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Gambia & Senegal
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© Martin Cade  Red-billed Hornbill |
Friday 26 November - Friday 10 December 2004 (15 days)
The Gambia is a small, narrow country running up the River Gambia and completely surrounded by Senegal or the sea. Yet there is a wide variety of habitats within just a few miles: estuary, mangrove swamp, riverine forest, marshland, and the edge of the West African Forest.
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© Martin Cade  Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill |
Itinerary Days 1 - 5 During the first week our excursions will take us to the famous Abuko rainforest reserve, home to spectacular bird species like Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, the startlingly-coloured (even by Gambian standards) Violet Plantain-eater, and some rather dozy-looking crocodiles. The tall trees here with their superb buttress roots are worth seeing in their own right. For lunch we will drive to a highly distinctive creek-side restaurant where Caspian Terns fly past, resting during the heat of the day before visiting the dry fields nearby. These fields can be excellent for raptors including Dark Chanting Goshawk and the spectacular Long-crested Eagle, while our last trip also gave us views of the elusive Temminck's Coursers that come here in the dry season. |
| To the north of the peninsula are a series of wetlands packed with birds. We could see up to 14 species of heron in the area, from the magnificent Goliath Heron to the distinctive small Black Heron which turns its wings into an "umbrella" to shade its fishing area. With so many and such colourful birds to see - Blue-bellied Roller, Senegal Parrot, or perhaps a passing Palm-nut Vulture, a delightful Little Bee-eater, or a magnificent Giant Kingfisher perched over a creek - it is often hard to know where to look. Perhaps you prefer smaller birds - there are wintering Olivaceous Warblers here joining the local resident warblers such as the Nuthatch-like Crombec and Grey-backed Camaroptera. On one of our excursions we will take the ferry across the mile-wide mouth of the Gambia River to the North Bank, to search for some of the local specialities there. | |
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Other trips will take us further south, to an area of pools near the Senegal border for Jacana and Black Crake, where our last trip also gave us splendid views of more than a dozen Painted Snipe. We also visit an excellent forest area where the huge kapok trees shelter a good variety of species. On a previous visit we saw Pearl-spotted Owlet and the huge Verreaux's Eagle Owl, with its striking pink eyelids. At dusk we plan to visit an area of pools over the Senegal border where Four-banded Sandgrouse come to drink.
Five nights Senegambia Hotel |
© Martin Cade  Blue-breasted Kingfisher |
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Days 6 - 7 We again take the ferry across to the North Bank. From here we drive north to Keur Saloum, a huge area of mangroves, freshwater pools and savannah, where we stay for two nights at a lodge overlooking a large creek and its associated mangrove swamp. We made an excellent discovery on first visiting the Keur Saloum Delta in 1999. While there, we will take a boat trip out into the mangroves to a spectacular heron roost one afternoon. Two nights Keur Saloum, Senegal Days 8 - 10 We head inland today via the excellent Kaur wetlands. Anywhere from here on we will start looking for one of the star birds of the area, the gloriously-patterned Egyptian Plover. We continue onwards to our camp near Georgetown. Here we will hope to see a good variety of typically African savannah species, with raptors such as Bateleur and Martial Eagle and others. We continue up to Bassé. Here Hippos frequent the river and Egyptian Plovers are most likely. Stunning Carmine and Red-throated Bee-eaters can be found along the roadside along with monkeys including the spectacular Western Red Colobus, Savannah Monkey and Guinea Baboon. Three nights Baobolong Camp, Georgetown Days 11 - 13 We drive back to the unique and colourful Tendaba Camp. Now under much improved new management, the experience of staying here is quite unforgettable. Swedish-run, the camp has a well-stocked bar with, among other drinks, many brands of single malts but a cool beer will probably be more in favour as we sit under the thatched veranda overlooking the river, watching Pink-backed Pelicans, Ospreys and Fish Eagles fly by.... As night falls the local villagers sometimes bring drums to dance by a bonfire at the riverside. There is also a swimming pool - but do not stray into the crocodile pond by mistake. We shall be taking one or more trips 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, and there is always the chance of a colourful speciality such as Blue-breasted Kingfisher or Fairy Blue Flycatcher. Three nights Tendaba Camp Day 14 We return to the coast, via an excellent new private reserve at Makasutu. Here we can take another pirogue trip through narrow mangrove-lined channels, and walk in some excellent forest, before returning for a final night at the Senegambia. Overnight Hotel Senegambia Day 15 We have a relaxed final morning before going back to Yundum airport in time for our afternoon flight home. Accommodation: On the coast we stay at the Senegambia Beach Hotel. This is one of the best hotels in the Gambia, set in its own large well-tended gardens, hosting an amazing variety of birds. It also has its own beach and, of course, swimming pool. It makes an excellent place for relaxing during the heat of the day and a safe place for independent early morning and evening birding. Accommodation upriver is as outlined above. Leaders : Tim Earl and local guides |
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Numbers : Max. 14 clients. Prices: 2004 - £ 1,695 2005 - £ 1,745 Single supps. 2004 - £ 195 2005 - £ 205 Deposit : £ 200 per person. The prices are per person and includes return charter flights from Gatwick to The Gambia, accommodation as outlined, all meals, excursions as outlined above and the services of the leaders. The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks and other personal expenses. Please note that there are options to upgrade to 'premier class' with extra leg-room on the flights, and also for air conditioning in the rooms on the coast - please enquire for details. |
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