West African Birdwatch

Typical Itinerary

1. Day 1: Fly to Banjul; transfer to hotel

   Fly from London to Banjul, where we transfer to our hotel.

   Accommodation: Senegambia Beach Hotel, 3-nights

2. Days 2-3 : Excursions, including Abuko Rainforest Reserve

   During the first few days our excursions will take us to the famous Abuko Reserve, home to spectacular bird species such as the startlingly coloured violet and Guinea turacos, and crocodiles.

   For lunch on one day we drive to a highly distinctive creek-side restaurant where Caspian terns fly past, then rest here during the heat of the day before visiting the dry fields nearby. These fields can be excellent for raptors including dark chanting goshawk, lanner, Beaudouin’s snake eagle, black-shouldered kite and the spectacular long-crested eagle, while previous trips have given us views of the elusive Temminck’s coursers that come here in the dry season.

3. Days 4-5 : Drive to Kiang West National Park

   Today we drive upriver to the unique and characterful Tendaba Camp. Here we can sit under the thatched verandah overlooking the river, watching for pink-backed pelicans, ospreys and fish eagles to fly by. As night falls the local villagers sometimes bring drums to dance by a bonfire at the riverside. 

   We take a trip across the Gambia River up one of the fantastic wild creeks with huge mangrove trees, providing some of the best birdwatching in the Gambia. Here Senegal thicknees run alongside the canoe, darters wait in the dead branches, secretive white-backed night herons hide in the tangles and there is always the chance of a colourful speciality such as blue-breasted kingfisher or African blue flycatcher.

   Accommodation: Tendaba Camp, 2-nights

4. Days 6-8 : Inland to Kaur wetlands, Bassé & Baobolong Camp, Georgetown

   We head inland today via the excellent Kaur wetlands, and start looking for one of the star birds of the area, the gloriously patterned Egyptian plover, as well as a huge supporting cast of other species.

   We continue to our camp near Georgetown. Here we will hope to see a good variety of typical African savannah species, with raptors such as bateleur, Rüppell’s vulture, martial eagle and others.

   On one of our days here we drive up to Bassé, where stunningly beautiful Egyptian plovers are most likely to be found. Northern carmine and red-throated bee-eaters can be seen along with monkeys including the spectacular western red colobus, patas monkey and Guinea baboon. We will visit a quarry featured in David Attenborough’s Life of Birds series where we hope to see nesting red-throated bee-eaters.

   Accommodation: Baobolong Camp, 3-nights

5. Day 9: Drive downriver to Tendaba Camp

   We drive back downriver to Tendaba Camp, where we will have the opportunity to go in search of any species we may have missed, along the creeks of the Gambia River. 

   Accommodation: Tendaba Camp, 1-night 

6. Day 10: Return to the coast

   We return to the coast, with stops for raptors and black crowned cranes en route.

   Accommodation: Hotel Senegambia, 2-nights

7. Day 11: Birding around Kololi

   Today, we will once again explore the area around the hotel, looking for any species that may have been missed earlier in the tour. This may also involve a trip to Abuko or Pirang, depending on what we still want to see.

8. Day 12: Morning birdwatching; fly back to the UK

   We have a relaxed final morning’s local birdwatching before going back to Yundum Airport in time for our afternoon flight home.