What it is
Ghana's second city, inland in the forest belt, about five hours from Accra by road or 45 minutes by air. The Manhyia Palace is the seat of the Asantehene. Kejetia is one of the largest markets in West Africa.
Why go
The Manhyia Palace Museum covers the kingdom, the 1874 and 1896 British campaigns, the exile of Prempeh I and the 1900 war that followed the demand for the Golden Stool. Craft villages ring the city: Bonwire for kente weaving, Ntonso for adinkra cloth, Ahwiaa for woodcarving. If your dates line up with an Akwasidae, the festival held at the palace roughly every six weeks in the Akan calendar, the court assembles in public and it is the best thing you will see in Ghana.
When to go
Akwasidae dates are fixed by the Akan calendar and published in advance; ask your operator to check them against your itinerary before anything else is booked. Kejetia is busiest and hottest in the middle of the day. Photography at the palace and at festivals is restricted and permission is asked, not assumed.
Most people stay 2 nights.