The Gambia - A West African Odyssey
06 January – 20 January 2012
- Price per person: £1395
- Deposit per person: £300
- Suggested flights:
- Monarch fly from London Gatwick to Banjul on Tuesdays and Fridays and return on the same days. It is these Friday flights that the tour is scheduled around.
- Thomas Cook Airlines fly from London Gatwick to Banjul on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and return on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The Gambia is the smallest country in the continent of Africa yet it harbours an amazing wealth of avian delights and provides the best possible introduction to sub-tropical African birding. It is also one of the friendliest and safest African countries to visit.
Our 2 week tour enables us to visit every type of habitat The Gambia has to offer and at each we'll encounter different species enabling us to amass an impressive list of sightings. We will explore the coastal region with its mixture of wetland sites, mangroves, open savannah woodland and gallery forest. We also make an extended foray 'up river' (the river in question being the Gambia River which dominates the country) to Georgetown and Tendaba for a wealth of riverine forest species that are not possible nearer the coast.
Our visit is during the middle of the dry season which should optimise our chances of seeing not only resident species but also specialist winter visitors and even Western Palearctic migrants which pass through here on their journeys north.
Accommodation will be in twin rooms in comfortable hotels except at Tendaba and Georgetown Camps where the facilities will be more basic.
Birding is at its best in the mornings and late afternoon - early evenings. The early to mid afternoon period is generally quiet and very hot so a break will be taken to eat lunch and re-charge batteries for our late afternoon/evening sessions.
Day 1
Flights arrive late afternoon. Transfer from Banjul airport to our coastal hotel where we will be staying for the next 6 nights.
Day 2
After breakfast we will visit several sites in and around Kotu which will provide a great introduction to Gambian birding. Kotu Ponds, Ricefields and a nearby cycle track should give us our first looks at species such as White-faced Whistling Duck, African Jacana, Hamerkop, Senegal Thicknee, Senegal Coucal, Broad-billed Roller, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Sacred Ibis and many more.
After a break for lunch at Paradise Beach in Kotu we will be back out birding by about 15.30 and spend the remainder of the day around Fajara Golf Course. This is another excellent site and very good for Giant Kingfisher, Black-headed Plover, Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Green Wood Hoopoe and Palm Nut Vulture amongst others.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 3
Following breakfast we will make the short drive through Serekunda to the wonderful Abuko Nature Reserve for the morning. This place is bound to become a favourite with everyone, it certainly has with us! The birding in this block of mature gallery forest is amazing. The potential list of species is far too long to list here but both Green and Violet Turaco can be expected plus Common Wattle-eye, Lavender and Orange-cheeked Waxbills, Western Bluebill, Fanti Saw-wing, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Little Greenbul, African Paradise Flycatcher etc etc etc!
We'll break for lunch at the gloriously appointed Lamin Lodge before heading out to bird the nearby Lamin Ricefields for species such as Black Crake, Blue-bellied Roller, Senegal Parrot, Yellow-billed Shrike, Little Bee-eater, Grey-headed Sparrow, Pied Hornbill and maybe even a Greater Painted Snipe.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 4
Following breakfast we head to Brufut Woods for the morning which will allow us plenty of time to explore this varied area of closed and savannah woodland. Here we can expect species such as Striped Kingfisher, Yellow White-eye, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Brown Babbler, Grey-backed Eremomela, Lesser Honeyguide, Bearded Barbet, Long-tailed Nightjar, Verreaux's Eagle Owl and White-faced Scops Owl.
After a break for lunch in Tanji we will spend the afternoon at Tanji Bird Reserve which holds a number of special birds like Green Crombec, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Black Scimitarbill, Northern Black Flycatcher, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, African Green Pigeon, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, African Pygmy Kingfisher and African Golden Oriole.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 5
Today will be a busy day visiting 4 different sites – Mandinaba and Farasutu Forest in the morning for Yellow-throated Leaflove, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Red-billed, Grey and Pied Hornbills, both Snowy and White-crowned Robin-chats, African Goshawk, swallows, woodpeckers, rollers, African Green Pigeon, Little Greenbul, Grey-headed Bristlebill, Green Crombec, Orange-cheeked Waxbills, weavers etc.
Lunch will be of the packed variety as the remote location means there is no restaurant where we can stop for lunch. When the heat of the day has subsided we'll head out once again. Firstly to Pirang Shrimp Farm and its famous Black-crowned Cranes. Other species we hope to find here include Brown-necked Parrot, Black-headed Heron, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark, Cut-throat Finch, Quailfinch and Plain-backed Pipit. Following this our final stop of the day will be the Faraba Banta Bush Track which can be a fabulous place for raptor such as Grasshopper Buzzard, Martial Eagle, Dark-chanting Goshawk and possibly even Gabar Goshawk. Passerines can include White-winged Black Tit, Black-faced Firefinch, Northern Puffback, Rufous-crowned Roller and Vieillot's Barbet.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 6
As usual, we will be picked up after breakfast and head for Tujereng Woods in the morning, break for lunch at paradise beach at Sanyang and then spend the afternoon at Kartong which is the most southerly village in The Gambia and right on the Senegalese border.
Today we'll hope for White-fronted Black Chat, White-shouldered Black Tit, the diminutive Senegal Batis, Red-winged Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-lark, cisticolas, prienias, sunbirds, Black-crowned Tchagra. From a boat at Kartong we should see gulls and terns, Goliath and Purple Heron, Painted Snipe, Purple Swamphen, Sacred Ibis, kingfishers, Black Crake and maybe even an African Crake.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 7
We make an early morning start today as we rush to Banjul at catch the first ferry of the day across the Gambia River to Barra on the north bank. During the day we make our way eastwards to Georgetown birding many interesting sites en-route. At Ngainsangan we will look for Black-bellied Bustard, and if we are lucky Temminck's Courser, vultures, eagles, larks and Spotted Thick-knee. Closer to Georgetown we will encounter species such as Exclamatory Paradise whydah, Northern Anteater Chat, Red-billed Quelea, Red-throated Bee- eater, Little Green Bee-eater and Carmine Bee- eater.
At wetlands on the way through the northbank we'll look for Knob-billed Duck, Spur-winged Goose, African Pygmy Goose, Collared Pratincole and gulls, terns and stints. At Nyagabantang wetland we'll specifically search for what will be near the top of most birders wanted lists - Egyptian Plover.
Night at Baobolong camp in Georgetown
Day 8
As we wake up to our first morning 'up country' we'll have breakfast at the camp and take a boat trip for Pink-backed Pelicans, African Fish Eagle, Hadada Ibis,the beautiful Swamp Flycatcher, storks, kingfishers and Hippos! After returning to the camp for lunch we'll spend the afternoon exploring the ricefields around Georgetown.
Night at Baobolong camp in Georgetown
Day 9
We leave Georgetown this morning and cross the Sankule Kunda Bridge and onto the south bank of the river. Our first stop here will be Bansang Quarry which has a colony of Red-throated Bee-eaters and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. Next up will be Jahally Ricefields for waders, vultures and falcons followed by Fulabantang were Marabou Storks nest.
We continue to our next overnight accommodation at the famous Tendaba Camp making birding stops as required. In the evening we'll drive to the Bateling Track for the amazing Pennant-winged Nightjar and then return to the camp for dinner.
Night at Tendaba Camp
Day 10
From our base we'll explore the nearby Bateling Track again but this time in daylight followed by Kiang West National Park and after lunch back at the camp the woodland and ricefields of Tendaba. This list of species from this area is extensive but Brown-rumped Bunting, Yellow Penduline Tit, European Bee-eater, African Pygmy Sunbird, Brubru, Grasshopper Buzzard, White-rumped Seedeater, Bronze-winged Courser, Bush Petronia, starlings, woodpeckers, weavers, Vieillot's Barbet and Stone Partridge are all possibilities.
Night at Tendaba Camp
Day 11
After breakfast we will take another boat trip taking in 2 creeks Kissi Creek and Tunku Creek for three to four hours for the elusive and much wanted African Finfoot, Blue Flycatcher, bee-eaters, woodpeckers, kingfishers etc. We then drag ourselves away from the Tendaba area and make our way back towards the coast. On the way we will pause awhile at Kanpanti Ricefields which is excellent for raptors such as African Harrier Hawk, Bateleur, African Hawk Eagle, African Hobby. White-backed Vulture, Red-necked Falcon, Tawny Eagle and Wahlberg's Eagle.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 12
After a hectic few days today will be deliberately slower-paced! After breakfast we will spend a half day birding the Bund Road and Camaloo Corner area which is close to Banjul.
Here we hope to find species such as African Jacana, Black Heron, Black-headed Heron, Pink-backed Pelican, Black-rumped Waxbill, Northern Crombec, Greater Flamingo, Yellow-billed Stork, African Spoonbill, Sacred Ibis, Quailfinch, Abyssinian Roller,kingfishers and maybe a Yellow-throated Longclaw before returning to our hotel area by early afternoon for some R&R or local birding depending on energy levels.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 13
We visit 2 sites today, Marakissa in the morning and after a lunch break we venture to Dasilami. Target birds for the day will White-breasted Cuckoo-shrike, both Lesser and Greater Honeyguides, African Golden Oriole, Lizard Buzzard, Black-shouldered Kite, Gabar Goshawk, Klaas's Cuckoo, Diederik Cuckoo, Wahlberg's Eagle and Tawny Eagle.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 14
Our main aim of this morning will be to take a boat trip to Bijoli Island where we should be in for some good close views of a variety of terns, gulls, herons and other water birds. By early afternoon we will return to our coastal hotel for some local birding and mopping up of anything there that may have eluded us thus far.
Night at our coastal hotel
Day 15
Our last morning will be spent locally to our coastal hotel where tour participants can choose to bird locally or simply relax before our early afternoon transfer back to Banjul airport.
What's included:
- Accommodation at coastal hotel, days 1 -6 and days 11 – 14
- Accommodation 'up country', days 7 - 10
- Breakfast on all days
- Lunch on all days (sometimes this will be a sandwich lunch due to the remote locations of some of the sites we will visit)
- Dinner on days 7 – 10
- Services and expertise of local guide throughout
- Entrance fees to reserves
- Airport transfers in The Gambia
- 2 boat trips (Tendaba and Georgetown)
- Bottled water throughout
