The Gold Coast was a British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa from 1867 to its independence as the nation of Ghana in 1957.
The first Europeans to arrive at the coast were the Portuguese in 1471. They encountered a variety of African kingdoms, some of which controlled substantial deposits of gold in the soil.
In, nowadays, Ghana you can visit many of the castles and forts that were used back in the days. In this article we will share the three biggest castles, who have an organized tour with tour guide.
Osu Castle
You can find Osu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg, in Osu, Accra. The first large fort was built by Denmark-Norway in the 1660s, though the castle was owned by between Denmark-Norway, Portugal, the Akwamu, Britain, and finally post-Independence Ghana, and was rebuilt frequent times.
Visiting the castle is possible. You will get a tour guide who will tell you more about the place. Please be aware to not take pictures of the area after the tourism office, until the door that brings you to the actual fort.
Cape Coast Castle
This castle is located in Cape Coast, Central Region. The castle is one of the ‘slave castles’ built on the Gold Coast (now Ghana) by European traders. It was originally a trading post of the Portuguese, established in 1555. Later it has been used in the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
A tour through this castle starts every hour. If you are too early you can visit the interesting museum first. During the tour you will visit the men’s dungeons , as well as the women’s. You will also use “The door of no return”. This is the door the people had to go through, and take the boat to a bigger ship that would sent them to overseas.
Elmina Castle
Elmina Castle was founded by the Portuguese in 1482 as São Jorge da Mina (St. George of the Mine) Castle. It was the first trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, and the oldest European building in existence south of the Sahara. It was first established as a trade settlement, the castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The castle is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
Also here you can do a guided tour.
During most of our tours we will visit at least one of these places, since it is very important for us that you understand the history of Ghana. We also offer history tours.