Many people come to the Gambia not for its golden beaches but for its avian delights; and while the country is short in stature it’s positively stuffed with winged wonders, from mighty birds of prey to spectacular and colorful parrots and bee-eaters. Gambia, sits in a transitional zone between semi-desert and tropical forest, so you’ll find species from both those areas here, and as well as endemic West African species, the country receives large numbers of migratory birds, who either pass through or stay for the winter.
Operating days: Every day
Departure time: 0630 hours
Duration: 15 days
Single Supplement: $350
Age Limit: 8 and above t
Departure point: Airport pick- up
Arrival point: Airport drop- off
Special instructions: please contact Across Africa Tours and Travel to confirm your departure information at least one week prior to your first day of travel
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Upon arrival at Banjul airport, you will meet up with a driver who will be transferred to Djembe Beach Resort for the overnight.
Today we will pick you after breakfast at a 7 am drive to Abuko Nature Reserve is situated outside the village of Lamin in the Kombo North District, 25 km from Banjul. The Reserve provides a good introduction to the flora, fauna, and avifauna of The Gambia. Its unique nature allows the visitor to gain an insight into the biodiversity of The Gambia, both present and past. The Reserve is a home for 270 species of birds. The reserve contains an intact pocket of gallery forest in which numerous forest-dependent species occur such as the green-crested touraco, little green bulbul, and the yellow-chested apalis. The milky (or Verreaux’s) eagle-owl is also resident and often heard calling in the late afternoon. The chain of pools within the lower end of the reserve attracts a tremendous variety of birdlife, from the white-spotted pygmy rail to African fish eagles. An afternoon spent at the Education Centre or one of the photo hides will yield many good sightings. After having lunch at Lamin Lodge you will proceed to koi ponds largest water waste facility ins the country explore the rice fields area and the golf course before heading back to Djembe Beach Resort
After breakfast, we will head to Bonto Pirang Forest. It’s a site popular for the regular sighting of superb White Spotted Flufftail, rare African Wood Owl, Green Crombec, Grey Headed Bristle bill, Very rare Yellow bill, Green Hylia, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, African Pied Hornbill, African Goshawk, Simple leaf love, among others. We’ll have lunch at sitta joyeh island. In the afternoon proceed to farasuto forest best know for its assembly of birds unique to West African forests. some of the species that you will include In here species expected to be seen are as follows Breeding white back night Heron, Green Crombec, African Goshawk, Ahanta Francolin, White-spotted fluff tail, Violet Barbet, Giant Kingfisher, Pygmy Kingfisher, Violet Turaco. Before the sunset drive back to the hotel for the overnight
Today you will have an early breakfast and meet your guide at 6:30 am at the hotel lobby. Head to Tureng woods an open area with bushes and grass with special birds like White-Fronted Black Chat, Vieillots Barber, and Black-headed Plover You will find here a lot of Gambian birds: African Pied-Kingfisher (picture), Malachite Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Woodland Kingfisher, Sacred Ibis, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Western Reef Heron. Green-backed Striated Heron, Cattle Egret, Squacco Heron, African Darter, and Yellow-billed Kite. (African Harrier-Hawk). Later proceed to Tanji and stop at a local restaurant for lunch before heading to Brufut woods, long been a good place for birding some of the birds you will encounter long-tailed nightjar which you cannot miss and as close to the bird as two (2) meters on the ground. Also see white-faced scops and Verreaux’s eagle owls, yellow-white eye, yellow-throated leaver love, lavender waxbill, orange cheeked waxbill, both blue-spotted wood and black-billed wood doves green turaco, shikra, and many more. Before the sunset, we wiññ drop you back at the hotel for the overnight and dinner.
Today after breakfast meet your guide at the hotel lobby at 6:30 am, procced to Penyem ,a small village with a population of about 3000 that lies within the West Coast Region of The Gambia. The inlands of the villages are the best bird watching sites . You will drive to Marakissia woods to watch more Birds such as White Breasted Cuckooshrike, African Golden Oriole, African Green Pigeon, African Scops Owl, Malachite Kingfisher, Painted Snipe and many more. After lunch at Marrakiss river camp we will proceed to sifoe forest for more birdwatching experience. We drive back to the hotel for overnight before the night fall.
You’ll be Picked up at 6.30 am from your hotel lobby, drive to karting ponds arriving at around 8:00 am to start birding Safari . Drive along the termite road down to the beech where you will come across white fronted plover , auduin’s gull and other birds species. At the afternoon drive to paradise beech bar and restaurant for local cuisine lunch.Today numerous number of birds will be seen ranging from waders and woodland birds like purple swamp hen, African jacana, common snipe , sanderling , grey plover ,Allen’s gallinule , knob bill duck , pigmy goose white fronted black chat Senegal batiste, white shouldered black tit, chestnut crowned sparrow weaver , brown back woodpecker and lot more. Before the sunset we will drive back to the hotel for overnight
Today we will pick you up at 5:30am at the hotel lobby drive to Banjul to catch up with the first ferry crossing from Banjul to barra ,after the ferry crossing we join the bus and drive to the border where our passport will be stamp and get into north of Senegal delta saloum ,we will do birding on the way and stop at tubakuta around 13:00 for a lunch break at a restaurant ,and by 14:30 we join the bus and drive to njafat then to kosemarr to attend the afternoon sesson for the swallow tailed kite and other species before time ,from there we join the boat back to the land and join our bus and drive 45 munits to kaolack where we will have dinner and overnight in hotel relais de kaolack .
Meet the guide today at 7:00am after breakfast in hotel at kaolack ,we collect the picnic lunch sandwiches ,because is going to be maybe a whole day driving and birding on the way and at some point we will stop for picnic lunch ,because is a bit distance from the north delta saloum to further east then to south east around tambakunda then a branch to Niokolokoba and arrive to the entrance around 16:00 or 17:00 before they close the entrance at 18:00 ,we collect our tickets and drive about 38km an hour and half drive from the entrance to simenti hotel inside the park .then dinner and night in simenti hotel.
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After breakfast we will visit Goulombou, close to the Sementi National Park where we will spend all morning looking for the specialities. The birdlife here is interesting, but although there are fewer species they may include Bateleur, Martial Eagle, Denham’s Bustard, Violet Turaco and Abyssinian Ground Hornbill. The immediate area around the upper reaches of the Gambia river offer species such as Woolly-necked Stork, Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle, Stone Partridge, African Finfoot, Standard-winged Nightjar, Shining-blue Kingfisher, Red-throated Bee-eater, Oriole Warbler, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Sulphur-breasted Bush-Shrike and Orange-cheeked Waxbill. Back to our hotel for lunch and after a short break we will go for our second boat trip in the area, navigating to the west of the Gambia River. African Wattled Lapwings, Egyptian Plover, Finfoot, Northern Carmine Bee-eater in good numbers going to roost and the static Nile Crocodile will delight us on our last night in this fantastic place. Overnight In Wasssadow – Hotel Wassadou.
Early in the morning, we will head east to Wassadow where we will spend the next two nights. Depending on water levels we will stop near a drinking pool that attracts vultures, with chances for close views of White-Backed, Hooded and Griffon Vultures, Marabou Stork. Black Kites are abundant here. Birding on route with comfort stops before arriving at our hotel in Wassadou, where Egyptian Plovers feed in the grounds of the hotel, while Green Monkeys fight in the nearest forest to find the best-roosting branches. Other birds we can see before dusk include Palm Nut Vulture, Long-tailed and Purple Glossy Starling, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, White-crowned Robin Chat and Yellow-crowned Gonolek. Overnight in Wassadow Hotel .
After breakfast cruise at Gambia River to Lamin Koto where the birdlife is spectacular. Finfoot is almost guaranteed, also five species of kingfishers, colonies of Red-throated and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, numerous African Fish Eagles and raptors, such us Bateleur, African Cuckoo Hawk, African Harrier Hawk, African Hawk Eagle, lots of herons and egrets, not forgetting passerines such as Black-headed Weaver, Red-billed Firefinch, Orange-cheeked Waxbill and African Silverbill. Proceed to wassu the stone circle area colony of the red throated bee eaters. Head to panchang for the African pigmy goose . Continue to Njau wetland to see the Egyptian plover. Enjoy a local cuisne lunch at a local restaurant before proceeding to kaur wetland for an up close with bustards ,tamminicks coursers,singing bush larks etc . begore the sunset will head back to Baobolong camp for the overnight and dinner.
After breakfast proceed to Bao Bolon Wetland Reserve Set on the north banks of the Gambia River, Bao Bolong is the largest of Gambia’s protected areas at 220km2, and is home to mangroves, salt marsh and woodland. It offers the chance for some water bound bird spotting, via a pirogue cruise along the labyrinthine Kisi and Tunku bolongs (a Gambian word for creek). Passing through the mangroves, you’re likely to see kingfishers, sunbirds, herons and martial eagles; and, less commonly, Pel’s fishing owl, little green woodpecker and African blue flycatcher. Baobolong camp for the overnight and dinner.
After breakfast drive to Tendaba passing through Morgan kunda woodland and farmland species upon arrival you will check In to your camps and have a quick lunch. Later get into a boat to explore kissi and tunku wetlands. The 3 hours boat ride will bring you uplclose to Egyptian Plover, Marshall Eagle and Long-crested Eagle, Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, Red-throated, Little Green, Blue-cheeked and European Bee-eaters led the way, with African Golden Oriole, Dark Chanting Goshawk and Grasshopper Buzzard, Beaudouin´s, Brown and Short-toed Snake Eagle, African Fish Eagle, African Blue Flycatcher, Kittlitz Plover, Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark, Cut-throat Finch, Yellow White-eye, Ant-eater Chat, Pied and Blue-breasted Kingfishers. Before the nightfall we will return to the Tendaba camp for the overnight and dinner.
After breakfast meet you driver at the lobby and en route to kiang west national park, one of the most important reservoirs of wildlife in The Gambia. Although the major part of the park is dry deciduous woodland and guinea savannah, there are extensive stretches of mangrove creeks and tidal flats. In the mangrove creeks is the home of the West African Manatee and Nile and Dwarf Crocodiles, African Clawless Otter, Mongoose and Sitatunga. At the afternoon after lunch you will explore the rice fields, raptors bridges where you will come across the terns and guils. Drive back to the hotel for overnight and dinner .
Today after your breakfast you will have the rest of the morning to yourself. At your schedule the guide will drop you at Banjul airport to catch your next flight where our services come to ana end.
