DAY ONE

Arrival at the Banjul intl airport

Arrival at Banjul international airport.Pick up by one of our guides, transfer to hotel or lodge. When early arrival we can do a first birding before checking in. Check your watches, there is a time difference between Europe and The Gambia : one or two hours.

DAY TWO

PIRANG FOREST PARK AND BIRDHIDE

Today, we spend the entire day birding  at this exotic coastal forest, the area host a small pocket of remnant ever green gallery forest and  is home to many exciting forest species including the gorgeous and elusive White Spotted Fluff Tail, African Goshawk, Violet and Green Turacos, Green Hylia, Green Crombec, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Common Wattle Eye, Stone Partridge, Yellow Bill Coucal,  and Yellow Breasted Apalis. The day also include couple hours visit to  the forest bird hide  where regular  visitors to the hide include Green Headed Sunbird, Leaf love, Western Bluebill, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Lesser and Greater Honeyguides, Orange Cheeked Waxbill, African Paradise Flycatcher, and many more exciting birds.

DAY THREE

KOTU CREEK AND AN HOUR BOAT TRIP 

we’ll spend  a full day birding the species rich Kotu Creek  alongside the fajara Golf Course, Kotu Sewage works and Cycle track, we’ll have a chance of seeing a fantastic variety of species  including many Kingfishers, herons,  sacred ibis, African Spoonbill, African Jacana, Black Crake, Yellow Crowned Gonolek, the delightful  Oriole Warbler, and  eagerly sought after Greater Painted Snipe,   we also expect a wealth  of wading bird especially  during an hour canoe trip at low tide, the canoe ride provide a wonderful opportunity to view or photograph  diverse array of birds at close range. 

After lunch, we’ll explore the scrubs and open wooded fajara golf course to find species such as Fine Spotted Woodpecker. Variable Sunbird, Swallow Tailed Bee Eater, Long Tailed Glossy Starling,  Shikra, Lizard Buzzard, Blue Bellied Roller, Double Spurred Francolin, Bearded Barbet, and more

DAY FOUR

BRUFUT WOODS AND TANJI BIRD RESERVE

Today we’ll combine two fantastic coastal hotspots for a whole day exploration, we’ll explore various habitats including coastal scrub, lagoons , dunes , beaches and woodland to find  Caspian Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Royal Tern, long Tailed Nightjar, Klas’s cuckoo, Green Turaco , Yellow Throated leaflove, vieillot’s Barbet, black shouldered kite, red necked falcon, pearl spotted Owlet, Kelp Gull,  Golden Tailed Woodpecker, Blue Cheeked Bee Eater, Osprey, Northern Crombec, Orange Breasted Bush Shrike, Pink Back Pelican, Northern puff back,  yellow  fronted Canary, Grey Kestrel  and host of other species 

DAY FIVE

DAY DRIVE TO TENDABA AND BIRDING EN-ROUTE

 an early start this morning as we travel to the up country making several interesting stops en route, we’ll  start the day birding at farasutu forest where  we’ll target several forest and woodland birds including Greyish Eagle Owl, Standard Winged Nightjar,  White Throated bee eater, western bonelli’s warbler,  western Violet Backed Sunbird, African Pied Hornbill, Western Grey Plantain Eater,   Green Headed Sunbird, White Backed Night Heron,  Great Headed Bristlebill,  and  African Wood  Owl, we head further east to stop at Killy woodland  in search of  Brubru, Senegal Batis, Brown Backed Woodpecker, Black Faced fire finch,  Chestnut Crowned Sparrow Weaver,  white Shouldered Black Tit,   and Yellow Bellied Hyliota . We then continue further east to stop to explore the rice fields and open woodlands of Kampanti. Kampant hold an impressive diversity of raptors that include the iconic Bateleur Eagle, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Martial Eagle, Grasshopper Buzzard, Long Crested Eagle, White Backed Vulture, and African Harrier Hawk, other bird we might encounter include African Golden Oriole, Abyssinian Roller, pearl Spotted Owlet,   Yellow Billed Shrike amongst many others, we arrive in the late afternoon at Tendaba Camp   for an overnight stay.

DAY SIX

BOAT TRIP TO BAOBOLONG WETLAND RESERVE AND BIRDING ON THE NORTH BANK

we’ll start the day with a boat ride on the creeks of the Baobolong Wetland Reserve, one the country’s most extensive wetland habitat, the Reserve holds s superb array of  avi-fauna  including the very rare Pel’s fishing owl, Goliath Heron, African blue flycatcher,  mouse brown sunbird, African darter, yellow billed  Stork,  wolly necked Stork, white throated bee eater, African fish eagle, pink backed pelican, white backed heron which roost in the mangrove, the area is also home to largest breeding colony of the white breasted cormorant.

After hours of touring the baobolong wetland reserve, we’ll continue our birding further inland to staying at Georgetown for two nights. We’ll drive to  the north bank and along  the way we’ll make some worthwhile stops  at waterholes, and other birding sites including Ngayen Farmlands for singing Bush Larks, Temmick’s Courser, Black Headed Lapwing,  Chestnut Backed Sparrow Lark, Rufous Crowned Roller, common quill and a possibilities of both Black  bellied and savile Bustards  

We’ll continue  birding in the afternoon to stops at Kaur Wetland, Njaw Waterhole and Wassu Sand Quarry, on these site we’ll have our best chance of seeing a good number of species including the highly sought-after Egyptian Plover AKA Crocodile bird, Sahel paradise whydah, cut throat finch, cinnamon Breasted Bunting, Collared Prantincole, tawny eagle, Grasshopper buzzard, Black Crake, African hawk Eagle, African Silver bill, Northern Carmine Bee Eater  and a colony of the brilliant Red throated bee eater. Overnight at Georgetown

DAY SEVEN

GAMBIA RIVER TRIP AND A VISIT TO KUNKILING FOREST BANSANG QUARRY

Today, we’ll enjoy an early morning cruise on the river Gambia to look for African Fish Eagle, the eagerly sought after African Finfoot, Western Banded snake Eagle, swamp flycatcher,  hadada ibis, Palm nut Vulture, Green backed heron, Grey headed kingfisher, Hammerkop,  and if we’re really  lucky the elusive and rare Shining Blue Kingfisher and Crimson’s Seed cracker.

We’ll head back to our base for lunch and in the afternoon we’ll explore the areas around Georgetown which include Kunkiling forest park and Bansang Quarry, birds to look out for include Yellow Bellied Hyliota, white backed vulture, Senegal Ememomela, Senegal batis, little green bee eater, Bearded Barbet, Gabar Goshawk, African Hawk Eagle, Booted Eagle,  and host of excellent birds. Our last spot to visit for the  day is bansang Quarry,  this long established Red Throated  Bee eater colony also provide habitat for  wide variety of species including Cinnamon Breasted Bunting, rufous scrub robin, white rumped seedeater, as well as raptors such as walhberg’s eagle,  brown snake eagle,  Beaudoin  snake eagle and more exciting species

Dinner and Overnight at Georgetown

DAY EIGHT

DRIVE TO MORGAN KUNDA LODGE

After an early breakfast, we head off to Morgan Kunda driving via the south bank, we’ll spent the day  exploring some of the main birding sites along the way, these sites include Jahally rice fields, Dalaba lake and other good birding areas these sites are great for African Pygmy Goose, Knob Billed Duck, Mottle Spinetail, common greenshank, Black Winged Stilt, African Jacana, and Dwarf Bittern, while driving crossing to via the Senegambia Bridge to our base ,we’ll be keep an eye soaring raptors as well as make stops at many key birding sites on the north bank.

Dinner and Overnight at Morgan Kunda Lodge.

DAY NINE

VISIT TO JOMAISAR AND KATCHANG FARMS AND WOODLAND

We’ll head out early to explore different habitats around Jomaisar and Katchang, here we’ll looking for flappet lark, Pygmy sunbird. Vieilot’s Barbet, Mosque Swallow, Northern Ant Eater Chat, Black Crowned Tchagra,  Green winged Pythlia, Striped Kingfisher, Bruce’s Green Pigeon and  Abyssinian Ground Hornbill. After a morning birding at these sites we’ll start driving to the south bank toward Bintang Lodge and our accommodation for a night.

DAY TEN

BIRDING THE SURROUNDING HABITATS OF BINTANG LODGE AND DEPARTURE TO THE AIRPORT

 depending on your flight  time, we’ll spend our final morning birding  in and around the bintang lodge, species we may find include  Green Headed Sunbird, Purple Glossy Starling, Yellow Billed Oxpecker, Grey backed Camaroptera, African Golden oriole,  grey woodpecker, Grey Kestrel, lanner falcon, little bee eater, among many other species.

After a productive morning in the area surrounding Bintang lodge we’ll be driving and birding en route before arrival at airport to end a memorable 10 days birding tour.