2 days: Coastal forts and Nzulezo – the stilt village
We will pick you up from your hotel in the Cape Coast area between 6:00 and 8:00 am. We will drive for about 2 hours through Sekondi-Takoradi, the capital of the Western Region, heading west. In Busua, on a sheltered bay of the Atlantic, we will make a stop for a swim. Then we will continue to Fort Metal Cross in Dixcove. It is a fort built by the British in the 17th century, which in the 18th century also had to defend itself against the Prussians stationed in the neighbouring Fort Groß Friedrichsburg. We will then visit this Prussian fort in Awiabo Aiyinase. After that, it's a 2-hour drive to Beyin. From Beyin, the only way to reach the village of Nzulezo, which is located on a lake, is by small boat. The life of the community of around 500 people takes place almost exclusively on boats and on wooden planks made from raffia palms, which have been driven into the lake bed on stilts. For centuries, the people here have lived in harmony with nature, engaging in fishing and farming, but modern life has also left its mark. Here, you can get to know the everyday life of the people, enjoy a drink at a pub, or have a freshly fried fish served to you. You can visit the village's primary school or one of the places of worship. We will stay overnight at a guesthouse on the lake.
After breakfast, we plan to visit the small Fort Apollonia in Beyin and learn about the culture of the Nzema people. Built by the Swedes and later used by the British and Dutch for the slave trade as well, Fort Apollonia is one of the World Heritage Sites on the coast of Ghana.
In Axim, 2 hours away, we will visit Fort St. Anthony, built by the Portuguese in 1515 as the second fortress on the Gold Coast. Its current name already indicates that the fort changed hands several times over the centuries. What we will see, however, is a well-preserved, imposing fortress where, as at the other trading posts, slaves were an important commodity on the triangular voyages to America and Europe until the 19th century. With that, we will already be on our way back to Cape Coast. There will certainly be another opportunity along the way to take a dip in the waters of the Atlantic.
After about 32 hours, we will take you back to your hotel.