The Gambia
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November 16th - 23rd 2010 - 7 nights / 8 days - £1150 (s/s £100)
November 23rd - 7th December 2010 - 14 nights / 15 days - £1450 (s/s £180)
Leaders: Bob Buckler and Local Guides
Group size: minimum 8, maximum 12 with 2-3 leaders
The Gambia - the perfect intoduction to African Birding
Gambia has to be the best possible introduction to African birds, and our tours are the best possible way to see them and to enjoy a fantastic experience: We are competitively priced, we use the best hotels and we visit all the sites sought out by other companies plus many more. Our local guides have vast experience, they speak four local languages and are extremely good at calling birds to them.
We use the Senegambia, a comfortable hotel set in 20 acres of bird-filled tropical gardens, air-conditioning is included in the price. There are large picture windows in every room, all rooms have en-suite facilities, with good food and fantastic birding literally on your doorstep. There are two swimming pools, a private beach and beach bar for those hot afternoons if you want to relax during our siesta time.
Birdwatching in the Gambia is……….
EASY
birds are found everywhere, up to 30 species can be seen in the hotel grounds! Every bush, tree and area of grass seems to hold one or two birds.
EXOTIC
a vast range of the most colourful African species can be seen, some right on your doorstep with Common Gonolek, White-crowned Robin-Chat, Firefinch, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, and Senegal Parrot to name just a few that can be found in the hotel grounds. Just wait until you see Beautiful Sunbird, Blue Breasted Kingfisher, Abyssinian Roller, Lavender Waxbill and Sudan Golden Sparrow, they will just blow you away with their colours.
EXTRAORDINARY
there are some weird shapes and evolutionary quirks to be seen in the avian world of The Gambia. The prehistoric looking Hammerkop is one of them, a very common bird seen everywhere near water. There are the extremely long tail- feathers of the Paradise Whydah, it looks like a flying black Squirrel as it flits across the bush. The Bearded Barbet, is a very odd looking bird, the tiny Namaqua Dove is so cute and the unusual red feathering of the aptly named Cut-throat, these are just a few of the strange sights that await you.
EXCITING
everywhere you look, new sights and sounds greet you, it will take you a few days just to sort out the calls of the numerous Doves: there are Laughing Doves, Mourning Doves, Vinaceous Doves, Red-eyed Doves, Wood Doves and several Pigeons all cooing and crooning at the same time. One surprising range of calls comes from the Hornbills, not what you would expect at all, intriguing to say the least.
COLOURFUL
you will see an amazing variety of plumage: the beautiful Sunbird has six different colours, the Bee-eaters are terrific and the Kingfishers are simply stunning.
DIVERSE
you may see 9 Kingfishers, 8 Bee-eaters, 12 Sunbirds, 6 Weavers, over 30 species of raptor, 10 Doves, its just amazing.
ABUNDANT
over 540 species have been recorded in this tiny African country. You don’t have to travel far to see them and everywhere you stop there are birds to see!
Itinerary
Day I Arrive late afternoon, check into hotel. Afternoon walk in the hotel grounds and in the evening a meeting with our guides to discuss the itinerary.
Day 2 Morning excursion to Fajara golf course and lunch somewhere near Kotu, then back to the hotel followed by an afternoon excursion to Bijilo Forest.
Day 3 Morning excursion to Abuko Nature Reserve, lunch at Lamin lodge, afternoon excursion to Lamin Rice Fields.
Day 4 Full day excursion to Marakissa area, lunch at Marakissa River Camp, afternoon excursion around the Camp.
Day 5 Morning excursion to Brufut Wood and Tanji Wetland, lunch at Tanji lodge, afternoon excursion to Bund Road.
Day 6 Full day to Faraba Banta bush track with picnic lunch.
Day 7 Leave hotel after breakfast travel to Tendaba, many stops on the way with picnic lunch. Arrive at Tendaba Camp, dinner and overnight at Tendaba.
Day 8 After breakfast, boat trip to Tendaba creek, lunch at Tendaba Camp. Afternoon excursion to Tendaba airfield and back to Tendaba camp for dinner, night at Tendaba.
Day 9 After Breakfast leave Tendaba to Georgetown, birding stops along the way with picnic lunch, arrive Boabolong Camp, dinner and overnight
Day 10 After Breakfast, morning boat trip from Georgetown, lunch on the boat. Birding stop at Sapu, drive back to Baobolong overnight
Day 11 Breakfast, leave Baobolong camp to Tendaba, birding along the way, cross the ferry at Farafenni overnight at Tendaba
Day 12 Breakfast, leave Tendaba and head for the hotel back at the coast, stops on the way with picnic lunch, overnight at the hotel.
Day 13 Breakfast, excursion to Tujering Wood, lunch at Sanyang beach, afternoon excursion to Sanyang Rice Field and back to hotel.
Day 14 After Breakfast, morning excursion to Mandina Ba for 3HR walk on bush trail. Back to hotel for afternoon local walk
Day 15 After breakfast a choice of lounging in the hotel grounds or a local excursion to try to locate any species we may have missed. 1pm depart for airport for an afternoon flight home.
This itinerary is intended for guidance only and is not set in stone
The 7-night tour will be a scaled down version of the above, we will spend 5 nights in coastal Gambia exploring savanna, forest and shore using the same comfortable hotel and spend 2 nights upriver, at Tendaba. A Mangrove ‘creek-crawl’ by pirogue is also included plus wall-to-wall sunshine and a feast of fabulous birds.
What to expect
An exciting and educational 8/15-day birdwatching tour of the Gambia. Day-light hours are between 7am and 7pm and are tropical in temperature and humidity. A typical day will begin with an outdoor breakfast at seven, followed by a morning excursion, then lunch, with a rest after lunch (at the time when it is hot and relatively ‘birdless’).Dinner will be between 7:30 and 8pm. We are not a company that dashes around to collect as many ticks as possible, we do not compete with anyone, we would like to show you as many species as we can at our own pace. Expect to see around 250 - 280 species during the 8 day tour and 280 -320 during the longer, 15 day, tour.
Meals
All except lunches are included in the price. Some lunches will be picnics which can be ordered from the hotel, others will be taken at various lodges and camps. There will be ample opportunity to buy local bread and fruit for picnic lunches, allow £2-3 per day for them. Food at dinner and breakfast is good, mostly western in style at our hotel on the coast. Meals upriver are more simple, but wholesome. Vegetarians are catered for.
Accommodation
On the coast we stay at the Senegambia, one of the Gambia’s most popular tourist hotels. Our price includes air-conditioning and private facilities in all rooms. The hotel’s 20 acres of bird-rich tropical gardens are a delight.The beach and swimming pool make it an excellent place to relax between our various birding trips and for those that want to take time out from birding.
Accommodation upriver is the best available: basic but clean and delightful, in simple thatched huts of rustic local design. All rooms are en suite (cold water shower and WC), and with the benefit of a cooling fan (air-con and hot water are not available upriver in the Gambia). Electricity is supplied via a generator which may sometimes be switched off during sleeping hours - bring a torch! All beds are equipped with mosquito nets and the spraying of rooms is carried out daily.
Walking
Walking is easy, mostly we take short walks up to about 3 kilometers over easy terrain, The Gambia has no hills!. Comfy high-sided walking shoes with sturdy corrugated soles for grip are best.
Boat Trips
All boat trips and ferry crossings are included in the price, lunch is also included on the morning outing from Georgetown, which is cooked and served on the boat. We have the exclusive charter of this boat and so are free to explore at our leisure.
General Information
The Gambia is hot and sometimes humid in November but rain is rare. We lead at a leisurely pace but the heat can be uncomfortable at times. On several days we will split the birding into two sessions, with a break at the hotel in the middle of the day so that we can relax.
There are a number of health requirements for the Gambia and you must consult your GP in this respect. Insects are not a major problem but you must take precautions to avoid health risks. Anti-malaria tablets are recommended, please consult your doctor for advice.
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What’s included?
- Scheduled flights London – Banjul
- 7/14 nights half-board accommodation
- All ground transport including airport transfers
- All Ferry Fees and boat trips
- The services of the guides
- A ‘Wingspan’ species checklist
- Entrance fees and permits
- What’s not included?
- Travel insurance
- Lunches – except the boat trip lunch during the 14 nights tour
- Drinks and purchases of a personal nature
