Ghana, Togo and Benin cultural vacation
Highlights
Accra | Lome | Noste | Atakpame | Kara | Kara | Kaby Mountains | Somba | Natitingou | Natitingou | Dankoli Shrine | Abomey | Ganvie | Ouidah | Aneho | Akosombo |
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this vacation or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
Toll free 1-866-821-6866 Calling from outside the US? rosy@responsibletravel.comDeparture information
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your vacation will help support conservation and local people.
In collaboration with our tour partners in Togo and Benin, we support local conservation efforts by making little donations to conservation site managers. Many of our stays on this trip are at local Ecological home stays popularly known as “TATA” houses (miniature fortified castle built with clay). These houses are built with local materials produce in the communities. We patronize the accommodation facilities to boost and to encourage the local architecture. Participants on this trip are not allowed to litter the environment but are rather encouraged to sensitize the visited communities on environmental protection issues such as waste water management and efficient energy conservation . We continue to develop formal and casual partnership with the communities we visit to help address some of their environmental concerns through traveler fund raising initiatives.We believe that excessive visits to the communities with so many people has possible environmental depletion effect, we therefore rotate our tours with limited number of travelers on a trip among the communities we visit just to avoid the depletion of the destination sites.
The Impacts of this Trip
Most of the accommodations we use on this trip are locally owned by the people in those destinations.
This helps to give back to the communities something of monetary value and to ensure that our visit does not impact negatively on those communities.
Additionally, we work in collaboration with our Togolese and Benin counterparts who work with trained tour guides to ensure that our travelers experience local lifestyle at the local communities. Communities we visit are the core of what we do on our trips. We prefer visiting local people as friends rather than intruders. We therefore ensure that our visits do not in any way infringe on the local customs and beliefs of the people. Using the local tour guides in this respect does not only contribute economically to the lives of the people but also helps in maintaining the culture of the people since they will always find a person of their own being in charge of our visits. We give our clients pre-departure briefings where we orientate them to respect the local people and their customs. This is particularly relevant in some parts of Ghana, Togo and Benin where the local people are very reactive to photography. Although some may not want their photographs taken or ask for compensation for photography, many are happy with this but we just think that its only fair to offer compensation when requested a photo in order not to promote indiscriminate payments for photographs.
We believe that what we see at the various sites on our visits needs to be maintained for generations to come - so we encourage our clients to give the local customs the necessary recognition to serve as a motivation for the local people to maintain their culture.
In collaboration with our tour partners in Togo and Benin, we support local conservation efforts by making little donations to conservation site managers. Many of our stays on this trip are at local Ecological home stays popularly known as “TATA” houses (miniature fortified castle built with clay). These houses are built with local materials produce in the communities. We patronize the accommodation facilities to boost and to encourage the local architecture. Participants on this trip are not allowed to litter the environment but are rather encouraged to sensitize the visited communities on environmental protection issues such as waste water management and efficient energy conservation . We continue to develop formal and casual partnership with the communities we visit to help address some of their environmental concerns through traveler fund raising initiatives.We believe that excessive visits to the communities with so many people has possible environmental depletion effect, we therefore rotate our tours with limited number of travelers on a trip among the communities we visit just to avoid the depletion of the destination sites.
The Impacts of this Trip
Most of the accommodations we use on this trip are locally owned by the people in those destinations.
This helps to give back to the communities something of monetary value and to ensure that our visit does not impact negatively on those communities.
Additionally, we work in collaboration with our Togolese and Benin counterparts who work with trained tour guides to ensure that our travelers experience local lifestyle at the local communities. Communities we visit are the core of what we do on our trips. We prefer visiting local people as friends rather than intruders. We therefore ensure that our visits do not in any way infringe on the local customs and beliefs of the people. Using the local tour guides in this respect does not only contribute economically to the lives of the people but also helps in maintaining the culture of the people since they will always find a person of their own being in charge of our visits. We give our clients pre-departure briefings where we orientate them to respect the local people and their customs. This is particularly relevant in some parts of Ghana, Togo and Benin where the local people are very reactive to photography. Although some may not want their photographs taken or ask for compensation for photography, many are happy with this but we just think that its only fair to offer compensation when requested a photo in order not to promote indiscriminate payments for photographs.
We believe that what we see at the various sites on our visits needs to be maintained for generations to come - so we encourage our clients to give the local customs the necessary recognition to serve as a motivation for the local people to maintain their culture.
2 Reviews of Ghana, Togo and Benin cultural vacation
Reviewed on 08 Feb 2018 by Kerry Odonoghue
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
The villages of the Somba tribe were truly fascinating. Interacting with the voodoo priests was also very interesting. The markets are wonderful
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
This is not a vacation for active people. In order to see everything there is a lot of driving. The standard of hotels we got was not good. Ask for the names and check them before you go. Whilst in some places there will be little choice, others there will be. Dont always expect warm water. In Togo and Benin it really helps to speak French. Don't expect it to be easy to take photos at markets etc. People really do not like it. Change money at the borders as in some towns and most hotels it is not taken and if they do then only higer denomination notes.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Only if we bought something locally.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
Interesting, however not nearly as spectacular as one is lead to believe. If travelers expect to get a really close up view of the vodoo rituals, then you have to go to the festival, otherwise there is no opportunity to experience it.
Reviewed on 12 Nov 2014 by Mark Langer
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?
Traveling through the Somba country and seeing their fortified Tata houses - simply amazing!
2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?
Just go ahead and book it as the itinerary covers so much of West African culture, with particular insights into voodoo practices and life inside remote tribal villages.
3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I do feel that local people benefited from our visits, particularly vendors selling local handicrafts.
4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?
I had one of my most eye-opening trips - and I have been on many. The tour delivered everything I had hoped for in a vacation that explores the more cultural aspects of West Africa. I now feel privileged to have done it.
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