Whether you are looking for an introduction to the birds of The Gambia or you are more experienced, Ansu can provide suitable opportunities so that you can return home with happy memories and, perhaps, visit The Gambia again. Ansu, the professor of bird guiding, will make your dreams come true leaving you with happy memories to take home.
Wild Gambia: Best of Birding
per person
Join us on this exceptional birding tour in The Gambia, where you’ll be able to quickly pick up a huge number of species in just over a week. The Gambia has so much to offer, and this tour highlights the exceptional bird diversity of this beautiful country.
Join us for an exceptional birding tour highlighting the best of Morocco’s diverse bird species and extraordinary scenery. This meticulously curated tour allows you to explore Morocco’s diversity of birdlife across different habitats and landscapes, ranging from the majestic Atlas Mountains to the vast Sahara Desert. Discover the rich avifauna this remarkable country offers.
Bird count:
Over 300
Speed:
Relaxed
Tour difficulty:
Easy
When to visit:
The Gambia is fantastic for birding all year-round. However, the absolute prime birding season spans from November through March, coinciding with the ‘high’ and dry period that typically persists until May. November offers the most favourable conditions for spotting the elusive Egyptian Plover, whose presence hinges on optimal water levels. While the weather remains characteristically warm, with March and April experiencing peak temperatures, the months of December and January provide a slight respite from the tropical heat. This seasonal window not only yields an influx of migratory species but also has the many resident species in their breeding plumage, creating a good photo opportunities and generally nice sightings. The confluence of these climatic factors transforms The Gambia into a birding paradise during this peak period and is such a joy.
Price:
Our tailor-made birding tours are custom-designed for each client, making standard pricing difficult. Costs vary based on factors like accommodation, group size, duration, and specific locations. For a personalised quote that matches your taste and budget, please contact us with your requirements.
As an example, this Wild Gambia: Birding costs £2,800 per person, based on a group of 6 individuals staying in top-end mid-range safari lodges with shared twin rooms.
For our Set Departure Birding Tours, with fixed prices, please click the button below.
Tour Leader
Ansu has been bird watching since attending school. He became involved fully in bird watching after high school and today he is one of the top bird guides in The Gambia. Ansu’s experience and competence in the field of bird watching has given him fame and has attracted the attention of the other Gambian bird guides.
Ansu was born and raised in the countryside where bird life and nature in general is at its best. There is no doubt about Ansu’s experience and knowledge in the field of birding in The Gambia. This should be no surprise as Ansu has been, summer after summer, engaging in research and also involved in creating water holes to attract birds for photographic opportunities. One of these water holes he created is in Bulock forest where Green and Red-winged Pytilias and Black-faced Firefinch come to drink.
Ansu is a senior member of research and development of The Gambia Birdwatcher’s Association. Ansu’s eagle-eyed, fast spotting, identification and his discoveries of rare birds in The Gambia has given him the award title PROFESSOR by his colleagues. This title is very well known in The Gambia.
In 2010 February 14th, he was the first Gambian bird guide to see the Little Green Woodpecker in ABUKO NATURE RESERVE and this was the first record for The Gambia. In 2011, Ansu found Pel’s Fishing Owl in Bulock in his village and most amazingly, on land near the river. This was not confirmed until 2015. In 2013, his highlight was the White-crested Tiger Bittern (Tiger Heron). Ansu will never stop his magic of discovering rare birds in The Gambia. On the 2nd January 2015 he became the famous record breaker by spotting one of the most sought after birds in The Gambian bird list at Kotu Creek. This was the Finfoot and had only been seen upriver before.
Ansu provides the opportunity for birders and non birders irrespective of experience to see rare and exotic birds in The Gambia and Senegal.
Birding & Wildlife Highlights
- Blue-bellied Roller
- Red-chested Swallow
- West African Swallow
- Lavender Waxbill
- Northern White-faced Owl
- Western Red-billed Hornbill
- Brown-necked Parrot (fuscicollis)
- Pied-winged Swallow
- Long-tailed Glossy Starling
- White-crowned Robin-Chat
- Greater Blue-eared Starling
- Lesser Blue-eared Starling
- Bronze-tailed Starling
- Purple Starling
- Splendid Sunbird
- Variable Sunbird
- Copper Sunbird
- Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
- White-billed Buffalo Weaver
- Yellow-crowned Bishop
- Black-winged Red Bishop
- Northern Red Bishop
- Bronze Mannikin
- African Silverbill
- Orange-cheeked Waxbill
- Grey-headed Bushshrike
- Black-crowned Tchagra
- Northern Puffback
- Yellow-crowned Gonolek
- Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike
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Departure
Banjul -
Included
Airport TransfersBirding TelescopeFull board (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner)Mineral WaterNational Park FeesOvernight In Top Safari LodgesProfessional Bird GuideProfessional DriverSafari VehicleUpdated Bird ChecklistWiFi
1
Day 1: Arrival at Banjul
Arrival at Banjul International Airport and private transfer to your hotel.
2
Day 2: Kotu Creek
After breakfast, we'll transfer to Kotu Creek for a full day of birding including a boat trip into the creek. Expect a high count of species!
3
Day 3: Farasutu & Pirang Forest
After breakfast, we'll drive to Farasutu Forest for a morning birding session. We'll then drive to the nearby Pirang Forest for an afternoon session, then drive back to the hotel.
4
Day 4: Kartong Sand Mine & Gunjur Forest
After an early breakfast pickup at 7 am, we'll drive to Kartong Sand Mine for some exceptional birding and then in the afternoon we'll be visiting Gunjur Forest, where we can expect many targets. At 5 pm, we will drive back to the hotel.
5
Day 5: Tendaba Camp
After an early breakfast we'll drive to the south bank road to Tendaba Camp, where we will be visiting key birding hotspots along the south road. We will reach Tendaba Camp at 7 pm, check into our rooms, and prepare for dinner at 8 pm.
6
Day 6: Kisse & Tunku Bolong
After breakfast, we will be taking a three-hour boat trip to explore Kisse and Tunku Bolong. After the boat trip, we will explore the woods of Tendaba village and the Bateling track for the whole day, then head back to the coast.
7
Day 7: Marakissa River Camp
Today, we'll be spending the whole day at Marakissa River Camp looking for specials and target species.
8
Day 8: Departure day
We'll spend our last day looking for any species we might have missed and then in the afternoon, you'll be transferred to the airport for your international flight back home.
TOUR LOCATION
Banjul, Kotu Creek, Farasutu, Pirang Forest, Kartong Sand Mine, Gunjur Forest, Tendaba Camp, Kisse, Tunku Bolong & Marakissa River Camp