Arrival, Akwaaba (Welcome), collection from airport and transfer to hotel.

Greater Accra - Our expert local tour guides will meet with you on your arrival at the Kotoka International Airport Accra, which is situated on the beautiful gold coast of Western Africa. Look out for the Ashanti African Tours sign when you leave the main terminal building after passing through customs. Make yourself known to your guides who will be accompanying you for the duration of your time in Ghana and they will take care of you from here. We make the journey (approximately an hour’s drive depending on traffic) to your hotel which is located close to Shai Hills Reserve. After checking you in your guide will brief you on the following days activities and answer any questions you may have. Depending on your arrival time, you can enjoy your early evening meal whilst acclimatising yourself to West Africa.

Shai Hills Reserve and Kakum National Park

Shai Hills Resource Reserve - Our first full day with you in Ghana, after an early breakfast we visit the Shai Hills reserve, an expanse of Savannah, grassland, and woodland. The focus of our time here will be seeing the Egyptian Tomb Bats which are not a common species. Other species of bat have also been recorded in the cave network found here, we dedicate quality time looking for bats, rodents and other mammals that include Olive Baboon, Red-fronted Duiker, Kob and Bushbuck. Shai Hills also has an interesting local history; we can visit one of the many traditional shrines found near the bat caves and learn the history of the Shai people who moved here to escape the slave raiders during the colonial period in Ghana’s history. Birds and butterflies are also common at Shai Hills and your local guide will know all these species and happily focus on any area of interest you may have.

Kakum National Park - After a full morning dedicated to Shai Hills, we enjoy lunch in a nearby restaurant before setting off towards the upper guinea rainforest habitat at Kakum National Park. Our aim is to reach here in the late afternoon and early evening where we have a choice of setting off to the forest before or after our evening meal. Our focus will be on seeing Bats, Rodents and we will also be looking for the more difficult to see species that include Potto, Duikers and Pangolins before we set off back to our hotel to rest for the evening in preparation for the following day.

Kakum National Park and Canopy Walkway

Kakum National Park - An early breakfast as we head for the world-famous canopy walkway at Kakum National Park which is approximately a 15-minute drive from our hotel. We aim to get there for first light enabling us to spend the most critical nature viewing hours 40 meters above the forest floor on the canopy walkway, which platforms are large enough to support Telescopes. The 360 km² Kakum National Park protects secondary upper guinea tropical rainforest and the focus on the canopy will be Long-tailed Pangolin as we have enjoyed several sightings of this species during our time here. Squirrels are also possible as we look for African Giant Forest, Gambian, Red-legged, Green, Fire-footed Rope and Slender-tailed Squirrel amongst other species. Birds and butterflies are in abundance here and would be difficult to ignore with almost 600 butterfly and more than 300 bird species recorded in the park.

Kakum National Park - During the mid-afternoon heat we will need to rest at our hotel for a few hours as our nights will be dedicated to walking for several hours in the forest habitat at Kakum National Park. We re-visit the canopy in the evening when our main targets will be the endangered Olive Colobus, Lowes Mona, Geoffrey’s Pied Colobus and Lesser Spot-nosed Monkeys. Long-tailed and Tree Pangolin are also possible as is Lord Derby’s and Pels Anomalure and some of the many squirrels recorded in Ghana. Bats are in good numbers and we will be focusing our time on seeing as many species as possible here. We can return to our hotel for our evening meal before returning to the forest or retiring to our rooms for some rest.

Kakum National Park and surrounds

Kakum National Park - Two full days dedicating quality time in and around Kakum National Park looking for all your target species. All species of Pangolin, Bossmans Potto, Demidoffs Galago and Common Cusimanse are on our lists as are Bush Baby, Tree Hyrax, Giant Pouched Rat, Monkeys and both species of Anamolure in addition to Royal Antelope and Maxwells Duiker amongst others.

Kakum National Park and surrounds

Kakum National Park - We wake before first light and enjoy several hours of night walks spot lighting hoping for a bit of luck in seeing the more secretive species this habitat is protecting. Nocturnal birds are in good numbers here in Kakum and we can keep our eyes open for Akun and Frasers Eagle Owls and any other species you may be interested to see. In the evenings we will discuss the main target species we still need and focus on these the following day.

Brenu Akyinim and Ankasa Reserve

Ankasa Reserve

Ankasa Reserve

Transfer to Bonkro Forest

Ashanti Region - Today we’re traveling to the Ashanti Region of Ghana to visit a remote community protecting a small Upper Guinea Forest. Our goal is to reach the forest by late afternoon, where we’ll settle in and prepare for a night walk. One of the most difficult animals to spot in the wild is the pangolin, an endangered species that is also the most illegally trafficked animal in the world. This forest is a popular location for seeing pangolins, and we’re also involved in a conservation and community project here to protect the habitat from illegal hunting and logging. We’ll be looking for mammals on our night walk, and enjoying a meal at the restaurant before preparing for the next day’s activities.

Kwabena Sam Forest

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - After an early breakfast we set off northwards towards Mole National Park. Today is mainly a travel day as we head northwards the habitat changes to the drier broad-leaved guinea woodland and savannah. Lunch is enjoyed in Kintampo before we continue our journey to Mole which is Ghana’s largest National Park protecting an area of 4847 square kilometres of habitat, almost 100 species of mammal and 330+ species of birds. Our accommodation is situated on a 250-meter-high escarpment overlooking this 4847km² park, offering breathtaking views. It is an amazing feeling to be sitting around the pool on the hotel terrace watching African savannah elephants bathing in the two nearby watering holes which are inhabited by crocodiles. After our evening meal, we shall set off for an evening of driving and walking in the park spotlighting and aiming to find our first mammals in this habitat.

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - We will be spending 3 full days and nights exploring the exceptional wildlife at Mole National Park in Ghana. After breakfast, we will set off on foot and by vehicle to search for African mammals like elephants, kobs, bushbucks, waterbucks, hartebeests, roan antelopes, warthogs, and buffalos. We will also be on the lookout for Olive baboons, patas monkeys, and yellow-winged bats. In the evenings, we will be driving and walking through the park, spotlighting for more elusive species like hedgehogs, galagos, mongooses, civets, genets, duikers, hares, aardvarks, porcupines, and various rodents and bats. Our goal is to provide you with the best possible experience at Mole National Park, and your guide will be available to discuss the species you’ve seen, help you get better views of any animals you’d like to see more of, and point out species you haven’t yet spotted. The activities for each day will be tailored to give you the best chance of seeing as many different species as possible.

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - Day 2 - Mole National Park

Mole National Park

Mole National Park - Day 3 - Mole National Park

Internal Flight to Accra and Departure

Accra - After a wonderful 4 nights in Ghana’s premier wildlife viewing park, we enjoy a relaxed breakfast prior to setting off to Tamale capital of the Northern Region of Ghana for our flight south to Accra. Taking an internal flight will save us nearly 2 full days of travelling by road. On our arrival in Accra, we visit a local restaurant close to the airport to enjoy an early evening meal and final checklist. You arrived strangers and are now part of the Ashanti family leaving as friends, we take this opportunity to say goodbye before we transfer you back to the airport after a wonderful 15-day Mammals of Ghana Tour with Ashanti African Tours.

• Expert local guide available 24/7
• Round-the-clock office support
• Travel comfortably in an air-conditioned vehicle
• Enjoy included meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Stay hydrated with unlimited mineral water
• Drive confidently with an experienced driver and unlimited fuel
• Relax in comfortable accommodations
• Gain entry to all excursions with included fees
• Convenient airport transfers to and from your hotel
• Travel safely with public liability and professional indemnity insurance

• International flights
• Soft and alcoholic drinks
• Visa

Nestled in the core of West Africa, Ghana is a destination no wildlife lover should miss. It boasts an extensive array of West African ecosystems, from seaside marshlands and lagoons to the inland coastal savannah, which then gives way to the lush Upper Guinea Rainforests - a safe haven for numerous exclusive species native to West Africa. The journey continues northwards, featuring a graceful change from the southern forests through the expanses of Guinea woodland before reaching the savanna plains and brushing the Sahel at Burkina Faso’s border. The diversity in both fauna and landscapes that Ghana presents is astounding. Please be aware that observing mammals in the thick rainforest environment can be challenging and is never a certainty. However, our expert local guides from West Africa offer you the highest chance of a rewarding and enjoyable journey. Possessing an in-depth knowledge of all the major wildlife spots in Ghana, we promise a fantastic experience for our prospective tour members.

If you cancel at least 4 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.