TWO-WEEK TOUR SAMPLE ITINERARY

Transit Day 1
Check in at the South African Airways desk at JFK at 3:00pm, leaving time for bag inspections and plastic wrapping if desired. Depart JFK at 5:30 for a 7 hour direct flight for Dakar, Senegal.

Day 2
Arrive in Dakar at about 7:00am where we’ll be greeted after customs and taken to the Meridian President Hotel, situated at the absolute western-most tip of the African continent, the “Pointe des Almadies.” Here we can get situated and eat at the breakfast buffet, then eagerly bird the verdant hotel gardens, golf course, and lava flows by the beach. We’ll have opportunities to immediately acquaint ourselves with birds such as Spur-winged Plover, Village Weaver, Pied Wagtail, Hooded Crow, Northern Wheatear, Black Kite, Reef Heron, Senegal Parrot, and possibly a fly-over pelagic., White-breasted Cormorant and Sudan Golden Sparrow. Time permitting, we can perhaps inspect the daily holdings of the bird vendors at the colorful Dakar Marketplace. Late afternoon flight to Banjul, capital of the Gambia, where we’ll enjoy dinner and drinks by the pool at the Atlantic Hotel.


Day 3
November 9 After an early breakfast we head for Abuko Reserve, The Gambia’s finest remnant of primary gallery forest. The reserve is an oasis of green now almost swallowed by the spreading perimeter of Banjul, but within its carefully protected confines it preserves a patch of tropical rainforest that is becoming increasingly rare in West Africa. The Lamin stream was fenced in in 1968 to keep domestic animals out, rather than anything in. Perhaps because of its “refuge” status, Abuko’s 200 bird species and dozens of varieties of small mammals need no encouragement to stay. The reserve is left more or less natural, and vehicles are not allowed in. We’ll look out for Kingfishers (Blue-breasted, Senegal, Malachite, and Pygmy), Painted Snipe, Hooded Vultures, Black Kites, Palm Nut Vultures, and with luck we should also see Giant Kingfisher, Little Greenbul, and perhaps Pied-winged or Fanti Rough-winged Swallows. Featuring towering fruit trees and shady pools, several important specialities can be seen here, including Green and Violet Turacos, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Hammerkop, Common Wattle-eye, Palm-nut Vulture, African Goshawk, Shikra, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, and Western Bluebill. During the heat of the day, small streams attract large numbers of birds to cool off such as Green Hylia and Black-and-white Flycatcher. Nile Crocodiles, Red Colobus and Red Patas monkeys, and Sitatunga antelope can also be seen in this remarkable reserve. Night in Banjul.

Day 4
Today we will explore the wonderously bird-rich Kotu Creek area and Bund road. Just south along the coast, Tanji Bird Reserve is a fine mix of open areas, scrub, woodland and coastal lagoon attracting a rich diversity of bird life. African Pygmy Kingfisher, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Black-crowned Tchagra and White-crested Helmet Shrike are found amongst the scrub while the more mature forest attracts Northern Puffback and Violet Turaco. Along the shore, Common, Royal, Sandwich and Caspian Terns drift back and forth while Senegal Thick-knees patrol the lagoon edges. The remainder of the day will be spent at the conveniently situated Bijilo Forest Park where we might encounter Black Flycatcher, African Grey Hornbill, Black-winged Kite, Bearded and Vieillot’s Barbets. Night at Marakissa.


Day 5
Breakfast 6:30am. Depart 7:00am from the south Gambia border area and visit Pirang Forest. Leave for Tendaba via a raptor site. Arrive Tendaba around 2:00pm for lunch. Afternoon in Bao-bolon Wetland Reserve. Mangrove by boat or walk in savanna woodland of eastern Kiang West National Park. Some likely species today include African Jacana, Black Crake, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Diederick Cuckoo, Siffling Cisticola, Little Greenbul, Common Wattle-eye, Grasshopper Buzzard, African Harrier Hawk, Oriole Warbler, Blue-bellied Roller, Splendid Sunbird, African Darter, Mouse-brown Sunbird, White-backed Night Heron, Four-banded Sandgrouse, Wooly-necked Stork. Night at Kemoto Lodge.

Day 6
Breakfast at 7:00am. This location was rated this year as one of the top 10 birding hotspots in Africa by the African Bird Club. It’s position on the river commands broad, sweeping views and several creek exploration possibilities featuring West African specialties such as White-crested Tiger Bittern, White-backed Night Heron, African Blue Flycatcher, and Moho, the melodious and colorful Oriole Warbler. Night in Tendaba.

Day 7
Breakfast 6:30am. Depart 7:00am for Farafenni Ferry to north bank tour to Georgetown. Arrive Georgetown for late lunch with boat trip in afternoon. Some likely species today include Egyptian Plover, Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, White-headed Plover, Kittlitz’s Sand Plover, African Fish Eagle, Swamp Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Finch Lark, Northern Anteater Chat, African Pygmy Goose, Golden Song Sparrow, Olivaceous Warbler, White-crowned Robin Chat, Black Coucal. Dinner and overnight in Georgetown.

Day 8
Breakfast 6:30am. Depart 7:00am for Basse. Lunch at Basse. Some likely species today include Red-throated Bee-eater, Cinnamon breasted Bunting, Brown Snake Eagle, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Egyptian Plover, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Black-shouldered Kite, Greater Painted Snipe, and perhaps the most sought-after and stunning bird in Africa, the “crocodile-guarding” Egyptian Plover. Over the next several days we shall follow Clive Barlow’s experienced sense of timing, tides, temperatures, and tendencies to properly position our personages in prosperous places for fantastic views of fancy avifauna from the Farafenni ferry. We’ll have the opportunity to take some boat rides up the river and around the tributary creeks (bolons), and if rarities are found, we may have the opportunity to make sound recordings and take photographs. Night at Basse.

Days 9, 10, 11
Breakfast 7:00am, then 7:30 departure for Georgetown. We’ll slowly begin the return journey to Banjul over the next several days by different routes than we traveled on our eastward trip, and will take the opportunity to search for secretive species which may have thus far eluded us. Among these may easily be such cryptic rascals as African Finfoot, White-spotted Flufftail, Marabou, Western Bluebill, White-crested Tiger Bittern, some rare raptors, and a smattering of finches or forest birds. Today we may also visit the Bansang quarry for Red-throated Bee-eaters and stay till dusk to await Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse. (This is the site where we found The Gambia’s first record of Blue Rock Thrush in 1998). Nights in Georgetown and Kerewan.

Day 12
Breakfast at 7:00am, then departure for Tendaba Camp. Evening Nightjar and Owl Prowl, then cool drinks back at the famous Bird Safari Camp Bar. Night at Tendaba.

Day 13
Breakfast 7:15am, depart 8:00am for return to Banjul via stops nearer the coast to attempt any missed species that may be important to members of the party. This should be a good day for Forest birds, raptors and vultures. Arrive Atlantic around 5:00pm for dinner and overnight in Banjul.

Day 14
Breakfast 7:30am. Visit sites local to Banjul such as Bund Road, Camalou Corner, and Mile 7. Lunch at Atlantic, then afternoon transfer to Yundum. After a 40-minute flight back to Dakar, we'll spend a few hours relaxing at the Meridian President.

Day 15
After midnight, you'll be transferred back to Dakar/Yoff for your return flight to New York, with arrival the next morning at around 7:00am. We'll share memories and exchange details for our trip reports, plan future travels, and hope to keep in touch...

Northern Senegal Tour Extension

Day 1
After breakfast, go on a pirogue cruise on the arms of the river to see the waterways and mangrove habitats of the Saloum Delta. Several patches of good forest and savanna also still remain in this region, and we might see Double-spurred Francolin, Black-headed Lapwing, Black-billed Wood-dove, Senegal Coucal, African Gray and Red-billed Hornbills, Greater Honeyguide, Gambian Puff-backed Shrike, Red-bellied Gonolek, Purple Glossy Starling, White-breasted Cuckoo-Shrike, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Gray-backed Camaroptera, Collared and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, Lavender Waxbill, and Goliath Heron. Depart late morning for the Gambia. We’ll bird our way to the border checkpoint and beyond, reaching the Gambia river ferry at lunchtime. We’ll eat, interact with locals, and look for swifts and pelagics in this fascinatingly chaotic scene while we await our turn to cross over to Banjul. Once across, we’ll head to Abuko Nature Reserve for an introduction to the spectacular avian richnes of The Gambia. One of Gambia’s best, At dusk we’ll do a stake-out near the Senegambia Hotel for the ornately arrayed Standard-winged Nightjar. Dinner and night at Toubacouta.

Day 2
Enormous, sacred Baobab trees (whose fragrant flowers open at night and are pollinated by bats) will accompany our transition from the greener Guinea savanna to the drier Sudan savanna climatic zone. The ringing call of the African endemic Red-billed Hornbill will fill our ears as it swoops between acacias and desert date trees. Given the chance, we may stop by the road to buy a few famously delicious Senegalese mangos, and then will begin the journey south towards the Ecological Reserve at Mbour. Here we will look for Rose-ringed Parakeets, Bearded Barbets, Yellow-backed Weavers, and Pearl-spotted Owlet. Then we’ll escape the heat of the day and take the chance to review the famous skins collection of Morel, the late ORSTOM ornithologist who co-authored the Collins “Birds of West Africa” book and first described the River Prinia as a new species in Richard Toll. Then we’ll head over to the beach resort at Saly-Portudal where we’ll spend the night.

Day 3
After breakfast, early morning departure for Saint-Louis, the former capital of French colonial Senegal. As we head north, the savanna will gradually transform into a landscape of drier and sparser trees and brush as we move into the sahel zone. We’ll also drive past a number of small towns and traditional villages before arriving in this first Portuguese and French town of Africa. The French colonial past is reflected in the architecture and design of the town, where you will check-in at the Hotel de la Residence. In the charming town center, huge centuries-old fig trees line the streets-and they are filled with large, fox-faced Gambian Fruit Bats. Then visit the Langue de Barbarie Park to look for such birds as the Senegal Parrot, Western Gray Plantain Eater, Striped Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Splendid Sunbird, and Glossy Starling. The vegetation will grow sparse approaching the Sahel, the southern border of the Sahara, where the Chestnut-bellied Starling will signal our arrival. After some shorebirding near the Senegal River, where we may find Gray-headed Gull, the day will end back in Saint-Louis for dinner at the Hotel Mame Koumba Bang.

Days 4 and 5 (Thanksgiving on November tours!)
After breakfast, depart for Le Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj, 37 miles from Saint-Louis, at the southern edge of the Sahara in northwestern Senegal. Its position makes it a gathering place for numerous migrating birds. Djoudj is a shallow basin which is flooded during the wet season when the Senegal River overflows its banks. After our check-in at the lodge, explore the waterways where there is dense vegetation attracting many migrant passerines and the flooded areas harbor hordes of waterbirds and waders. Some birds to look for are White-breasted and Long-tailed Cormorants, many White Pelicans, European and African Spoonbills, Black Heron, Egyptian and Spur-winged Geese, African Fishing Eagle, Crowned Crane, and, with luck, an Arabian Bustard or Painted Snipe. While landbirding, we may find Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Blue-naped Mousebird, Chestnut-backed and White-fronted Sparrow-Lark, Ant-chat, Golden Sparrow, and Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu. In other areas it is very arid and some desert birds are possible. Two days will be spent in the reserve, discovering the many bird species wintering there. Nights at Campement de Djoudj and a deliciously-roasted bird for Thanksgiving Dinner (in November) at Gite d’Etap in Richard Toll..

Day 6
Return to Dakar for further exploration or shopping in the town, and more birding in the gardens at the the zoological park, and a boat trip to the Iles des Madeleines archipelago to see Red-billed Tropicbirds, Bridled Terns. Dinner and evening at Meridian President at Point des Almadies. Check in after mid-night for Flight back to NY-JFK.

Day 7
Check in at the South African Airways counter at Dakar for 7-hour direct flight to JFK, Meals on board.