 10 - Attend a festive Ashanti funeral in Kumasi and visit museums housing gold ritual objects and Ashanti artifacts.

Day 11 - Visit the protected virgin rainforest of Kakum National Park, harboring elusive monkeys, elephants, and other African fauna, and view the canopy via forest walkways perched more than a hundred feet above the ground. Continue to the historic 15th-century slave castle at the fishing town of Elmina.

Day 12 - Visit Accra's national museum and the carpenters of a coffin-makers' district. Cross back into Togo.

Day 13 - Explore Lomé's fascinating artisan and fetish markets. Depart Lomé in the late afternoon.

Photo Credits
©Alberto Nicheli