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Welcome to a new edition of the Jolinaiko Eco Tours’ newsletter, written for Ghanaian citizens and expats living in Accra and surroundings.

In the months of August, September and October, we have some exciting upcoming weekend trips and excursions, which will give you and your family & friends the opportunity to enjoy the best of Ghana and our neighbouring countries Togo and Benin. Read all about them below:

AGBOGBOZA FESTIVAL TOGO – THE NOTSE KINGDOM

Wednesday 29 August to Sunday 2 September 2017

» Attend the Agbogboza Festival in remembrance of the ancestral history of the Ewe People
» Witness the Tezan ceremony, puberty rites in Gati, and the wooden twin dolls of Davedi
» Wander around at the Vogan Market and end the trip at the palm-fringed beach.

Between 2800 and 2000 GHC per adult, depending on the number of participants.
2 participants minimum and 8 participants maximum.
This trip is suitable for active children from 10 years of age.

Agbogboza is one of the major festivals in Togo and remembers the escape of the Ewe people from the tyranny of their king Agokoli and the walled city of Notsie in present Togo. This happened in the 11th century and was the start of Ewe migration journeys to areas between the banks of the Mono River on the Togo-Benin border and the eastern side of Lake Volta and around Keta Lagoon in Ghana.

Witness the traditional ceremonies, dances and parades of flamboyantly dressed Kings and Queens on Thursday and Saturday.

We combine this festival with a visit to the hometown of your guide Isaac Aziawo, where the Tezan ceremony, a traditional puberty rite, is celebrated in the same period and where you learn more about their century-old wooden twin dolls tradition on Friday.

Furthermore we visit the vibrant Friday market in Vogan and Le Marche des Fetischeurs in Lome.

Price and Booking

Between 2800 and 2000 GHC per adult, depending on the number of participants.
2 participants minimum and 8 participants maximum.
This trip is suitable for active children from 10 years of age.

The trip includes:

• Transport by comfortable bus with driver and guide.
• 4 nights mid-range accommodation (rooms with private bathroom and fan, based on double occupancy).
• 4 times breakfast and 4 times diner.
• All excursions and activities during the programme.

Would you like to receive the detailed itinerary on this trip, or you have any questions?

Or give us a call at our office:
Cindy Noordermeer-Panou / Petra van Liere: + 233.24.7522173

MYSTICAL BENIN - GOOD SPIRITS

Thursday 21 September – Sunday 24 September

» The mystifying culture and beauty of Benin in a nutshell
» Explore Ouidah, the capital of the voodoo culture
» Spend the night in the Ganvie, an amazing stilt village in the middle of Lac Noukoué

Between 2600-1800 GHC per adult, depending on the number of participants. 2 people minimum and 8 people maximum.
This trip is suitable for active children from 10 years of age.

Our favourite long weekend away! The voodoo religion in Benin is an entire way of life as the voodoo religion is deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of the country. Your first destination is Ouidah, also known as the 'voodoo capital of Benin'.

Our guide Boris Medatinsa (photo above) will share the ins and outs of the 'Route des Enclaves' and the 'Point of No Return Memorial' remembering the thought-provoking history of slave trade, and other places of interest such as the Python Temple and the Sacred Forest of Kpassé.

We will furthermore explore Ganvié by motorised canoe, an amazing town built on stilts in the middle of Lac Noukoué where we spend the night. Roughly 40.000 people of the Tofinu tribe are living in the settlement and it is one of the last surviving stilt villages that date back some 400 years.

Your last night will be spend in Possotomé, beautifully located near Lac Aheme where we attend a Zangbeto performance in the evening before returning to Accra the next morning.

Price and Booking

Between 2600-1800 GHC per adult, depending on the number of participants. 2 people minimum and 8 people maximum.
This trip is suitable for active children from 10 years of age.

The trip includes:

• Transport by comfortable bus with driver and guide.
• 3 nights comfortable accommodation (rooms with private bathroom, warm water and AC, based on two people sharing one room).
• 3 times breakfast, lunch and diner.
• Excursions and activities during the programme.

Would you like to receive the detailed itinerary on this trip, or you have any questions?

Or give us a call at our office:
Cindy Noordermeer-Panou / Petra van Liere: + 233.24.7522173

HIKING WEEKEND IN NORTH GHANA - SAVANNAH LIFE AND MUD ARCHITECTURE

20 October till 22 October 2017

» A trip to the Upper East Region from Friday midday to Sunday late afternoon.
» Enjoy a combination of hiking excursions and cultural experiences in a natural environment very different from the south.
» Feel completely at home at Ibrahim's local-style build guesthouse, The Green House.

1800-2000 GHC per person, depending on the size of the group, including flight
5 to 9 people.
This trip is suitable for active children from 8 years of age.

We will meet you and the rest of the group in the domestic flight departure hall in Accra on Friday afternoon (2pm). We will fly to Tamale, where you will be picked up and taken to Karimenga. There you meet Ibrahim, a passionate inhabitant of the village and proud founder of an eco-tourism initiative, The Green House. The lodge is built in local style, offers good services and interesting excursions.

Enjoy two full days in Karimenga, where the programme on Saturday morning will take you for a visit to Bongo, a small town known for its mystifying rock formation, giant baobab trees and extra-ordinary architecture, and Tongo, where you can hike to the whispering rocks. In addition, we visit a small village where women weave beautiful straw baskets that are for sale.

On Sunday morning you can spend relaxing at The Green house, or undertake some of the activities there on offer, like a canou trip on the White Volta River, a village walk or a ride on a biking trail. We will depart from Karimenga latest by 1pm, and arrive in Accra in the late afternoon.

Price and Booking

Between 2600-1800 GHC per adult, depending on the number of participants. 2 people minimum and 8 people maximum.
This trip is suitable for active children from 10 years of age.

The trip includes:

• Return flight from Accra to Tamale.
• Transport by comfortable bus with driver and guide.
• 2 nights basic accommodation (based on two persons sharing one room or rooftop).
• 2 times breakfast and 2 times diner.
• Excursions and activities during the programme.

Would you like to receive the detailed itinerary on this trip, or you have any questions?

Or give us a call at our office:
Cindy Noordermeer-Panou / Petra van Liere: + 233.24.7522173

FUNDRAISING DURBAR IN ATSIEKPOE

Saturday 16 September

» Attend this lively event in Jolinaiko’s eco-tourism destination Atsiekpoe.
» The community is raising funds for the realization of the Green Clinic.
» If interested, spend the night in our village guesthouse, the Cashew Lodge or camp in one of our tents.

The Durbar show casts traditional performances, cultural and sports activities. The goal of the festival is to raise funds for a self-initiated community development project. Normally, the Durbar is organised in December, but this year, an extra Durbar is organised in September especially for the realisation of the 'The Green Clinic', a primary health care and disease prevention clinic that will serve roughly 3200 people in this rural, medicare-deprived area.

The community of Atsiekpoe, together with Stepping Stones for Africa Foundation and Jolinaiko Eco Tours, has been working together on the realization of this clinic offering basic health services to Atsiekpoe and its surroundings villages and at the same time bringing economic activity and protecting the environment. The community has played an active role in the planning and decision making during each stage of the process and fundraising.

We are currently in Phase B of the project, which includes building the walls and roofing of the building. The community still needs to raise about 20,000 Ghc and will therefore organise this Durbar in September, as the community has committed themselves to raise 50% for the project.

For more info about this project, see below.

We suggest people come by their own transport. It’s a 2-hour drive and directions will be given to you upon registration.

Would you like to receive more information on the program of the festival, or would you like to spend the night in Atsiekpoe in our village guesthouse, the Cashew Lodge, or a tent?

Or give us a call at our office:
Cindy Noordermeer-Panou / Petra van Liere: + 233.24.7522173

WE ARE BUILDING A HEALTH CLINIC IN ATSIEKPOE VILLAGE AND WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The Green Clinic - Atsiekpoe

» We are building a primary health care and disease prevention clinic in Atsiekpoe village in the Volta Region.
» We work in partnership with the Stepping Stones for Africa Foundation.
» We need your help to raise the funds for the walls and roof!

Jolinaiko Eco Tours is collaborating with the Stepping Stones for Africa Foundation to assist (potential) eco-tourism destinations in advancing their eco-touristic potential and to ensure that these touristic activities contribute to achieving development aims identified by the community.

Atsiekpoe village, on the shores of the Volta River, is one of our partner communities. The Atsiekpoe community has identified the lack of primary healthcare as their main problem to solve.

The Green Clinic, primary healthcare in a deprived region

Together we have started a project to realise the ‘The Green Clinic’, a primary health care and disease prevention clinic that will serve roughly 3200 people of the rural, medicare-deprived area.

The foundation of the building has just been laid out. The cost of the foundation, 10.000 Euro and a brick-making machine, 4000 Euro, was raised by a previous crowdfunding campaign by Stepping Stones for Africa, the community itself and by donations of people who have have visited Atsiekpoe.

We are asking your help with the walls and roof of the clinic!

Currently we are trying to raise the money needed for the next phase: the walls and roof.

We would appreciate if very much it if you would consider making a donation on our crowdfunding page! We are grateful for every gift that brings our goal closer, no matter how small.

All information about the Green Clinic, the building plan and staffing, and progress updates can be found on our fundraising page, and on the website of Stepping Stones for Africa.

Stepping Stones for Africa is a formally registered charity in the Netherlands as well as in Ghana, works with volunteers only and with zero overhead costs. We guarantee that your donation will be spent fully on the building of the Green Clinic!

If you have any questions about this project, don't hesitate to contact us!

OUR NEW TAGBO FALLS LODGE

Soft opening of our new lodge in Liate Wote, in the Volta Region

We are excited to anounce that in July, we have had a 'soft opening' of our new Tagbo Falls Lodge. The lodge is situated in a beautiful village called Liate Wote, in the green Volta Region, at the foot of Ghana's highest peak, Mount Afadjato and close to the Tagbo waterfalls.

It is a great place to offer our clients a wonderful Liate Wote experience. Besides walking through the forest to the Tagbo Falls and climbing Mount Afadjato, there is so much more to experience and enjoy. Just take a stroll behind the lodge and meet the palm wine tappers at work, visit the farmers' cottages around, walk through the cacao plantations and paddle in the Tagbo stream.

Curious? We have softly opened, so just drop us a mail if you like to stay and enjoy nature at its best:

UPCOMING TRIPS AND PROMOTIONS

Our Agenda for 2017

• Date to be announced - Opening - Official Opening op the Tagbo Falls Lodge .
• 2 November - 5 November - Culture and Nature - Wetlands, Sitatunga and the Hogbetsotso Festival in Keta, Ghana
• 25-27 October - Culture - Ngmayem Millet Festival in Kroboland, Ghana. Follow our ad-hoc Facebook post for updates.
• 1 December - 3 December - Hiking - Explore the farms and falls around Mountain Afadjato in the Western Region (Farmers Weekend).
• 8 - 12 January - Culture - Mystical Benin and Voodoo Festival in Ouidah, Benin.

Contact us for information on any of these upcoming trips.

Follow us on Facebook for ad-hoc weekend promos!

CAR RENTAL TO TOGO AND BENIN

No Worries and Great Drivers

You would like to travel to Togo and Benin? But you are not looking forward to all the hassles with car papers, crossing borders and international insurance? Let Jolinaiko Eco Tours take away these worries and take advantage of our car rental services.

We have extensive experience with travelling to and around our neighbouring countries, passing borders and all formalities involved. Our friendly, social and professional drivers would furthermore be great company for a safe trip and can assist with everything you need while on the road.

Get in touch for information and our rental rates.

Or give us a call at our office:
Cindy Noordermeer-Panou / Petra van Liere: + 233.24.7522173

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The Jolinaiko Team

We are proud to introduce our greatest asset, our team! Over the years, we have built a reliable and loyal team of professional drivers and guides.

We enjoy working with the same people for many years. We intimately know their personalities, their capabilities, interests and preferences, and always try to match the right person to the tour request. For example, we have guides who are great with families and children, those who are very sporty and adventurous, and those who are specialized in a specific field (for example history, archaeology and traditional religion).

The Sunbird Lodge

The Sunbird Lodge is our family Bed and Breakfast in Amrahia/Lambfarms, a quiet suburb of Accra, at the foothills of the Akuapem Mountain Range and only about 25 kilometers from Accra airport.

The Sunbird Lodge is the perfect place to acclimatise after arriving in Ghana, or to relax the last few days of your tour before flying home. It is great as your base for sightseeing or doing business in Accra, Tema or the Volta Region.

The guesthouse is located in our blooming, private and walled garden above the offices of Jolinaiko Eco Tours. What makes our lodge special is the quiet, pleasant surroundings and the welcoming family atmosphere.

We offer two cozy, comfortable rooms, decorated with care. The use of authentic brick and enough windows ensures cool temperatures, aided by fans for the warmer times of the year. Both rooms have a bathroom with shower, and a shared balcony with a view on the mountains and the garden with fruit trees below.

The Sunbird Lodge is run by Apollo and Cindy Panou, the owners of Jolinaiko Eco Tours.

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