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Saturday 1 to Saturday 15 November 2008 Saturday 15 November to Saturday 29 November 2008 Saturday 31 October to Saturday 14 November 2009 with James Lidster and local guides as leaders.
Cost: £2400 plus about £760 for flights (2009) Click here for explanation of price breakdown Maximum group size: 12 with 2 leaders. 2 leaders will join this tour regardless of group size. |
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Lying on the Gulf of Guinea along Africa's tropical western coast, Ghana is a country rich both in ancient tradition as well as in the history of Europe's early colonial expansion into West Africa. Today it is a vibrant colourful country stretching from the blinding white beaches of the Atlantic through dense, deep green rainforest to the open savannah of the Sahel, and one that plays host to over 750 bird species. Our tour begins amidst the lagoons of the Gold Coast, where migrant wildfowl from Europe swell the numbers of resident waterbirds. We then move inland to the primary tropical rainforest of Kakum National Park, home to a world famous canopy walkway which will place us on eye-level with a vast array of rainforest species, including numerous hornbills, parrots and barbets. A trek into the forest will take us to the secret home of the cave dwelling Yellow-headed Picathartes, one of Africa's most elusive birds. Elsewhere we visit the wide open savannah plains of Mole National Park, an essential part of any visit to Ghana, where Standard-winged Nightjar swoop over the grassland and massive Pel's Fishing Owls snooze in daytime roosts. Ghana has a well-deserved reputation as one of Africa's friendliest and safest countries, attributes that are still only experienced by a small number of tourists.
Day 1: Our tour starts with a morning flight from London to Accra, where we will transfer to our hotel on the coast. Night near Accra. Day 2: Just a short distance from our hotel is the Sukomona lagoon where we should see a plethora of herons and egrets including Black and Western Reef Herons. African Spoonbill are a speciality here and hordes of northern waders will be escaping the cold with familiar Greenshank among flocks of Curlew and Marsh Sandpipers, Little Stint, Black-winged Stilts and Collared Pratincoles. Large numbers of Terns may also be gathered and we’ll look for Whiskered and Royal among the more numerous Black and Sandwich Terns. The surrounding grasslands play host to Yellow-throated Longclaws and various species of bishops while our first Yellow-billed Kites and Hooded Vultures will be drifting overhead. After breakfast we will begin our journey west, crossing the bustling city of Accra. Once outside the conurbation we’ll make several stops including one at the Pambros salt-pans, where we’ll see more wetland species ranging from Long-tailed Cormorant and Great White Egret to Malachite and Pied Kingfishers. For a change of scenery we’ll spend some time at Winneba plains where cryptic cisticolas, non-breeding bishops and weavers will vie for our attention alongside a raptor or two and hopefully more colourful Rosy Bee-eaters. Night at Hans Cottage. Days 3-5: Kakum National Park is part of a huge protected area of rainforest covering 375 square miles and our destination for the next three days. Besides the fabulous forest, Kakum is perhaps best known for its amazing aerial walkway that stretches through the forest canopy 120 feet above the ground. The walkway is so rich in bird life that we will make at least two visits, each one offering an ever changing selection of mouth watering Guinea forest specialities. These include species such as Yellow-billed Turaco and we’ll hopefully also see Great Blue Turaco and possibly Yellowbill. Hornbills are well represented and we should encounter Piping and White-crested Hornbill as well as African Green Pigeon, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Black-winged and Western Black-headed Orioles, Blue Cuckoo Shrike, Violet-backed Hyliota, Ussher's Flycatcher, Red-headed Malimbe and Buff-throated, Olive and Collared Sunbirds. Nearby we will visit Antwikwa where more forest birding should reveal Bristle-nosed and Naked-faced Barbets, Black and White Mannikin, Black and White and Red-bellied Paradise Flycatchers, Swamp Palm Bulbul and hopefully the gorgeous Black Bee-eater. On one evening we’ll go birding along Brenu road where, as well as Red-necked Buzzard, Double-spurred Francolin, Common Fiscal, Black-crowned Tchagra and Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrikes, we hope to witness the evening roost of Preuss's Cliff Swallows. Another evening will find us searching for nightjars with Long-tailed and Plain Nightjars most likely. Our accommodation is ideal with Cattle Egrets roosting just metres from our evening checklist and a small lake home to Green-backed and Squacco Herons with Nile Crocodiles lounge on the banks. One afternoon during the heat of the midday period, there will be the option of visiting Cape Coast Castle, one of the most infamous of the slave trade locations which plays such an important part of the history of this region. Nights at Hans Cottage. Day 6: After a final morning around Kakum we’ll return to the hotel for breakfast before driving to Assim Fosso. After checking into our hotel we’ll head off to a hilly area of rainforest home to one of Africa’s most sought after species - Yellow-headed Picathartes. We’ll arrive at their roosting site before dark and wait until they return from a days feeding. Just a handful of sites are known in Ghana, and this one offers the best chance of seeing this enigmatic species anywhere in Africa. Night at Assim Fosso. Day 7: A morning spent at Aboabo will add more species to our growing list and birds we may see here include Copper-tailed Starling, Western Nicator, Rufous-crowned Eremomela and Grey-crowned Negrofinch. After lunch we’ll drive to the Owabi Dam where the elusive African Finfoot has sometimes been seen, and whilst searching for this we may see some massive Giant Kingfishers. Later driving towards Kumasi during the late afternoon we could find some huge Straw-coloured Fruit Bats taking to the wing after a day at rest. Night at Kumasi. Day 8: Today will be mainly a travelling day as we continue our journey north to Mole National Park and we’ll notice the range of species starting to change as we enter a more savannah-like habitat. Raptors could occur at any stage, with Grasshopper and Lizard Buzzard both likely while the roadside wires provide ideal perches for several species of Roller including Abyssinian, Blue-bellied and Rufous-crowned. Night at Mole. Days 9-10: We’ll spend two days exploring Mole National Park. Birding will begin right outside our rooms where a small terrace overlooks a watering hole and some savannah woodland. Saddle-billed and Woolly-necked Stork often occur and the sounds of Hadada Ibis, Hamerkop and White-faced Whistling Duck are never far away. Local specialities include Spur-winged Goose, Stone Partridge, Bruce's Green Pigeon, Violet Turaco, Levaillant's Cuckoo, Broad-billed Roller, Red-throated Bee-eater, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting and Spotted Creeper, while raptors should include Bateleur, African White-backed and White-headed Vultures, Gabar and Dark Chanting Goshawk and Black-shouldered Kite. In some winters this is a good site for Pel's Fishing Owl and our local guide will know if one is present. In addition to all the birds another of the parks attractions are its mammals with Water buck, Bushbuck, Kob, Warthog, Olive Baboon and of course majestic African Elephants all possible. All our birding within the park will be accompanied by an armed ranger, whose knowledge of Elephant behaviour will add to our experience. On at least one evening we’ll stay out until dusk in the hope of seeing the bizarre display of Standard-winged Nightjar, as well as Dusky Eagle Owl and possibly White-faced Scops Owl, while back at the lodge we may even see Freckled Nightjar by the swimming pool while we have dinner! Nights at Mole. Day 11: Leaving Mole we retrace our steps and pass through numerous colourful villages on our way to Kumasi. Night at Kumasi. Day 12: We now find ourselves once more searching the rich rainforest for a variety of colourful birds including Long-tailed Hawk, Red-billed Dwarf and possibly Black Dwarf Hornbills, Narina’s Trogon, Tambourine Dove, Fire-bellied Woodpecker, Fraser's Forest and Chestnut-capped Flycatchers and both Crested and Red-headed Malimbe. After lunch we’ll visit the southern Atewa area where more forest species may include Yellowbill, Black Cuckoo, Klass's Cuckoo, Common Fiscal, Splendid Glossy Starling and White-breasted Negrofinch. Night near Atewa. Day 13: We’ll spend the morning in the northern Atewa mountain range where the forested hills are home to one very special bird - Blue-headed Bee-eater and although never present in large numbers we hope to see this stunning bird during our time there. Other species may include Green and Yellow-billed Turacos, Grey Longbill, Chetsnut-breasted Negrofinch, Yellow-mantled Weaver and if we are lucky, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher. After a late breakfast we’ll return to our hotel near Accra, and if time allows there maybe the chance for a refreshing swim or a repeat visit to the nearby lagoon. Night near Accra. Day 14: The savannah habitat of Shai hills seems a far cry from the city of Accra but within an hour we could be watching more raptors, rollers and cisticolas. Rocky outcrops here usually hold Rock Martin and the extremely elusive Mocking Cliff-chat is a slim possibility. We’ll return to our hotel for lunch allowing time to pack, shower and relax before the evening flight home, which arrives in London on Day 15.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
Last updated June 2008 |
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Bird List