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Tuesday 17 March to Wednesday 1 April 2009 with Bryan Bland and local guides leaders.
Cost: £3370 plus about £470 for flights Click here for explanation of price breakdown Maximum group size: 12 with 2 leaders. |
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Egypt is renowned for its abundance of archaeological and historical sites. Most people dream of visiting the Great Pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, the temples at Karnak and Abu Simbel, and the River Nile. In addition to these riches, Egypt provides exciting birdwatching since a number of African species such as Senegal Thick-knee, Greater Painted-snipe, Kittlitz's Plover, Senegal Coucal, and Nile Valley Sunbird reach the northern limit of their range here. The many migrant birds en route from Africa to Eurasia which pass through at this time of year add an extra dimension to the birdwatching. We'll visit the major archaeological sites and Egypt's best areas for birds, including the amazing Sinai Peninsula and St. Catherine's Monastery in the dramatic central mountain range. An exciting new development this year is the addition of two whole days exploring the southern Red Sea coast as far as the Sudan border at Shalatein, now unrestricted to foreign visitors. This will give us the chance to find several species difficult to see elsewhere in the Western Palaearctic, notably Lappet-faced Vulture, Crab Plover, Goliath Heron, African Collared Dove, Namaqua Dove, and maybe even Black Bush Robin and Black-crowned Finch Lark. Internal flights instead of long return drives and several two- or three-night stops at the finest hotels have eased the original pace of this tour (which has thrilled and delighted clients for fourteen years) whilst ensuring that it still presents an unbeatable sequence of marvellous experiences. Day 1: The tour begins with a flight from London to Cairo. Night in Cairo. Day 2: Our first day will be a wonderful mixture of both birds and history with visits to the fascinating stepped pyramid of Sakkara and the mastabas of Ti and Mereruka (for amazingly accurate carved representations of the birds of ancient Egypt), the Great Pyramids, the Solar Boat, and the Sphinx. We’ll also visit Lake Qarun for an early spring wealth of ducks and waders, including Spotted Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, and perhaps a Greater Painted-snipe. Night in Cairo. Day 3: Today will be spent in the bird rich areas of the East Delta and Gebel Asfar. In this mosaic of reedbeds, fish farms, and agriculture we could encounter a variety of birds including White-breasted Kingfisher (the only location in Africa for this Asian species), Greater Painted-snipe, Senegal Coucal, Streaked Weaver, and Kittlitz’s Plover. Night in Cairo. Day 4: This morning we'll drive east across the desert to Suez keeping a lookout for Cream-coloured Courser, Scrub Warbler, Bar-tailed Desert, Desert and Hoopoe Larks, and Desert, Hooded, Mourning and Isabelline Wheatears. From the cool comfort of our restaurant table we might see our first Great Black-headed, Caspian or White-eyed Gulls plus guaranteed House Crows. We'll then cross from Africa to Asia by a tunnel under the Suez Canal and experience a new avifauna, such as Yellow-vented rather than Common Bulbuls and Palestine rather than Nile Valley Sunbirds, as we drive down the Sinai Peninsula towards St. Catherine's Monastery which is 5,000ft above sea level and founded in 527 AD on the traditional site of the, still flourishing, burning bush seen by Moses. At dusk we’ll venture out into the cool canyons to look for Hume's Tawny Owl. Night at St. Catherine's. Day 5: A popular (but very optional) start to the day is to climb Gebel Musa (Mount Moses) to experience dawn at the spot where legend holds that Moses received the Ten Commandments. Later, a morning visit to the Greek Orthodox monastery will combine birds and history admirably. The original sixth-century walls and church dedicated to the Virgin Mary still stand, as does the mosque built in the seventh century when the Muslims spared this Christian refuge. The gardens of the monastery attract both migrant and resident birds including Chukar, Tristram's Grackle, Scrub Warbler, and Sinai Rosefinch. After lunch we'll explore Wadi Feran for Blackstart and any Sinai specialities missed so far, and then drive back via the Suez tunnel and south to a beach hotel near St Paul’s monastery. Day 6: St Paul’s monastery is a fascinating fourth-century Coptic site which is also a migrant trap. In the past we have seen Thrush Nightingale, Wryneck, Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler, and Sand Partridge here. Given an east wind we could also see thousands of Steppe Buzzards plus Steppe, Imperial, Booted, and Short-toed Eagles. We then head south to El Gouna, just north of Hurghada, to explore the farms and hotel gardens for more migrants. Day 7: Surrounded by barren desert and sea, the gardens of the hotels in El Gouna are the only patches of green for miles. Consequently some of the many migrants passing over Egypt stop off to rest and refuel, and searching the farms and gardens can be great fun. It is also a point where the mountains meet the sea and where migrating raptors linger and circle to gain height. For most of the day, however, we’ll take a private boat out into the Red Sea and around the islands in search of Brown Booby, Western Reef Egret, Sooty and White-eyed Gulls, and Crested and White-cheeked Terns. Before and after lunch on board there will be a chance for some great snorkelling as the Red Sea is host to over 800 fish species. Night in El Gouna. Day 8: Excitingly, the Red Sea coast south of Safaga has produced some outstanding records in recent years, including Goliath Herons and Crab Plovers (and even a Basra Reed Warbler) in the mangroves. Crested Terns, Sooty Falcons, and African Collared Dove can be seen along the coast and the desert holds good numbers of Crowned Sandgrouse plus Sand Partridge and, spasmodically, Black-crowned Finch Lark. We shall take our time exploring all these habitats and spend the night at the Shams Alam resort, south of Marsa Alam.
Day 9: The most extensive area of mangroves in Egypt is at Hamata and is the best site in the Western Palearctic for the enigmatic Crab Plover. Other waders could include Greater Sand Plover and Terek Sandpiper. Offshore there is just a chance of Brown Booby or Red-billed Tropicbird but our main target bird today will be Lappet-faced Vulture at the frontier town of Shalatein. Night at the Shams Alam resort. Day 10: After some early morning birding around the hotel, we'll take an escorted convoy across the desert to Edfu, then north to Luxor, in time for lunch at our delightful hotel. We'll then spend a relaxing afternoon searching the water’s edge for Little Bittern, Rufous Bush Robin, Purple Swamphen, Red Avadavat and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, before we leave for the atmospheric Son et Lumière show which will give us our first taste of the magnificent temple at Karnak, usually with Barn Owl as a bonus. Night on Crocodile Island, Luxor. Day 11: We'll spend the morning across the river visiting the Valley of the Kings, the Valley of the Queens, the mortuary temples of Queen Hatshepsut or Ramses III, the Ramesseum, and the Colossi of Memnon. Before it becomes too hot, we'll hope for views of Trumpeter Finch around the tombs, as well as Pallid Swift, Rock Martin, and Little Green Bee-eater. We'll then pause for lunch before returning to Karnak to see its splendour by daylight while an evening visit to Luxor Temple could add Little Owl. Night on Crocodile Island, Luxor. Day 12: En route to Aswan we'll stop at the impressive temples of Edfu (the largest and best-preserved in Egypt) and Kom Ombo (in effect a double temple to the gods Sobek and Horus). Likely birds on the journey include Black-shouldered Kite, Senegal Thick-knee, and Purple Swamphen. After lunch we will relax in a uniquely Egyptian way - by cruising around Elephantine and Kitchener Islands, or to and through the First Cataract, in a white-sailed felucca (or in the absence of a breeze, a more maneuverable launch) hopefully tallying eight species of heron including Striated, and maybe Ferruginous Duck. There will be an opportunity for more relaxing on our hotel balconies or in the grounds, or perhaps a visit to the new Nubian museum. Night in Aswan. Day 13: We'll visit the Temple of Philae saved from the waters of Lake Nasser and reconstructed on an island in the lake, a delightful place to study Nile Valley Sunbird and Graceful Prinia. We’ll then drive south across the Nubian Desert to Abu Simbel to visit the truly spectacular temples that were saved from the lake. A second visit after sunset will give us the opportunity for another sound and light show, this time incorporating the latest laser technology. With luck, Egyptian Nightjar might fly around the lights. Night in Abu Simbel. Day 14: We begin the day heading out into the desert to a place where Spotted and Crowned Sandgrouse are regular. These quintessentially desert birds are beautifully camouflaged and naturally secretive but with care and patience we should be able to find both species. Lunch will be taken at a hotel where the grounds may hold a variety of migrants. Abu Simbel is famous among birdwatchers as a place to see sub-Saharan African species seldom seen elsewhere in the Western Palearctic. Although some are almost scarce vagrants, we'll spend time searching the lake shore looking for such exotic species as Pink-backed Pelican, Yellow-billed Stork, African Skimmer, Kittlitz's Sandplover, African Collared Dove, and African Pied Wagtail. Occasionally, permission is granted to take out a boat on Lake Nasser, making our task a little easier. Night in Abu Simbel. Day 15: After some final early morning birding around our hotel, we'll fly to Aswan and then back to Cairo. An afternoon at the Cairo Museum, home to the fabulous Tutankhamun collection and many other wonders of Ancient Egypt, will ensure that all the marvels of the last two weeks will fall into perspective. We'll then go to the old Islamic district of Khan el Kalili for some fun shopping in the narrow streets of the bazaar, culminating in our final meal together at a famous old Egyptian restaurant. Night in Cairo. Day 16: After a final search for migrants in our hotel grounds, we might have time (depending on flight schedule) to spend the morning in the grounds of the Gezira Sports Club where not only Ring-necked but also Alexandrine Parakeets have established feral breeding populations, the latest addition to the resident Western Palearctic avifauna. We'll then catch a flight back to London where the tour concludes.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated July 2008 |
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