Part of the spectacular canopy walkway that stretches through a part of Kakum National Park. Photo: James Lidster
Lying on the Gulf of Guinea along Africa’s tropical western coast, Ghana is a country rich in both ancient tradition and the history of European presence in West Africa.
Our tour begins amid the lagoons of the Gold Coast, where migrant shorebirds from Europe swell the numbers of resident waterbirds. We then move inland to the primary tropical rainforest of Kakum National Park, home to the world-famous canopy walkway that places us at eye level with a vast array of rainforest species, including numerous hornbills, parrots, and barbets. Our tour also includes a ground-breaking exploration of Ankasa, an area seldom visited by birders. 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.
Ghana enjoys a well-deserved reputation as one of Africa’s friendliest and safest countries, but remains a treasure experienced by just a small number of tourists.
Day 1: Our tour starts with a flight from London to Accra where we’ll be met by our ground crew and transfered to our hotel for the night. Night near Accra.
Day 2: After an early breakfast—essential to avoid the heat of the day—we’ll head to the Shai Hills, where a mixture of savanna scrub and rocky outcrops is home to several species that we’re unlikely to see again during our tour. Our main targets will be White-crowned Cliff-chat, Rock Martin, and Double-toothed Barbet, but there will be plenty more to distract us on this first morning in Ghana. The open landscape is good for raptors, and Blue-bellied Roller and both Vieillot’s and Bearded Barbets are also present. We’ll then make our way around the top of Accra and farther west, towards the famous forests of Kakum. On the way we’ll stop at Sukomona Lagoon, where wintering shorebirds from the north will include Curlew and Marsh Sandpipers, Collared Pratincoles, and Ruff, all mingling with Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Long-tailed Cormorant, and possibly Yellow-throated Longclaw. Herons and egrets abound, and we’ll see Black Egrets and hope to observe this species’ “umbrella feeding.” We may stop at Winneba Plains, a site where Black-bellied Bustard is possible, and raptors could include our first Red-necked Buzzards, Black-shouldered Kites, or even an African Hobby. If time allows, we’ll stop near our hotel to search for African Finfoot. Night near Kakum.
Days 3-4: Kakum National Park is part of a huge protected area of rainforest covering 375 square miles. Besides the fabulous forest, Kakum is perhaps best known for its amazing aerial walkway, which stretches through the forest canopy 120 feet above the ground. The forest canopy is rich in birdlife, with an ever-changing selection of Upper Guinea forest birds; we can hope to see such specialties as Congo Serpent Eagle, Red-thighed Sparrowhawk, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Blue-headed Wood Dove, African Gray and Red-fronted Parrots, Yellowbill, African Emerald Cuckoo, Yellow-billed and possibly Great Blue Turacos, Gabon and Fire-bellied Woodpeckers, and Bristle-nosed, Naked-faced, and Hairy-breasted Barbets.
Hornbills are well represented, and we could encounter Piping and White-crested Hornbills, as well as Velvet-mantled Drongo, Black-winged and Western Black-headed Orioles, Blue Cuckoo-shrike, Violet-backed Hyliota, Ussher’s Flycatcher, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, a selection of bulbuls (including Golden, White-throated, Western Bearded, Honeyguide, and Icterine), Sabine’s Puffback, Preuss’s Golden-backed Weaver, Red-headed and Grey’s Malimbes, and many species of sunbird including Fraser’s, Johanna’s, Buff-throated, Olive, Blue-throated Brown, Little Green, and Collared.
On one afternoon we’ll return to the canopy walk to watch as hornbills become more active before going to roost; this will be our best chance at Brown-cheeked and both Black- and Yellow-casqued Hornbills. The atmosphere in the afternoon can be very different from the morning, and if we stay until dark we can hope to hear, and possibly see, Brown Nightjar and maybe Fraser’s Eagle Owl.
We’ll also bird other areas of the park, away from the canopy, where we’ll search for such gems as African Cuckoo-hawk, Black Sparrowhawk, White-spotted Flufftail, Rock Pratincole, Black and Rosy Bee-eaters, Cassin’s, Sabine’s and maybe Black Spinetails, Red-billed and Black Dwarf Hornbills, Blue-throated Roller, Preuss’s and White-throated Blue Swallows, Western Nicator, Purple-throated Cuckoo-shrike, Forest Robin, Forest and White-headed Wood-hoopoes, Yellow-billed and Yellow-nosed Barbets, Red-rumped and Yellow-throated Tinkerbirds, Red-billed Helmet-shrike, Green Crombec, Tit-hylia, and both Copper-tailed and Forest Chestnut-winged Starlings. There is still much to discover in these areas, and if we are really lucky, we could discover such surprises as a Yellow-footed Honeyguide or African Piculet.
The heat of the day will be a chance for a swim or to relax at our hotel which incidentally is perfect for birders: there is a Cattle Egret roost just yards away from where we’ll complete our evening checklist, and a small nearby lake is home to Green-backed and Squacco Herons, with Nile Crocodiles lounging on the banks. A small vegetated island in the lake holds a Village Weaver colony, and a few Vieillot’s Black Weavers are usually present. This concentration of food often attracts a Shikra or African Harrier Hawk, which specialize in delicately “unwrapping” weaver nests! There is also a small colony of Orange Weavers. We may see African Jacana, Pied and Malachite Kingfishers, African Pied Wagtail, and Bar-breasted Firefinch while eating lunch. Nights near Kakum.
Day 5: After a final morning around Kakum we’ll continue our journey westward to spend two nights near Ankasa, an area of pristine tropical rainforest on the border with Ivory Coast. This is said to be one of the last homes of the Chimpanzee in Ghana, but they are rarely seen. Our hotel is something more than an hour’s drive from the forest, so we’ll have an early night in anticipation of the very long day to follow. Night near Axim.
Day 6: At the time of writing, only a few birding trips have been made to Ankasa, but the mouth-watering list of birds includes a second chance at many of the species from Kakum plus African Finfoot, Crested Guineafowl, Shining Blue and Chocolate-backed Kingfishers, Rufous-sided Broadbill, White-tailed Alethe, Piping Hornbill, Square-tailed Saw-wing, Yellow-bearded Greenbul, Black-capped Apalis, Dusky-blue and Blue-headed Crested Flycatchers, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch, White-tailed Ant-Shrike, and Pale-breasted and Blackcap Illadopsises. We may also experience the excitement of discovering something new in this still poorly known area: Dwarf Bittern, Olive Ibis, and Hartlaub’s Duck have all been seen here, though none of them appears to be regular. In the evening we’ll do some night birding, with the very rare Akun Eagle Owl as the main prize, but African Wood Owl, Shelley’s Eagle Owl, Brown Nightjar, and Nkulengu Rail are all possible. We may also sight an African Civet Cat. Night near Axim.
Day 7: We’ll return to Ankasa in the morning, hoping to catch up with any missing species before our return to Kakum. Our afternoon birding will be dependent on what we haven’t seen; we may make another try for African Finfoot, or perhaps visit the Brenu Beach road for more open-country species. Night near Kakum.
Day 8: After a final morning’s birding around Kakum, our attention will turn to the main target of our tour, the Yellow-headed Picathartes. Everything about this bird is special. After the long, hot walk up a forested hillside, we’ll take our places and wait patiently and silently for the star to appear. Numbers vary, but we stand a very good chance of seeing this elusive forest species as it returns to its rocky overhang to roost. From our vantage point, we’ll make our way back downhill and to the bus, arriving at our next hotel for a late dinner and (hopefully!) a celebratory drink. Night in Kumasi.
Day 9: We start the day with an early visit to Bobiri Butterfly Reserve. Among the many specialties of this bird-rich stretch of forest, we may encounter Long-tailed Hawk, Fire-bellied Woodpecker, Fraser’s Forest and Chestnut-capped Flycatchers, Red-billed Dwarf and White-crested Hornbills, Tambourine Dove, Cassin’s Honeybird, Afep Pigeon, Purple-throated Cuckoo Shrike, and both Crested and Red-headed Malimbes. After lunch in a roadside café, we’ll spend the afternoon at the base of the Atewa Hills, exploring lowland farmland and scrub. Once again we should see an interesting variety of species, with Common Fiscal, Blue-headed Coucal, Yellow-billed Shrike, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Simple Leaflove, Grosbeak Weaver, Black-and-white Mannikin, and White-breasted Negrofinch all possible. Night at Koforidua.
Day 10: We’ll make an early morning drive to the Atewa Hills, transferring on the way to 4x4’s for the journey uphill. This site is home to one special bird, Blue-headed Bee-eater, and though it is never present in large numbers, we’ll hope to see it here. Other birds may include Narina Trogon, Shining Drongo, Gray Longbill, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Bioko Batis, Shrike Flycatcher, Olive Green Camaroptera, Forest Scrub Robin, and Chocolate-backed Kingfisher. There is still much to be discovered in this area, and on recent visits we’ve seen Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Yellow-footed Honeyguide, Sharpe’s Apalis, and Ayre’s Hawk Eagle. After lunch, we’ll head to a hotel to repack and shower before we make our way to the airport and our evening flight to London, where the tour ends on Day 11.
Day 11: The tour ends on our arrival in London.
Updated: 18 January 2010
Prices
- 2010 price about $4,970*
- Single Occupancy Supplement $320
- 2011 Tour Price $5,000*
- Single Occupancy Supplement $310
Notes
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.
Maximum group size 8 with two leaders. Both leaders will accompany the tour regardless of group size.
Participants who wish to join the group in Accra should contact the WINGS office.