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 colonialism. Today it’s a vibrant colorful country stretching from the blinding white beaches of the Atlantic through dense, deep green rainforest to the open savannah of the Sahel, and it plays host to more than 750 bird species.
Our tour begins amid 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 that will place us at 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’ll visit the wide open savannah plains of Mole National Park, an essential part of any visit to Ghana, where Standard-winged Nightjars 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, but it has yet to attract large numbers 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 is a specialty here and hordes of northern waders will be escaping the cold along with flocks of Curlew and Marsh Sandpipers, Little Stint, Black-winged Stilt and Collared Pratincole. Large numbers of terns may also be gathered and we’ll look for Whiskered and Royal among the more numerous Black and Sandwich. The surrounding grasslands play host to Yellow-throated Longclaw and various species of bishops while our first Yellow-billed Kites and Hooded Vultures will be drifting overhead. After breakfast we’ll begin our journey west, crossing the bustling city of Accra. Once on the other side 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 visit the Winneba plains, where cryptic cisticolas, nonbreeding bishops and weavers will vie for our attention alongside a raptor or two and with luck more colorful Rosy Bee-eaters. Night at Hans Cottage.
Days 3-5: Kakum National Park, our destination for the next three days, 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 walkway is so rich in birdlife that we will make at least two visits, each one offering an ever changing selection of fascinating Guinea forest specialties including Yellow-billed and Great Blue Turacos and possibly Yellowbill. Hornbills are well represented and we should encounter Piping and White-crested 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. We’ll also visit nearby 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 perhaps even the gorgeous Black Bee-eater.
On one evening we’ll bird along Brenu Road, where in addition to Red-necked Buzzard, Double-spurred Francolin, Common Fiscal, Black-crowned Tchagra and Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike we’ll hope to witness the evening roost of Preuss’s Cliff Swallows. Another evening will find us searching for nightjars with Long-tailed and Plain most likely. Our accommodations are ideal: Cattle Egrets roost just meters away, and a small nearby lake is home to Green-backed and Squacco Herons as well as Nile Crocodiles, which lounge on the banks. One afternoon during the heat of the day there will be the option of visiting Cape Coast Castle, one of the most infamous locations of the slave trade, which played 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 Hans Cottage for breakfast before driving to Assim Fosso. After checking into our hotel we’ll drive to an area of hilly rainforest, home to one of Africa’s most sought-after species?Yellow-headed Picathartes. We’ll arrive at the roosting site before dark and wait until the birds return from a day’s feeding. Just a handful of sites are known in Ghana, and this one may well be the best place in Africa to see this enigmatic species. Night at Assim Fosso. Day 7: Our morning at Aboabo will add more species to our growing list, possibly including Copper-tailed Starling, Western Nicator, Rufous-crowned Eremomela and Gray-crowned Negrofinch. After lunch we’ll drive to the Owabi Dam, where the elusive African Finfoot has sometimes been observed, and while searching for it we may see the massive Giant Kingfisher. Driving toward Kumasi during the late afternoon we could find some huge Straw-colored Fruit Bats taking wing after a day at rest. Night at Kumasi.
Day 8: Today will be mainly a traveling 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 Buzzards likely, and the roadside wires provide ideal perches for several species of rollers 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 Wooly-necked Storks often occur and the sounds of Hadada Ibis, Hamerkop and White-faced Whistling-Duck are never far away. Local specialties 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 Goshawk, 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. The park is also full of mammals: Waterbuck, 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 behavior 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’ll retrace our steps and pass through numerous colorful villages on our way to Kumasi. Night at Kumasi.
Day 12: Once again we’ll search the rich rainforest for a variety of colorful 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 and Klass’s Cuckoos, 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 it’s never present in large numbers we hope to see this stunning bird during our time here. Other species may include Green and Yellow-billed Turacos, Gray Longbill, Chestnut-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 may be the chance for a refreshing swim or a repeat visit to the nearby lagoon. Night near Accra.
Day 14: The savannah habitat of the Shai Hills seems a far cry from the city of Accra but within an hour we could be watching more raptors, rollers and cisticolas. Rock Martin is usually found in rocky outcrops here, 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 overnight flight home, which arrives in London on the early morning of day 15.
Prices
- November 1 departure price about $5,960
- Single Occupancy Supplement $420
- November 15 departure price about $5,960
- Single Occupancy Supplement $420
Notes
Maximum group size 12 with a WINGS and a local leader. Both leaders will accompany the tour regardless of group size. This tour is organized by our English company Sunbird.
The start date of the Nov. 15, 2008 Ghana tour, correctly noted above, was changed on 01/22/08