Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

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

Our previous weekend trips and day excursions for people living in and around Accra were a great success! So here we go with some exciting new trips in June and July:

ATSIEKPOE UPGRADED – ALL-INCLUSIVE VILLAGE PACKAGE AT THE CASHEW VILLAGE LODGE

Any date - Promotional rates in June !

» Come and enjoy the basic but relaxing atmosphere at the Cashew Village Lodge
» Includes the boat crossing, accommodation and three meals

Promotional rate in June: only 75 GHC per adult per night.
Children below 4 years for free.

Come and see the refurbished Cashew Village Lodge in Atsiekpoe. Gideon, who joined our team recently, made the Village Lodge a more pleasant place by adding some creative touches. His painting, carpentry and gardening skills have given the village lodge a refreshed look.

For only 75 GHC per adult we offer this affordable 'village-stay' package. The package includes the crossing of the river by ferry canoe, accommodation and meals. Come and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere at the lodge and engage in several activities within the village! Perfect for adventure-loving families.

We suggest you come by your own transport. It’s a 2-hour drive from Accra, directions will be given to you after registration. We can arrange transportation if that is a problem.

Price and Booking

The 75 GHC includes:

• Crossing of the river by ferry canoe.
• 1 night accommodation either in our village lodge or family tent
• Meals (1x diner, 1x lunch and 1x breakfast). Drinks are excluded.

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 TOGO

Saturday 1 July – Monday 3 July

» Go on an adventurous hiking tour in the beautiful rolling green hills of Togo
» Enjoy the lively francophone atmosphere and cuisine of Kpalimé
» Come back to Ghana with souvenirs like great wooden craft work and organic certified coffee

775-875 GHC per person, depending on room choice.
Discounted rate for children below 12.
This trip is suitable for families with sportive children from 8 years and older.
Group of max. 4-10 people.

After a very successful trip to Kpalimé, Togo, in 2016, we are organising this weekend for a second time coming July.

We will all meet at 6 am in the morning in Accra. After six hours we will arrive in Kpalimé, a lively town situated in the greenest and most fertile part of Togo.

Togo will most likely surprise you with its francophone atmosphere in the towns and villages which are charming and refreshing. The the hiking opportunities offered around the Kouma-Konda are great.

Our hike on the first day will take two hours through the hills to the Tomegbe Falls and the butterfly forest around Kouma-Konda. The next day, there is a more strenuous hike of five hours on the program.

The area is known for its organic coffee plantations and artists using natural paint from leaves and flowers. We make sure there is time left to explore the great craft people at Le Centre Artisenal and you go home with some organic fresh coffee. We will be back in Accra Monday afternoon.

Price and Booking

775-875 GHC per person depending on room choice.
Discounted rate for children below 12.
This trip is suitable for families with sportive children from 8 years onwards.

The trip includes:

• Transport by comfortable bus with driver and guide.
• 2 nights mid-range accommodation (rooms with private bathroom and fan).
• 2 times breakfast and 2 times diner are included. We suggest a picknick lunch prepared by yourselves.
• Cost of hiking and entrance fees to the mountains and falls.
• Service charge.

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

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!

LAST MINUTE

Dipo Festival, LAST CHANCE ON SUNDAY 4 JUNE !

April and May is Dipo time! Dipo is called the heartbeat of the Krobo people, a force that unifies them and a very important experience, especially if one is a Krobo woman.

Together with our colleagues of Homeland Tours, we offered the possibility to attend this extra-ordinary event during several weekends in the last 2 months. The climax is the sacred rock ritual ceremony celebrated on Sundays.

Our last Dipo Trip will be organised on Sunday 4 June. You can join us last minute for this extra ordinary experience!

Contact us for booking or if you have any questions.

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

OPENING SOON!

Our New Tagbo Falls Lodge in the Volta Region

As you may know, we have a family Bed and Breakfast in Amrahia near Accra, the Sunbird Lodge.

We are proud to announce that we are opening a second guesthouse 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.

We expect to be ready to receive guest from July 1st!

Below are some photos of the progress:

UPCOMING TRIPS AND PROMOTIONS

Our Agenda for 2017

• June - Promo - Atsiekpoe Promotion Month, see above.
• 4 June - Festival - Dipo Festival in Odumase, see above.
• 1 July - 3 July - Hiking - The Togo Plateau (Republic Day), see above.
• Mid July - End August - Summer Promo Break due to tourism high season.
• 31 August - 3 September - Festival - The Agbogbo-Za Festival in Notse, Togo.
• 21 September - 24 September - Culture - Mystical Benin (Founders Day).
• September - Promo - Tagbo Falls Lodge Promotion Month.
• 13 October - 15 October - Hiking and Culture - Long Weekend Upper East, Ghana.
• 25 October - 27 October - Culture - The Ngmayem Festival - Kroboland, Ghana.
• 2 November - 5 November - Culture and Nature - Wetlands, Sitatunga and the Hogbetsotso Festival in Keta, Ghana
• 1 December - 3 December - Hiking - Explore 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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