This trip was different from what I have typically experienced in the past. I will list the pros and cons of the trip Overall Likes: Nomadic Dinner (Fabulous), Jollof cooking and Moonshine tasting, Kakum and Cape Coast visit, Mekola market, Overall dislike: Would have appreciated more immersion in the Ghanian cultural practices. A bit more details on likes and dislikes: Ease of check-in: having a nice access to check-in was thoughtful. I think the organisers should be clearer with telling participants NOT TO CHECK IN but rather have a single check in at the location that was indicated. That was a nice touch, pity it wasnt a coherent message. It was unclear that the purpose of the meeting place was for a single check-in. Likes: I liked that the trip was anchored by a music festival, Afrochella Dislikes: When Afrochella turned out to be a bust, I would have expected the organiser to offer an opportunity to attend Afro-nations (or any other festival) even if it was going to be at the cost of the participants. Clearly the organiser could not have predicted that Afrochella would be a bust, but they could have provided options for those who really want to enjoy an afro-beats concert.It was the anchor of the trip after all. Likes: I liked the Cape Coast Trip. I think it was a key experience to have and Kodjo was my favourite tour guide of the trip. He gave a relatively good account of the trade and what was taking place in the surrounding didn't like that it was only for a day. It would have been nice if at least one night could have been spent at Cape Coast. Especially given that the next morning was leisure time that time could have been used to drive back to Accra to make the most of the trip to the Coast. Especially considering that was the only beach time that was on the itinerary. Suggestions: New year's in Ghana works differently to SA. It felt like the tour was trying to recreate what SA experience would have been instead of showcasing how it gets celebrated in Ghana. In Ghana, the really celebration is on 1st Jan. I was made aware that what usually happens on 1 Jan is big cook out with with friends and family. It would have been nice to partner up with a local Ghanaian family to experience what new year's cook out would have been like with them, And then go partying the evening of the 1st. Suggestions: Time keeping became an issue given that traffic is not the easiest in Accra it was important to make people stick to it and inform people they are welcome to use Uber to get them to the next location.

First time travelling with a group of people and it was absolutely lovely and exceeded my expectations. Ghana is forever engraved in my heart. Accommodation: The hotel was perfect! The view, staff, air conditioning, beds, the pool area, food PLUS it comes with an ATM too so that plays a big part before embarking daily excursions. Shuttle (Oskido): Not sure how Penny/Soul Travellers managed to find a partner on the ground like Oscar. An absolute gentleman, patient (during shopping and visits), drives well and is always punctual. We live Oscar and his wife very much. Daily Itineraries: We had tons of fun! We got to do things that I personally know I wouldn't have been able to. The Markets: A whole new buzzing, hustling and bustling world. Everyone can spot a tourist from a mile away and all you need to do is smile and greet. The people are kind, always willing to negotiate. There are so many things we wanted but couldn't get due to space. Made some cool friends too. Good thing Soul Travellers had already gave us a heads up to bring cash. There are literally gifts for everyone you know. Food: Joloff. What more can I say. We ate it, dreamt about it and Soul Travellers even arranged for a Joloff class at a Culinary School and that was a fun experience. Communication: Penny kept the group updated at every single minute so when you didnt feel like joining the group for certain experiences, you at least knew what was happening and what the next moves are. Afrochella: This was the first most excited we were as a group and we got to get to know each other a bit more. We had some surprises at Afrochella that were out of our hands that the events team failed to deliver on but guess what, we still had such a job because we were in a state of Ghana Joloff Joy. The people were beautiful. Every.single.place.you.looked. so that was the actual entertainment This trip has been a gift to me. It's made me even prouder to be Black. Proud to be African. Now I want to walk the streets of our continent smelling the food, taxis hooting everywhere, vendors shouting for my attention, mamas asking me to come see their cheap fabrics and so forth. I love Penny and Soul Travellera so much because more than just a fun trip, we are bringing our beautiful continent and the world together and the best part is you never get to handle all the boring stuff, admin, just pack your bags and be ready for lift-off Ngiyabonga. Kea leboga. Asante.