Gambia; practical help

[James Lowther]

My girlfriend and myself are lucky enough to be headed off to the Gambia for 2 weeks next month :king:

In the past a few BF members have recommended individual guides to hook up with but I would be interested to know people's opinions on what is the best way of arranging a guide??

Should I arrange EVERYTHING before i go out there (prices, upriver trips etc.)? I am guessing this is probably the least stressful but most expensive way of doing things, and i'm not really rich enough to be able to erase stress from my holidays....

Or arrange say the first day of birding before i get there then see how things go (i.e. if i get on with the guide) and playing it by ear?

Or should i just take the plunge and head out of the hotel complex and employ the first guide to spot my binocs??

Also, what are reasonable ballpark figures for guiding fees for two people for e.g. half a day very local to the hotels, or a full day round western gambia??

Finally, with regards to money, given that we hope to do a 2-3 night trip upriver and will therefore be spending a fair amount when we're there, what is the best way of taking money. All cash?? In which case would the guides accept ££ or only dalasi? Or are there cash machines in the hotel areas? how about traveller's cheques, are they much use??

Anyway, I'll be happy if i get decent answers to even half all those questions!!

;)

cheers,
James

[Steve G]

Hi James,
We always only take sterling cash as it's easy to change in the tourist areas. The coastal hotels all tend to have safes making it easy to store the cash. Most, if not all guides will take sterling & seem to get it exchanged to dalasi at better rates than offered to tourists.
With respect to guides I would avoid the pot-luck option of adopting the first guy with bins. There are a few websites which might help you in choosing a guide:

www.gambiabirds.org/Gambian%20Bird%20Guides.htm -lists most of the best guides & gives a rough idea of pricing (though most bird guides will try to push you to higher rates).

www.gambiabirding.org/guides.html

I should mention that until recently all reputable Gambian bird guides were members of WABSA -an organisation that ensured good levels of competence through self-governance. Unfortunately there was alleged misappropriation of donated funds to WABSA involving certain members of its hierachy & the organisation split with a new splinter group being formed. This new group, though still in its infancy includes some of the best & most trustworthy guides in The Gambia.

Your best bet is to use a guide who has been recommended by other birders -especially if you plan to go upriver as an inland trip always has the potential of becoming a nightmare. For my own part I would thoroughly recommend my good friend Modou Colley: www.gambianbirds.com
-Modou's website is worth checking out. All the images in his gallery were taken on trips guided by him (over 19 days in the field in march & november 2005). Modou is not the cheapest guide but neither is he expensive. He is good-humoured, honest & reliable. He is also easy to contact via Email & mobile phone texting.


An upriver trip is probably best done over 4 nights:-
day 1: coast to Tendaba taking in Pirang, Kampanti, etc on-route with overnight spent at Tendaba camp.
day 2: Tendaba-> Farafenni ferry-> North bank-> Ka-ur wetlands for Egyptian Plover & lots of other goodies -> Georgetown staying overnight at Baobaolong camp (Bird Safari camp has apparently closed down).
day 3: Drive from BB camp to Bansang quarry for Red-throated Bee-eaters then onto Basse for N. Carmine Bee-eaters & other goodies at Prufu swamp.Overnight at BB. camp.
day 4: Organise a morning boat-trip on the freshwater section of The river Gambia -if possible try to get down as far as the river Gambia National park/Kai-Hai islands as this area is stunning & holds good numbers of waterbirds, African Fish-eagle, Finfoot, nesting colonies of Marabou, White-backed & Rupell's Griffon and of course hippos. Then return to Tendaba by northbank via Ka-ur & Farafenni spending the night at Tendaba.
day 5: Take a morning pirogue trip to Kissi/Tunku bolongs across the river from Tendaba for possible Finfoot, Goliath heron, Yellow-billed & Woolly-necked storks, various kingfishers & White-backed Night-heron. Then head back to the coast via a short visit to Kiang west NP looking for Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, Bateleur & other raptors.

A few points about inland travel. If possible try to avoid doing your trip as a 3 day/2 night affair since you will then be spending much of your time travelling & will miss out on some of the best birding sites. Both Tendaba & Baobolong camps are pretty basic & will not impress the girlfriend too much -so make sure you get VIP rooms booked as they are slightly better with good mosquito nets (falciparum Malaria is rife in the early dry season & often fatal to non-locals; better taking malarone as a prophylactic-it's the dearest but also the best, & avoid as many mozzy bites as possible). I've never stayed at Baobolong camp (stayed at Bird Safari camp) but I gather the food is ok -as is the food at Tendaba.
The road from the coast to Tendaba is hell -it is a rutted, pot-holed, dusty track that seems to go on forever but is bearable on the inland trip as the birding is good, the scenery new to you & the novelty hasn't worn off. The return trip is dire & seems to take forever but at least the promise of a refreshing shower & a good meal lies at the end!
All of that said an upriver trip with a good guide will give you some of the best birding in Africa. The Tendaba creek trip & a boat trip to the Kai-Hai islands is not to be missed if at all possible -the latter was especially stunning with huge Gallery forest trees overhanging the river's edge most holding monkeys or good birds such as Fish-eagles, Palm-nut vultures or perched Spur-winged geese.

[James Lowther]

Cheers Steve,
there's a lot of great info there!! I was thinking more along the lines of 3 nights for the upriver trip (so a bit of a compromise) - would guess we would have to cut out Basse. Whatever happens, i'm sure we'll have a great time.
Thanks,
James

[Steve G]

Cheers Steve,
there's a lot of great info there!! I was thinking more along the lines of 3 nights for the upriver trip (so a bit of a compromise) - would guess we would have to cut out Basse. Whatever happens, i'm sure we'll have a great time.
Thanks,
James
James,
Whatever the number of nights you choose on the inland trip it is definitely worthwhile planning ahead. Over 4 days/3 nights it might be best to cross from Banjul to Barra on the first ferry of the day then 'hare up' the north bank road straight to Baobolong camp spending 2 nights there before returning via Farafenni ferry for an overnight at Tendaba.
It all depends on what you most want to see.
Which birds are on your must see list?

[James Lowther]

Hi Steve,
my must see list?? Well, out of respect for my girlfriend that should include mostly charismatic species!! The boat trips from tendaba and georgetown sound great, and i'd like to do bansang quarry, cos of the bee-eaters, and also i believe paradise whydahs are a speciality? Otherwise, egyptian plover (ka-ur/basse), crowned crane (pirang - not sure if they're even possible any more?), ground hornbill (kiang west?) and carmine bee-eater (basse) would all be nice but it doesn't seem practical to aim for all of those from what i can gather? So for practical purposes i'd have to axe a couple of those... my aim would be to try not to force the pace too much so basse might just be too far.. any suggestions??
James

[Steve G]

James,
let me consult the oracle this evening to get an idea of the current situation on the ground.
In november 2005 we had both Red-throated & Carmine bee-eaters on the north bank road just east of Kuntaur. The north bank road has been recently re-vamped & work is still proceeding. A small sand quarry dug to service the road at Wassu held a small mixed colony of Red-throated & a few Northern Carmine Bee-eaters. If they are still there then you can drop the trip to Basse & possibly also Bansang (though this is worth a visit). The freshwater boat trip from Georgetown to the Kai-Hai islands is stunningly beautiful & is your best chance of the elusive African Finfoot but you would need to try & arrange this in advance as in november various bird tour groups such as Limosa, Birdseekers, Birdfinders,etc tend to block-book the best rooms/boats.

[James Lowther]

Ok steve,
thanks for being so helpful!!
As no-one else seems to have joined in maybe we should continue this discussion via PM??
Thanks again,
James

[Robert L Jarvis]

James

I can understand that James, but I found it interesting what Steve had to say. I am planning to go to The Gambia in January. So when you do return from your trip can you let know how you got on and the guiding.

Robert

[James Lowther]

Robert,
I appreciate what you're saying, but thought as the convesation got mired further in the nitty gritty of my personal trip it would be less and less interesting to other people. All i can say is that Steve obviously knows the score extremely well and has been remarkably helpful, so I would go to him before me, but of course i would be extremely happy to answer any of your questions in the future!!
Cheers,
James

[Steve G]

Hi Robert,
I'm no Gambia guru but I have been there a few times & would be happy to help out in any way I can. If you have any specific queries then please feel free to ask.

[gmax]

Hi Robert,
I'm no Gambia guru but I have been there a few times & would be happy to help out in any way I can. If you have any specific queries then please feel free to ask.
Hello, :hi:
sorry for intruding, but, although I've never been there - sigh - I think this link here (http://www.camacdonald.com/birding/africagambia.htm) may prove useful .. many great photographers in it, among them our Nigel Blake ;)

[James Lowther]

thanks Max,
no need to apologise!!!
:-)
James

[redeyedvideo]

Ok steve,
thanks for being so helpful!!
As no-one else seems to have joined in maybe we should continue this discussion via PM??
Thanks again,
James

Please keep it 'open', I've just found it.

My non-birding girlfriend and I will be staying at the Atlantic Hotel during the third week in November and I'm planning a few trips myself taking in Abuko & possibly Yundum if the melon fields have been cleared for Temmink's Courser.

On a previous trip led by clivebarlow@gambianet.gm with the Northants Bird Club we managed to see Egyptian Plover & Northern Carmine Bee-eater without going as far as Basse.

Thanks for the links Steve G, when are you going James?


Dave J

[James Lowther]

Hi Dave,
I'll be there for two weeks starting the 14th Nov, staying at the senegambia, so might bump in to each other.
If Steve doesn't mind i'll post some of the great info in his PMs later.
James

[redeyedvideo]

Hi Dave,
I'll be there for two weeks starting the 14th Nov, staying at the senegambia, so might bump in to each other.
If Steve doesn't mind i'll post some of the great info in his PMs later.
James


You can't miss me, I'll be carrying a video camera & tripod everywhere. I'd be interested to hear what you will have seen as long as it doesn't include Finfoot ;)

I'm planning to visit Senegambia Hotel gardens for the tame Gonoleks, cracking birds. Blue-bellied Roller is one of my favourite Gambian birds 'tho, photos just don't do them justice.


Dave J

[James Lowther]

some of the stuff Steve's been kind enough to send by PM

"like most guides, does a 3 night trip comprising of early crossing Banjul-Barra ferry (welcome to the real Africa!), then a drive up the 'relatively' fast north bank road to Janjangbureh Island(Georgetown) for 2 nights at Baobolong camp returning west on day 3 to cross over to the south bank road at Farafenni with an overnight at Tendaba. This should allow a visit to all the important upriver sites & give time for a Tendaba creek crawl & a freshwater boat trip from Georgetown."

"stress that you want the river trip from Baobolong & try to make sure they go down to Kai-Hai islands -as the best birding is here & you might even see chimps (3rd generation wild after a reintroduction programme) as well as hippo. The river Gambia national park (Baboon/Kai-Hai islands) is stunning & packed with birds -the breeding season will be over but there will be lots of young Egrets (including Black), herons, Darters, etc about as well as raptors & hopefully Finfoot.

The northbank road drives through Ka-ur wetlands & so you will get 2 visits -on the inland trip & then again on the return west (it lies about 90 minutes east of the Farafenni ferry). There are also numerous small waterholes on this road which in november will hold the incredible 'Exclamatory Paradise Wydah' -with males in full breeding plumage.

Bansang quarry only needs a single visit (60-90 minutes is enough) as the Red-throated Bee-eaters are always there. If you manage to get Northern Carmine Bee-eaters on the road (the section just west of Georgetown) then a visit to Basse won't be necessary. At Baobolong camp one of the co-owners (Lawrence Bangura ) usually has some good knowledge of roosting owls such as Verreaux's Eagle Owl, African Scops,etc but there may be a small charge for an evening guided walk (Four-banded Sandgrouse, Long-tailed & Standard-winged Nightjars are also quite likely). Occasionall Pel's fishing Owl is seen but this is a very rare bird. The scrub & woodland around BB camp holds a lot of goodies such as Bruce's Fruit Pigeon, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike (a cracking bird) & Greater Honeyguide."

[James Lowther]

and some more

"The Gambian birding group website holds a huge amount of info on birding in the Gambia see:

www.gambiabirding.org/

Don't know what other advice to give you. Take simple toiletries with you to The Gambia as they are hard to find there & take some bog roll for the upriver journey. It's also worth taking loperamide & sachets of rehydration salts in case of diarrhoea (hopefully won't be needed but adding a rehydrate sachet to bottled water is useful for birding in the heat of the day).
Tendaba camp has a good range of alcohol & soft drinks. The food here is basic but good -though stick to cooked foods rather than salads. Tendaba is a feel good place which though fairly basic is nontheless enjoyable. I don't know anything about Baobolong camp but I gather it's comparable to Tendaba & since it's used by Limosa & other birding tour companies it must be quite reasonable.
Which hotel are you planning to stay at?
If you are taking digital camera/camcorder,etc you may also need to take a european-style socket adapter as some of the hotels use the 2 prong socket rather than the UK style. Some travellers also take plug-in anti-mosquito vaporisers which may not be a bad idea upcountry as long as the power stays on!
Restaurants in the coastal area are a bit of a revelation being surprisingly good. Try Tao in Kololi (Senegambia strip) for chinese/Thai & the Clay Oven at Cape point for a good Indian meal. Green tourist taxis are readily available & cheap by UK standards -the driver will often wait for you ( £1-£2 per hour) -but always agree the fair in advance! If possible use a taxi driver that is recommended to you by the other guests. Another good & quite cheap place to eat is Bodega Casa Fernando in the Kairaba hotel -Med. style food, steaks & fish dishes -if you get a chance try 'ladyfish'.
A brief mention should also be made of the local amber nectar (not palm wine -that's only fit for biodiesel!) Julbrew -cold Julbrew is a very palatable & welcome beverage on a hot sunny day; I quickly became very fond of the stuff complete with the Woodland Kingfisher on the label.

With regards to birding on the coast Abuko is a must -try 2 visits, the first with a guide & the 2nd via taxi. Mandina Ba-> Pirang-> Faraba Banta is also a good trip but leave this till after your upriver trip as if you get Hadada Ibis upriver (likely) then you could bypass Mandina Ba & head straight for Pirang. Brufut forest is also a must followed by a trip to Tanji beach for terns & possibly Kelp Gull & White-fronted Plover. Tell your guide that you also want to see Temminck's Courser as there is a site for this near Tanji whilst the rare & fabulous Bronze-winged Courser can be seen at nearby Tujering (few guides know of or visit this fabulous site). Kotu creek & it's environs is a must as well but there are lots of little hidden areas which the better guides will know (eg Badala park hotel ponds which hold Painted Snipe). Marrakissa is another great birding site which can be somewhat variable -at times it can be quiet but on other occasions it has rarities like Spotted Honeyguide, White-breasted & Red-shouldered Cuckoo-Shrikes. Finally if time allows the degraded savannah woodland at Yundum is worth a visit & of course the gardens of the Senegambia hotel -with a visit to the nearby Bijilo forest (you get a lot of bumster hassle when walking from Senegambia to Bijilo -everyone has a sick baby/ needs money for school fees/can guide you to see owls/ can take you to a good restaurant/will sell you peanuts for the monkeys(dearest nuts in the world -but you can't go to see the monkeys without them- don't be tempted as they'll take the fingers off you!!)). If time allows consider one of the formal tourist tours -the school visit can be a real eye-opener & then there's the roots trip -good fun, gross in its commercialism & yet you can get an idea of the true horrors of slavery & people-trafficking ( oh & we saw Pom. Skuas & White-winged Black terns whilst on the boat trip)."

"There is a brilliant place called Makasutu which holds lots of birds (we got Finfoot, White-backed Night-Heron, Mouse-brown & Green-headed Sunbird there & even saw Martial Eagle from the swimming pool). Makasutu contains very expensive lodges -you can't bird around these unless you stay, but they also have areas for day visitors & have recently built a nearby 'budget' camp -called Joyea which is not yet fully open. I believe it is now possible to do creek trips from Joyea camp -it might be worth while making enquiries (try asking at the Gambia Experience office adjacent to the Senegambia). Most of the local guides are reluctant to use Makasutu as an additional entry fee has to be paid for day visitors & this is not cheap by gambian standards but the area is great. Check out the Makasutu birdlist on the Gambian birding website."

James

[cassowary]

James, I used 'accredited' guides for almost the whole trip(3 weeks). For most of the main bird and general info, the Guide Books are well referenced (I am not at home in UK otherwise I would site them) Karamba Touray (Dr OWL) is an excellent guide for abuko, lamin lodge etc(only species I missed was the flufftail) - I can give you his e-mail if you like. I don't reccomend hiring a car. Almost the same price for karamba and his jeep. I spent approx 14 days in senegambia, 7 days up-river (tendaba, georgetown, basse) and 7 days at Tanji. Tanji is a cheap but nice location.
the other main guide I used was Lamin sidibeh but he was fairly expensive.
I found 80% of the species in the first week within range of the senegambia.
The southern road to basse was REALLY rough when I went but there are a few specialties. A coastal area south of tanji (not well documented) was also good. Yundum area is also good for a few specialties.
there are apparently a few pairs of spotted honeyguide at marakissa. Their call is very distinctive.
there is some confusion between guides regarding the common names of cisticolas so I found it easier just to use the latin.
For the harder target species (particularly resident)you are welcome to send me a private e-mail, I might be able to help

Good luck and good birding

[James Lowther]

Cheers for that Mike!!!

James

[redeyedvideo]

Thanks for all the info above, I've booked for the 17th November for a week and there's some useful reading in the posts.

Just to add that I'll be taking a few small toys & maybe some smarties or raisins for the kids but I'll have to be careful how I hand them out in case I lose a few fingers in the process. I once wandered out of Tendaba camp on my own while the rest of the group were having a siesta & found the kids to be generally well behaved & stayed back while I videoed a flock of vultures. They were more concerned about me getting thorns in my bare feet than trying to extort money or sponsorship from me.

It's rather humbling to see the pleasure of the kids receiving gifts while my boys will spend £30 on an X-Box game and think nothing of it. It's been 6 years since I gave away a silk shirt to a local farmer, wonder if he's still wearing it?


Dave J

[John Gibson2]

Please keep the information coming. We will visit in January for a fortnight and while not looking for particular species and not planning a long inland trip, as my wife is not fit enough, we are excited at the prospects of seeing the widlife at a variety of fairly accessible locations. We are staying at the Kairaba Hotel on Kololi beach. Any and all wildlife location recommendations will be gratefully received. I have many questions as we have never been to Gambia. Here are the main ones.
If we use a guide is it worth taking a scope/tripod. If so, is it a hassle getting it through the airports/flight/customs/immigration hurdles.
Following previous informed suggestions we contacted Modou who responded quickly and positively. However, I feel I need to confirm which days and where we want to visit. But, not knowing the country I have no idea how to arrange a schedule that I can give to him. We do not feel the need to spend every waking moment birding, but we do not find spending time resting on the beach rewarding. River trips and ferries that took only a few hours would be OK for my wife. Any help would be appreciated.
Do we need to take any local currency or is it best to take sterling and change it as we go along?
Thanks for all the info so far.
Cheers,
John

[Robert L Jarvis]

Hi John my wife and I are planning a January visit but not booked yet. This will be our secong visit, last tome was in 1997 with Vaughan Ashby and we had a great time. Always wanted to go back, so upto date info very valuable. When exactly are you going?

Regards

Robert

[Steve G]

Please keep the information coming. We will visit in January for a fortnight and while not looking for particular species and not planning a long inland trip, as my wife is not fit enough, we are excited at the prospects of seeing the widlife at a variety of fairly accessible locations. We are staying at the Kairaba Hotel on Kololi beach. Any and all wildlife location recommendations will be gratefully received. I have many questions as we have never been to Gambia. Here are the main ones.
If we use a guide is it worth taking a scope/tripod. If so, is it a hassle getting it through the airports/flight/customs/immigration hurdles.
Following previous informed suggestions we contacted Modou who responded quickly and positively. However, I feel I need to confirm which days and where we want to visit. But, not knowing the country I have no idea how to arrange a schedule that I can give to him. We do not feel the need to spend every waking moment birding, but we do not find spending time resting on the beach rewarding. River trips and ferries that took only a few hours would be OK for my wife. Any help would be appreciated.
Do we need to take any local currency or is it best to take sterling and change it as we go along?
Thanks for all the info so far.
Cheers,
John
Hi John,
A scope & tripod would be very useful as few of the Gambian bird guides have them. Take the scope as hand luggage & the tripod in a case -you will have no problems with customs/security.
Take sterling -there is a bureau de change in the entrance compound of the Kairaba (next to the ice-cream parlour) which offers reasonable exchange rates (roughly 48-50 dalasi to the pound). The highest denomination is the 100D note -worth £2 so changing £100 will produce a sizeable bulge in your trouser pocket! Traveller's cheques yield a poorer exchange rate -take a pile of £10-£20 notes & store your cash in the room safe changing as & when required.
The Kairaba is a fairly luxurious hotel however be prepared for some minor hassle from the staff on arrival -you are deemed fair game as you clearly must be very rich to be staying there!! We were pestered by some of the gardeners who kept bringing cut flowers to my wife in the hope of a tip, whilst we were also initially stalked by one of the junior management staff who wanted to be our friend & 'show us a good time' (perhaps the gardeners had this in mind also!). The threat of a complaint to the manager stops this nonsense. Strangely we've never had this problem in the Senegambia hotel.
Your first exposure to the local enterprise culture is on arrival at the airport where you will be adopted by an unofficial baggage-handler whether you like it or not -he will insist on carrying your bags once identified on the carousel (in their zeal they often grab any you happen to inspect), he will then accompany you to your coach expecting a £1 coin for each piece of luggage -so make sure you have a few £1 coins for your arrival.
The Senegambia strip outside the Kairaba hotel holds a number of good restaurants & indeed the range & quality of food is a bit of a revelation.

I appreciate that you do not wish to make the long dusty trip inland to Tendaba however there is another option. The Kairaba has a 'sister' lodge of excellent quality called Sindola lodge which is about 2 hours drive inland from the coastal hotels. It is very comfortable & is an ideal base for a 2-3 night stay. The area is excellent for raptors as well as many other birds including the huge & impressive Abyssinian Ground Hornbill. Kairaba can organise transport -the worst section of the trip can be very comfortably done by boat -see this: www.kairabahotel.com/startseite_sindola.htm

The Kairaba gardens offer up some good birds -check out the ornamental pool area & the area around the gardeners' sheds/plant nursery -the latter held (in march 2005) Shikra, Lesser Honeyguide, Splendid & Beautiful Sunbirds amongst others whilst the former had Striated Heron & Water Monitor lizards. The lawns held Senegal Coucals which were hunting small frogs & Broad-billed Rollers often drank on the wing from the swimming pool! The Senegambia hotel is immediately adjacent & has even better gardens with a massive birdlist.

The best sites for wetland birds are inland (Tendaba,etc) however for those unable to travel inland there are a few coastal alternatives -I'm posting this in the wee small hours -so please bear with me -I'll post some further details of sites, etc in the next day or two.
When in january are you going John & did you book through the Gambia Experience?
Cheers,
Steve

[Steve G]

African Darters, Goliath Herons, Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork, Mouse-brown Sunbird & various others can be difficult to see on the coast. However one option is to go on a suitable boat trip.

For those booked with the Gambia Experience a few guided birding packages are on offer -these include pirogue trips from the Tanbi wetlands leaving from Denton bridge or dugout canoe trips from Joyea camp (Mandina bolong). Trips can also be done from Lamin lodge but the lodge is a complete dump with somewhat dubious catering -you have been warned! See: www.gambia.co.uk/docs/why_the_gambia/holidays_with_a_difference/birdwatching.aspx -the Tanji package is probably the best bet.

If you don't fancy these organised group trips it may be possible to organise your own trip to Joyea camp -some of the birding guides might be able to help as may the Gambia Experience offices at the Senegambia hotel.

A pirogue can be rented from the Coconut Residence Hotel -their staff will collect you from your hotel & take you to Denton bridge in an air-conditioned vehicle from where you board the craft. These boats have a sundeck, a small bar with cold drinks, a toilet, a galley & a chef who will prepare a quality 3-course meal. The boat travels through the Tanbi wetlands passing muddy creeks & mudflats, mangrove forest & eventually reaches the junction with the river Gambia where the rusting remains of some of the fishing fleet lies -a good roosting site for pelicans, storks,etc. This luxurious journey will set you back about £120 but the birding is incredible & if you can find another couple to share it with then it doesn't work out too costly.

Below are a few images taken on the Tanbi pirogue trip:

[John Gibson2]

African Darters, Goliath Herons, Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork, Mouse-brown Sunbird & various others can be difficult to see on the coast. However one option is to go on a suitable boat trip.

For those booked with the Gambia Experience a few guided birding packages are on offer -these include pirogue trips from the Tanbi wetlands leaving from Denton bridge or dugout canoe trips from Joyea camp (Mandina bolong). Trips can also be done from Lamin lodge but the lodge is a complete dump with somewhat dubious catering -you have been warned! See: www.gambia.co.uk/docs/why_the_gambia/holidays_with_a_difference/birdwatching.aspx -the Tanji package is probably the best bet.

If you don't fancy these organised group trips it may be possible to organise your own trip to Joyea camp -some of the birding guides might be able to help as may the Gambia Experience offices at the Senegambia hotel.

A pirogue can be rented from the Coconut Residence Hotel -their staff will collect you from your hotel & take you to Denton bridge in an air-conditioned vehicle from where you board the craft. These boats have a sundeck, a small bar with cold drinks, a toilet, a galley & a chef who will prepare a quality 3-course meal. The boat travels through the Tanbi wetlands passing muddy creeks & mudflats, mangrove forest & eventually reaches the junction with the river Gambia where the rusting remains of some of the fishing fleet lies -a good roosting site for pelicans, storks,etc. This luxurious journey will set you back about £120 but the birding is incredible & if you can find another couple to share it with then it doesn't work out too costly.

Below are a few images taken on the Tanbi pirogue trip:

Good advice again Steve. Good pictures too. What camera do you lug around, along with your scope and bins and birdbook?
It will be interesting to read how the upcoming trips mentioned in this thread turn out - all the plusses and the things that should have been done differently. On a previous Gambia thread the visit report by Mark Hows was extraordinarily detailed and informative.
Thanks,
John

[Steve G]

Good advice again Steve. Good pictures too. What camera do you lug around, along with your scope and bins and birdbook?
It will be interesting to read how the upcoming trips mentioned in this thread turn out - all the plusses and the things that should have been done differently. On a previous Gambia thread the visit report by Mark Hows was extraordinarily detailed and informative.
Thanks,
John
The kit comprises of Canon 1D mkII + TCs + 70-200mm & 500mm f4 IS lenses -all carried in a Lowepro bag. It's pretty heavy going lugging this around.... but I need the exercise!!

[Birdbox]

Just gotta butt in to say the pirogue trip courtesy of the Coconut Residence is priceless gen. Nice one Steve. Do we need to book days or hours in advance?

[Birdbox]

African Darters, Goliath Herons, Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork, Mouse-brown Sunbird & various others can be difficult to see on the coast. However one option is to go on a suitable boat trip.

For those booked with the Gambia Experience a few guided birding packages are on offer -these include pirogue trips from the Tanbi wetlands leaving from Denton bridge or dugout canoe trips from Joyea camp (Mandina bolong). Trips can also be done from Lamin lodge but the lodge is a complete dump with somewhat dubious catering -you have been warned! See: www.gambia.co.uk/docs/why_the_gambia/holidays_with_a_difference/birdwatching.aspx -the Tanji package is probably the best bet.

If you don't fancy these organised group trips it may be possible to organise your own trip to Joyea camp -some of the birding guides might be able to help as may the Gambia Experience offices at the Senegambia hotel.

A pirogue can be rented from the Coconut Residence Hotel -their staff will collect you from your hotel & take you to Denton bridge in an air-conditioned vehicle from where you board the craft. These boats have a sundeck, a small bar with cold drinks, a toilet, a galley & a chef who will prepare a quality 3-course meal. The boat travels through the Tanbi wetlands passing muddy creeks & mudflats, mangrove forest & eventually reaches the junction with the river Gambia where the rusting remains of some of the fishing fleet lies -a good roosting site for pelicans, storks,etc. This luxurious journey will set you back about £120 but the birding is incredible & if you can find another couple to share it with then it doesn't work out too costly.

Below are a few images taken on the Tanbi pirogue trip:

Not sure if I posted this already but at the risk of repeating myself;

The pirogue trip courtesy of the Coconut Residence sounds the business. How far in advance do you need to book?

[bombacilla]

A quick interjection here guys, whatever you do avoid a character called Ebrima Sidibeh at all costs! I also had correspondence recently with someone who'd had an awful time with a Lamin Sidibeh. They may be one and the same.

[John Gibson2]

As the choice of guide is crucial to a birding holiday in a country like The Gambia does anyone else have the names of guides to avoid?
Regards,
John Gibson

[Bob Biggs]

As the choice of guide is crucial to a birding holiday in a country like The Gambia does anyone else have the names of guides to avoid?
Regards,
John Gibson

John

Turning it around slightly, I can give you the name of someone I can recommend. Tijan Kanteh would be an excellent choice for most birders. I returned from a week in The Gambia on 4 December and used Tijan all the time, as I did in 2003. He's still the same cheerful chap and most people who come into contact with him are very pleased to have done so. He now has a different 9 seater van [ mainly paid for by myself and friends of mine!] and would be happy to take anyone around the area, which he knows like the back of his hand.

I noticed a few changes this time. Certainly, there were far fewer birds than in Feb 2003 and I thought the Senegambia Hotel was not quite at its best. On the plus side, I went upriver and saw Egyptian Plovers, Pygmy Goose and all the Bee eaters you are likely to see in Gambia. We even fluked the Cranes at Pirang!

Tijan charges £15 per day per person [about half of that for half a day],plus the Government set taxi rates which are posted outside the hotels. So, for example, Abuko would be 700 Dalasi [£14] on top. Some guides are cutting each other's throats, trying to pinch business. Some are now charging over £30 per day plus the taxi rate. Be very careful, some are not worth that kind of money. If you need to ID every Bird of Prey, Gull, Wader and migrant from 7 am to 7 pm, then it might be worth paying for one of the few "hot" guides. If you're happy with 99% for half the price, Tijan's your man.

PM me if you need to discuss further

Bob

[Steve G]

As the choice of guide is crucial to a birding holiday in a country like The Gambia does anyone else have the names of guides to avoid?
Regards,
John Gibson

One man's top guide can be another man's rogue -even Ebrima Sibideh named above has (a few) supporters!!

As Bob says Tijan is a nice guy & a good birding guide.

For my part my vote goes to Modou Colley who is also a highly competent Birdguide, hard-working & a very nice guy who is additionally involved in local gambian conservation work.

If you were to ask Nigel Blake I'm fairly sure he would suggest Ya Ya Barry.

The point is you are better going with somebody who has been positively recommended by other birders rather than just trying to avoid the bad guys. Once you've picked a guide then book him/her (yes there are a few female Birdguides) in advance & lay down your requirements in unequivocal terms.

Though it sounds corny, to most gambians we are looked upon as being supremely rich and so there is always a strong temptation to try and coax/squeeze as much out of us as possible. The better guides will try to resist this temptation & a few will stand out as incredible people who provide a great service whilst supporting large extended families as a result of their endeavours.

[Alf King]

A quick interjection here guys, whatever you do avoid a character called Ebrima Sidibeh at all costs! I also had correspondence recently with someone who'd had an awful time with a Lamin Sidibeh. They may be one and the same.


Just be aware that every first son in the Gambia is called Lamin, and that Sidibeh is quite a common surname.

Shame the SWABA guys fell out!

[James Lowther]

Just to round off this thread nicely,
I should say that I spent 3 days with Modou Colley on Steve's recommendation and was not disappointed. He's a fairly quiet but enthusiastic chap and his birding skills were excellent IMHO. However, even HE had a detractor in the form of a british guy I met who had used him in the past, who described Modou as a mardy git or something similar!! So I would echo Steve's suggestion to get a positive recommendation from someone whose judgement you trust (cheer Steve!!)

[Gordon Shaw]

A quick interjection here guys, whatever you do avoid a character called Ebrima Sidibeh at all costs! I also had correspondence recently with someone who'd had an awful time with a Lamin Sidibeh. They may be one and the same.

I've just come back from a trip to Gambia and found Ebrima Sidibeh to be a great guide.
Are you sure you have the right bloke?

[Andy Thatcher]

I would recommend Mo, especially now as alas his old mentor Mass Cham passed away last year.

[John Fleet]

just received Mark Winter's newsletter yesterday in which he referred to his trip to the Gambia in November. I know that he won't mind me quoting:

BIRDWATCHING IN THE GAMBIA

My personal birdwatching highlight of 2006 was a one week birdwatching holiday in the Gambia in November. It would be tempting to wax lyrical about the superb array of colourful birds we saw including the 7 species of Kingfisher and 5 species of Roller, but a web search will quickly reveal just how wonderful this small West African country is for birds. The 3 of us saw 201 species in a week without travelling more than 15 miles from our coastal base, largely thanks to 2 excellent local guides whom I would strongly recommend. Our main guide, Masaneh Sanyang, had the amazing ability to lure birds by making a variety of bird calls which prompted inquisitive birds to call back or even to come close and look at us. What a technique, but unfortunately my inability to whistle prevents me from using the same approach on Holy Island!

If you want a winter sun holiday with a difference, try the Gambia. The birds are great, but make sure you hire a guide like Masaneh or Alagie Trawally. They can be contacted by email at masssanyang55@hotmail.com and at alagietrawally@yahoo.com. I intend to provide fuller details of both guides on the website before long, but in the meantime if you need more details about either guide or about the Gambia please phone me and I would be happy to offer advice. I intend to go back at the earliest opportunity!


His web site is www.birdwatchnorthumbria or email:
mark@birdwatchnorthumbria.co.uk

HtH

John

[Kalispera]

We (wife and me) spent a week in the Gambia in December 2006 (8th-15th), we had previously had two visits to the Gambia in 2003 and 2005. This last visit was by far the best ever purely because of the guide, namely Yaya Barry.
Yes, as stated earlier, guides are good and bad, in 2003 and 2005 we had 'average' guides, but Yaya exceeded everything we hoped for. We had 195 species in the week, we missed out on some, but saw other great birds. The trip included our first visit to Tendaba, very enjoyable, including a pirogue trip over the River Gambia, thre first bird we saw on the river trip was an African Fish Eagle and the last we saw was an African Finfoot, amazing.
Yaya is THE guide, but that is our opinion, pays yur money and takes yur chance!!!

Cheers, Donald

[John Gibson2]

A cautionary note! We have booked a fortnight at Karaiba Hotel and have just been told that they have overbooked and do we want to cancel or switch to a lower grade hotel, The Ocean Bay. On confirming we would accept and go to the other hotel, one day later we were told that hotel has also overbooked and would we like to cancel or downgrade even further. It would seem that a booking in Gambia is not a guarantee, even though we paid well in advance. Communicating our changing plans to our long suffering guide is now bordering on the farcical. Am I just unlucky or is this a common occurrence.
John

[Kalispera]

John, sorry to hear about the circumstances surrounding your holiday.
The three times we have been to the Gambia, we have never experienced anything like this. 2005 and 2006 we booked with the Gambia Experience and have stayed both years at the Senegambia hotel, the second year we got £30 per person discount, and have never had problems as you highlight.
Hope you get sorted and I'm sure you will enjoy your holiday when you finally get out there.
Cheers, Donald

[Steve G]

A cautionary note! We have booked a fortnight at Karaiba Hotel and have just been told that they have overbooked and do we want to cancel or switch to a lower grade hotel, The Ocean Bay. On confirming we would accept and go to the other hotel, one day later we were told that hotel has also overbooked and would we like to cancel or downgrade even further. It would seem that a booking in Gambia is not a guarantee, even though we paid well in advance. Communicating our changing plans to our long suffering guide is now bordering on the farcical. Am I just unlucky or is this a common occurrence.
John
Hi John,
Sorry to hear about your problems.
The Kombo beach or Senegambia would also be reasonable alternative options if these options are available.


I have been to The Gambia a number of times & have never experienced this problem before (though I have had these problems in Spain & Greece).


Which travel company did you book through as I suspect the problem lies there?

I firmly believe that the most reliable way to organise a trip to The Gambia is through The Gambia Experience as their knowledge of the country, expertise & most importantly their admin staff based in The Gambia help prevent this problem from arising.
If not too late why not phone the UK office of The Gambia experience to see if they can supply a suitable last minute package & if so cancel your current package.
Certainly if you downgrade further then I think you should make strong representations to the company you booked through but please don't let this experience put you off the country, it's a great place for a relaxing holiday & the birding is simply amazing & so accessible.
Best wishes,
Steve

[John Gibson2]

Thanks for the kind thoughts. You are probably right about the wisdom of booking through Gambia Experience. I suspect that First Choice didn't pay enough attention to their arrangements and are now putting all the blame on the respective hotels, whilst apologising profusely. I'm still not confident that they have a handle on the situation though. We'll no doubt find out the hard way. I am sure we will enjoy the country when/if we get there.
John

[John Gibson2]

My thanks to all who offered information and advice prior to our visit to The Gambia. We had a great time, saw lots of birds and enjoyed a lot of the sights of Gambia. We decided beforehand to employ the services of Modou Colley as our bird-guide on seeing recommendations on this thread. This turned out to be good advice. Modou certainly knows his birds and where to find them and was patient and helpful throughout. He was not available some of the days due to prior commitments and we were then well guided by his protege Yankuba Tamba (tambayankuba@yahoo.com, www.members.home.nl/xenix or text 0220 954017) who proved to be equally helpful and most knowledgeable. He even offered to spend our final day walking around the extensive Kotu creek area with us for no charge. If you plan to use a Gambian guide when you visit I can recommend them both.
John Gibson

[Kalispera]

Pleased you enjoyed your time in the Gambia, where did you stay in the end, after all the cancellations??
Regards, Donald

[John Gibson2]

Pleased you enjoyed your time in the Gambia, where did you stay in the end, after all the cancellations??
Regards, Donald
Hi Donald,
After much messing about and retractions and amendments of their (First Choice) various compensation offers and the good offices of Gill at The Daily Telegraph travel legal desk we finally ended up at the Kombo Beach, Kotu. It turned out to be a much better choice than the previous arrangements and we were very pleased to have stayed there.
Regards,
John

[Kalispera]

Hi John,
Great stuff, going again next year???

Donald

[Kalispera]

I mean THIS year!!!!

[Birdbox]

During our week at the Senegambia hotel in Dec we used the resident birdman there, Modou Jarju. I think I'm right in saying 'young' Modou is the protege of Modou Colley who usually operates out of the Senegambia but was away upriver. Modou charged £15 a head however many people were going - so the three of us who did Tujereng with him generated £45 obviously but the 8 Welsh guys who went to the same place with him on our recommendation generated £120! For the same days work! Gotta hand it to him but his trainee who carries the scopes and stuff gets nowt.

Apparently that's training for you...

If you do use this guide tip his lad please!

Modou is in fact a skilled and commited birder and you will score most targets in his company.

Lamin Sidebeh accompanied us at Pirang and while not entirely useless was found lacking in some departments but often made up with his charm and his sidekick whose name escapes was very informative.

We attempted to do Abuko without help but were quickly collared by a guide who wanted a tenner for services we didnt think we needed. Actually this guy was adequate (we could nt shake him off) and he did remind us about the rice fields which we'd forgotton about and had the scops owl staked. Eventually we all found eachother stuff and we left him clutching a fiver and some sweets with which he seemed more than happy.

Those of you who think will manage without a guide, think again. If you are unaccompanied you wont be for long and I will give a fiver to the first person to do an hour's birding unmolested. Well, maybe not but it's difficult - believe.

On my first morning I attempted to work the cycle track and despite the early hour was quickly joined by a bright spark from the Kotu creek clan!
Bins lent to him by Nelson, no perception of the concept of scoping or should I say searching for birds out of binocular range (Sidebeh suffered from this affliction also) and seriously dodgy in many areas he constantly reminded me of how much his services were goint to cost me. I constantly reminded him that his services were n't required and that they were going to cost me nowt. I was right on that score despite his protestations to the bitter end.

The only places I escaped such attention was at the sewage works early a.m. but had to pay a token amount to enter (this is definitely the case I'm afraid) - but there's not a deal there and the coastal scrub of Bijilo forest which I inadvertently stumbled upon whilst walking along Kololi beach - I honestly was nt trying to avoid paying the entrance fee!

Must say, in the mid afternoon when all the serious birding has been done and all missions accomplished, missus is deep tanning and mp3-ed, Bijilo coastal scrub is a very unpressured oasis of White-throated, Little and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters, Palm nutter, Blue-bellied Roll on and Woodchat and prinias.

Have fun if you're going this winter.

PS Anyone done the resorts of Senegal - need somewhere for a week in Feb half-term. Don't really wanna repeat Kololi so soon and the sub-continent is too far for 7 days.

[Steve Dudley]

A first rate guide I can thoroughly recommend (inc. up river to Basse if you're going that far), is Kebba Sosseh - see http://kebbasosseh.blogspot.com/

Steve

[Alan G]

Just been quoted some prices from a guide who comes recommended from a friend whose used him 3 times previously.

I'll probably be birding alone (or with wife) unless I meet up with any other solo birders out there and I genuinely wasn't sure what to expect and was wondering what others make of these.

All prices include driver, petrol and tickets:

* Abuko & Lamin Rice Fields: £50 for 2 full days
* Brufut Woods and Tanji: £50 (full day)
* Mandinaba, Faraba Banta bush track & Pirang: £70 (full day)
* Yundum: £40 (a long half day)
* Marakissa: £50 (a long half day)

Flirting with ditching Yundum (or Marakissa) though as I'll be doing Kotu Creek/Golf Course & Senegambia/Bijilio a couple of times on my own as well as an overnight stop in either Senegal or Sindola Lodge and I don't want to OD on birding.......it is a holiday after all :)

[redeyedvideo]

This is the tarrif from The Atlantic which will give you an idea of prices. The costs you quote seem to be good value for full day trips.

[Steve G]

Thats £260 for 5 days birding (if my sums are right ;) ). Here is a rough price guide courtesy of the Gambian Bird Guides Association (2006 prices):


Kotu Region: Kotu Creek, Cycle Track, Golf Course - £5pp per half day, £10pp full day
Coastal Areas: Pirang, Faraba-Banta Bush Track, Marakissa - £50 two people half day, £60 for two full day

Tanji, Brufut Woods, Abuko, Yundum Woods, Kamalo Corner, Cape Creek and
Bund Road - £18pp for two, £15pp for three or more for half a day; £25 pp for two, £20pp for three or more for a full day.

Tendaba Camp - £100 per person per night including B&B accommodation, boat trip, transport and bird guide. £50 per person per extra night.

Georgetown and Basse: £175pp for three nights, and £55 pp for extra nights, includes transport, accommodation, guiding and breakfast.
(Apart from the upriver trips the above rates don't include transport)


Most Gambian guides don't have their own transport so they 'subcontract' & often have to pay £40-£50 for a day's vehicle hire. This guy will probably be shelving out £150 for the vehicle/driver/fuel with another £5 per person for Abuko/Brufut/Faraba 'entry' tickets leaving him about £100 for the 5 days work.
Now many will tell you that £100 is a lot of money to a Gambian & it is but bird guide work is very erratic. At £20 a day you are not being ripped off.

To be honest it is very difficult to bird in the Gambia around the coast without a guide as you will be plagued by bumsters. Bijilo forest park & the Kotu area are notorious for it. I would push your guy to throw in a free Kotu creek/Jacana ponds/Cycle track/Sewage ponds/golf course trip in return for accepting his package.

I am biased in that a I have a friend in The Gambia who bird guides -it might be worthwhile contacting him to see whether he is willing to undercut your guy. Either way it's worth checking out his website as a resource before you go: www.gambianbirds.com/

[James Lowther]

To be honest it is very difficult to bird in the Gambia around the coast without a guide as you will be plagued by bumsters. Bijilo forest park & the Kotu area are notorious for it.

we managed to bird alone at Bijilo last year but you do need to run the gauntlet of bumsters and would-be-guides on the walk round from the senegambia area. Also another guide we met inside said it wasn't safe ("guys with cutlasses come from the beach") but i'm not sure how true this is. Abuko is also easy to bird alone once you're inside, but I wouldn't set your heart on birding solo anywhere else around the coastal resorts as Steve says. It will be a frustrating experience!!

[Alan G]

'guys with cutlasses coming up the beach' - be like birding on the local patch then :)

The guide's throwing in a free 'introduction' when I meet him the second day we're there - going around Kotu Creek, Ponds, etc for the afternoon but I may push him for other 'freebies' as well.

I've been informed by my mate that he also has his own transport now so I guess the 'all-in' costs is for driver, as opposed to driver and car.

Will make sure this includes petrol before I confirm, in case he springs that on me when I get there.

Thanks for the info anyway - much appreciated.

Alan

[Steve G]

With a half-decent guide you'll have a great time. The birds come thick & fast, most will be new & many really colourful.
To be honest there is something special about birding in Africa -it's hard to explain but you'll appreciate it for yourself shortly.

Cut your teeth on this visit & then plan a return trip in the future taking in Tendaba/Kaur wetlands & Georgetown -the birds here are spectacular & the freshwater section of the river Gambia incredibly beautiful.

[John Gibson2]

They look good prices. My only advice is to get a firm quote and make sure your guide knows you intend to stick to it (with perhaps a bonus if you are really satisfied). My experience was that the price kept edging upwards at the slightest opportunity. I don't blame the guides for trying, as it is a very poor country, but it gets a bit annoying. In the end we were happy with the quality of the guiding and were happy to pay extra - but I think that a more easygoing person would have found himself paying a lot more without the option of saying thankyou.
If you do join up with another couple make sure you are "singing from the same hymnsheet" as any sign of misinterpretation will result in another round of negotiations.
Have a great time - its a super place to visit -the people, birds, animals, weather and most hotels are excellent.

John Gibson
Just been quoted some prices from a guide who comes recommended from a friend whose used him 3 times previously.

I'll probably be birding alone (or with wife) unless I meet up with any other solo birders out there and I genuinely wasn't sure what to expect and was wondering what others make of these.

All prices include driver, petrol and tickets:

* Abuko & Lamin Rice Fields: £50 for 2 full days
* Brufut Woods and Tanji: £50 (full day)
* Mandinaba, Faraba Banta bush track & Pirang: £70 (full day)
* Yundum: £40 (a long half day)
* Marakissa: £50 (a long half day)

Flirting with ditching Yundum (or Marakissa) though as I'll be doing Kotu Creek/Golf Course & Senegambia/Bijilio a couple of times on my own as well as an overnight stop in either Senegal or Sindola Lodge and I don't want to OD on birding.......it is a holiday after all :)

[Kalispera]

We (the wife and me) have just returned from a 7 night stay at the Kombo Beach hotel in the Gambia. This was our fourth stay in the Gambia, but our first at the Kombo. We had Yaya Barry has our guide in 2006, and he suggested to look out for a cheap flight and he would book the Kombo on our behalf as its 'his' hotel. This is what we did booking a Thomas Cook flight through the Travel Republic website, and Yaya booking us the hotel. He picked us up from the airport and transported us to the Kombo.
We had stayed at the Senegambia in 2005 and 2006, and the gardens are a haven for birds, incredible in fact, the Kombo is nowhere near as good, but we much preferred the Kombo as a hotel.
In 2006 we spent a night at Tendaba, but not this year, however we asked Yaya if we could visit different sights and he agreed, not visiting Abuko is unheard of, not seeing an African Thrush, unheard of, but we saw other birds, not seen in previous years, Graces Eagle Owl, Shining-Blue Kingfisher, White-fronted Black Chat and a beautiful male Copper Sunbird among others.
The weather was incredibly hot, but plenty of liquids and we got through the week OK.
If anyone requires any more info regarding Yaya or the Kombo, please let me know.

[James Lowther]

Graces Eagle Owl,

that one had me scratching my head as well when my guide first mentioned it

It's actually GREYISH Eagle Owl Bubo cinerascens (otherwise known as Vermiculated EO), formerly treated as a dark-eyed subspecies of Spotted Eagle Owl, as illustrated in the ubiquitous field guide

did you see it at the faraba banta bush track??

[Kalispera]

Thanks for that James, I asked Yaya a couple of times about the owl, and I'm sure each time he said 'Graces', but since getting back I have found nothing regarding a 'Graces'. And yes, we did see it at the Faraba Banta bush track, love spending time on that track, among other places in the Gambia.

[GarethBlues]

I've just returned from a 7-night stay at the Ocean Bay Hotel in Cape Point. I'm no twitcher, and had my other half to keep happy on what was mainly a sunshine holiday. After scanning various websites and this forum I e-mailed a few of the guides mentioned, requesting quotes for some of the places in the coastal & resort areas.

By far the best response I got was from Lamin Bojang, a fairly young guide who's based near the Ocean Bay Hotel in Cape Point. Instead of the £150 a day some of the others were suggesting, Lamin suggested €20 per person for a morning, or €30 per person for a whole day. As I said, I had my other half in tow, so I wanted to keep it fairly easy.

Lamin uses an introductory 90 minute evening stroll around Cape Point to demonstrate his birding skills, and makes no charge for this. Three of the kingfishers, two rollers and various other species ticked off in this short time, and it got my other half interested too.

On the first morning we went to Lamin Rice Fields and Abuko Nature Reserve, with the second morning being spent at Fajara, Kotu and Brufut Woods. On the Wednesday morning, Lamin also offered to take us into Banjul via a few other birding spots.

All in all, great value for money and I can definitely recommend Lamin Bojang. He's cheerful, good company, very knowledgable and seems to have a number of drivers that he can use to get you around. Drop me an e-mail if you want to know any more - I'll hopefully get a trip report written up fairly soon. 127 species in two-and-a-half mornings.

You can contact Lamin at Laminwood10@hotmail.com, or (00220) 9843634

One other tip. If you're staying in Cape Point, get in touch with one of the Official Tourist Guides, called Bambo. You'll find him at the OTG stand outside the Sunbeach Hotel. Once the bumsters know that you know him, they seem to back off a bit.

[colcro]

Bird Guides at Kotu Bridge:
In the last few years I have worked with several of these guys to get bins uniforms develop customer care skills (true!) produce a pricing structure of sorts and have a decent place to get out of the sun. There is no doubt that since the wabsa / bga (the Gambia) split the atmosphere at ‘The Office’ at Kotu Bridge has changed. Some of the senior professionals and their trainees now use this place less and less. I came back to the UK in November and a meeting with the Gambia Tourist Authority was due to take place in December. The main aim of this included cutting down on the number of ‘trainees’ whose behaviour does get the pros a bad name. There is a discipline structure re ‘trainees’ and what they can offer in the way of destinations etc. Trips up river have to be sanctioned by his trainer (an established professional) re the trainee’s competence in bird id and his ability to care for the clients. When you are approached by a ‘guide’ always ask them specifically if they are a professional or trainee. They should show id supporting any claim, be sure to check the photo. Lying about your professional status is considered a serious matter by the association. Fines are levied for misdemeanours, but persistent offenders can and are kicked out.
It is important that birders use professional local guides as much as possible. Their income from birding invariably supports the education and medical care for their large extended family. Established bird tour companies and the GamTours monopoly makes it hard for them to get clients apart from recommendation and the internet. If you have a bad experience from one of the guides at Kotu please let me know inc photo of offender if poss.
Money
The uncanny value of the humble Dalasi makes this an expensive country for visitors and Gambians alike. The only Gambian you will see with money on the street is a bush taxi apprentice. Be shy with your cash. Have plenty of £5 notes safe but always keep a couple in your sock as they are the MasterCard of bribes. If you have any trouble at check points, want to get your car on the last Barra ferry then one of these will get what you want…and you don’t have to show them your big roll!
Bumsters and Hassle
Don’t let them get you down…. fight back. The relationship between you and a bumster is set in the second question they ask you.
“Your first time in the Gambia?” reply….
“No I’ve been here many times. I have a Gambian Boss lady.”
Tell them you are married to a Gambian and that she does everything for you and they will soon bugger off.
Kotu Hotels
Bakuto is the best. Bungalow beach has snotty staff. Kombo, ok just avoid the Med buffet. Badala Park, much maligned but, if you need the services of a pimp….
Eats
24/7 Bar and restaurant, on right past Kotu fire station, Excellent cheap beer and food.
Good local atmosphere
The Ritz near Safari Gardens in Fajara great food but sometimes have to wait for it.
Taxis
The prices displayed are ridiculous and you should never have to pay these. Use the local green taxis. Start at a third of the asking price and go up to a half.
Birding Alone
It is possible in any area away from the Kotu / Senegambia tourist trap where you are generally considered to be a walking cash machine. Not so in the bush where you will find the real Gambia….and brilliant birding!

[bitterntwisted]

Hi,

Planning a trip in November or early December. Was going to take a package deal to one of the Kotu hotels and arrange a guide in advance for a few days from there, but also want to take a 3 to 5 day trrip up the river. How does this work re accommodation and guide - does the guide arrange the accommodation and run the whole trip or do you have to organise a guide and then book the accommodation (for him as well?)

Thanks,
Graham

[Steve G]

Hi,

Planning a trip in November or early December. Was going to take a package deal to one of the Kotu hotels and arrange a guide in advance for a few days from there, but also want to take a 3 to 5 day trrip up the river. How does this work re accommodation and guide - does the guide arrange the accommodation and run the whole trip or do you have to organise a guide and then book the accommodation (for him as well?)

Thanks,
Graham

Hi Graham,

Usually the guide will book the accommodation & organise transport giving you a 'package price' for the whole lot.
Upriver travel is a bit rough & ready & travelling from the Kotu/ Kololi area to Georgetown takes a full day each way so if possible 5 days upriver is better than 3.
Would suggest spending at least 1 whole day & overnight at Tendaba as the local birding is excellent it's worth trying to squeeze in 2 boat trips to Baobolong National Park & a trip into Kiang West.
A couple of years back I travelled from Kuntaur to Georgetown by boat through the River Gambia National park -it was a stunning trip with lots of birds (including Finfoot); if you could organise a similar trip it would be well worthwhile. Check out the Hidden Gambia schedule (it takes a minute or two to load): http://www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/discover_the_river_timetable.asp .The Hidden Gambia home page is: http://www.hiddengambia.com/ -contact details are on the website & the owner lives in the UK (he also owns suitable accommodation on the island).

As a useful resource (& as a possible guide/transport) check out my wee brother's website: http://www.gambianbirds.com/ but turn off the sound! ;)
We managed to take all the bird images displayed on his site over 2 trips totalling 15 days (unfortunately the webpage engineer didn't sharpen the images after re-sizing so they all look soft!!).

Cheers,
Steve

[bitterntwisted]

Thanks, Steve, that's a great help. Appreciate there may not be luxury on offer, but how would I ensure the guide books the better accommodation on offer without marking it up too much? I'm not concerned about roughing it but I'm taking my Mum who is in her late sixties?

I'd seen the Hidden Gambia website but found the 'plan your holiday' function quite difficult to navigate and wasn't completely clear how it all worked. Similarly with the Gambia Experience. Both I expect would be easier to deal with by phone. But if I create an itinerary with them then would we get a good guide at a reasonable price through them?

I guess what I'm asking is it an either/or to go through someone like Modou Colley or to use Hidden Gambia?

Thanks again for the help - really excited about this and hope I can pull it together - my Mum's been talking about going since I was very, very young.

Graham

[Steve G]

Thanks, Steve, that's a great help. Appreciate there may not be luxury on offer, but how would I ensure the guide books the better accommodation on offer without marking it up too much? I'm not concerned about roughing it but I'm taking my Mum who is in her late sixties?

I'd seen the Hidden Gambia website but found the 'plan your holiday' function quite difficult to navigate and wasn't completely clear how it all worked. Similarly with the Gambia Experience. Both I expect would be easier to deal with by phone. But if I create an itinerary with them then would we get a good guide at a reasonable price through them?

I guess what I'm asking is it an either/or to go through someone like Modou Colley or to use Hidden Gambia?

Thanks again for the help - really excited about this and hope I can pull it together - my Mum's been talking about going since I was very, very young.

Graham

Clearly I'd like to direct you to Modou as he is a friend but I have to say that the Hidden Gambia package has considerable merit. The only problem with the Hidden Gambia is that you have to stay at Bird Safari camp which is a bit rough & ready (& is usually without power) & may not be appreciated by your mum. :eek!:

What birds do you want to see as this will dictate any itinerary?

Whilst Modou isn't the cheapest guide he is certainly honest & will not rip you off. He is a true birder as well as a professional bird guide (he's been birding with me in Speyside!) & is also very passionate about conservation being the main agent & driving force in a tree planting project at Faraba Banta (his home village). There are other guides of great merit such as Lamin Bojang & Yaya Barry but there are also an assortment of hustlers, rip-off merchants & half-wits so chose your guide carefully! ;)

[Kalispera]

Hi Graham, I'm not trying to tell you what to do or which package to choose, Steve has given you ideas, BUT, we have hired Yaya Barry the last couple of years.
He gives a price, and that, in our case, was for one week, in 2006 we went to Tendaba, which was a two day excursion. I believe that the road is improving all the time, slowly but surely.
Yaya is a super guide, his driver, Abdullai, is great, and all in all its a tremendous place to go.
Steve has said the birds are incredible, everywhere you go you will be finding new birds on a regular basis.
We have stayed at the Senegambia on two occasions and last year we stayed at the Kombo, Senegambia, better birding, Kombo, better hotel.
Last year we booked a cheap flight, and Yaya booked the Kombo, cheap flights at the moment are a rarity, hoping they get much cheaper nearer November/December.
Hope this helps, if you require anymore details, just say.

[bitterntwisted]

Thanks all for the advice so far, everyone. Our holiday is pretty much booked up now through Hidden Gambia... http://www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/gambia_information.asp We've got four days at Footsteps Eco-Lodge near Gunjur... http://www.footstepsgambia.com/ then an eight-day guided up-river trip to Bird Safari Camp near Georgetown...http://www.bsc.gm/ with overnights at Tendaba on the way there and back and a night at the Chimpanzee project....http://www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/chimpanzee_safari.asp At the end we've treated ourselves to the luxury of the Sandele Bay Eco-retreat near Kartong for two days... http://www.sandele.com/

Got a good deal on the flight (£332 each) and the total bill will be under £1,400 each even though we've taken all the options possible including single supplements, which seems a pretty good deal.

I'm a novice at birding abroad, and still need some help in prep. I've been reading Barlow every night to gen up on everything we'll see and using a number of photo sites to test myself (and to get an idea of the most visible species) I also have Rod Ward's Prion birdwatcher's guide and the Gambia travel map. Hidden Gambia are sending the Bradt guide as a freebie. So...
(1) Is there any other recommended reading, or any other web sites with lots of photos for practice?
(2) Is it worth trying to learn calls - I've very good ears in the UK and I got there in Spain after a couple of days with MP3 player in hand and some last-minute revision. But a completely new avifauna may just be too challenging? Or expensive to get the recordings? The Barlow guide accompanying CD is £28... http://www.wildsounds.com/lookup.htm?ref=ABC&prodid=MAND-01
(3) Can anyone advise whether Malcolm Rymer's DVDs, at £51, are essential/optional/overpriced?... http://www.wildlifevideos.net/gambia1_new.html
(4) I've not made any guiding arrangements for the first three days at the coast. I'd like to spend one of them unguided. The first, second, or third day there? And any additional or last-minute guide recommendations to add to those above?

For me it's worth spending a few quid and a few hours on preparation to get the most out of the kind of holiday I will not take often. It also whets the appetite in a way which will make the birding even better when I get there. So where best to spend my cash and time?

Thanks again,
Graham

[Steve G]

Hi Graham,

Re Gambian birding resources try these:

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/Gambia/introduction.html
http://www.birdsofthegambia.com/

Gambia bird photographs -> try these:
http://www.pbase.com/wimdegroot/gambia_
http://www.pbase.com/michaelvanbosch/birds_of_the_gambia
http://www.pbase.com/michaelvanbosch/gambia_2008
http://www.pbase.com/okbird/birds_of_the_gambia
http://www.pbase.com/tonbenrob/gambia_trip_2005
http://www.pbase.com/tonbenrob/gambia_trip_dec_2006

Certain bird calls are worth knowing:Hadada Ibis; Pied, Grey & Red-billed Hornbill; The Barbets/Tinkerbirds; The Bulbuls such as Yellow-throated Leaflove, Grey-headed Bristlebill, etc; Cisticolas & (especially) the Bush-Shrikes. I mention these birds as you will be in riverside forest upriver where knowing such calls will be useful. The area at 'Baboon Islands' (where the chimp rehab project is) offers amazing birding & you will probably have access to small pockets of forest that few other birders will have been to.

I have a soft spot for Malcolm Rymer's Gambia DVDs as they do give a good prior idea of what to expect though they are hardly mandatory viewing (my wife detests his narrative with a vengeance!!!! ;) ).

Your last two nights at Sandele being on the expensive side are best appreciated as a quality chillout.

If I'd known you were willing to spend a bit of dosh on quality then I would have suggested Makasutu -stunning place with great birding. It is a luxury lodge which few birders would contemplate BUT the birding is simply stunning!!
I saw an amazing range of great birds including very good views of very 'difficult' species >Mouse-brown Sunbirds come to the lodge waterbowls & perched on chair backs, Green-headed Sunbirds also visited regularly. I saw & photographed Goliath Heron & African Finfoot from our floating lodge verandah! We also had Giant & Blue-bellied Kingfisher from our bedroom, had a White-backed Night-Heron roosting only 15 metres from our lodge & had Broad-billed Rollers, Blue-cheeked, Swallow-tailed & White-throated Bee-eaters hunting overhead. The pool area was amazing & whist lounging in the pool I had overhead Lanner, Beaudouin's Snake Eagle, Wahlberg's Eagle, Long Crested Eagle & even took pictures of overflying Martial Eagles (adult & juv) from the swimming pool lounger!

At the start of your holiday try to book a guide to take you to Abuko & perhaps also Brufut/Tanji -2 days. Going with a guide ensures you get to the places quickly & don't get hassle on-site whilst there is still plenty of opportunity to find your own stuff.

[bitterntwisted]

Steve,

Thanks again for all the tips and advice. Sorry not to have posted sooner but have been very busy with work and haven't spent the time I'd have liked revising. But the photo links are very useful, and I'm getting there. Best are the ones you try to ID from thumbnails and then click through to check.

Certain bird calls are worth knowing... ...I have a soft spot for Malcolm Rymer's Gambia DVDs as they do give a good prior idea of what to expect though they are hardly mandatory viewing

I decided the DVDs were an unnecessarily expensive luxury and bought the Barlow CDs for £25. Would be nice if they were introduced, but nonetheless good quality recordings. Couple of gripes that I have to manually enter all the details to rip them, and more frustrating the order is not exactly as per either the plates or descriptions in the book, making learning the calls whilst thumbing pics and descriptions in the book a real challenge.

Your last two nights at Sandele being on the expensive side are best appreciated as a quality chillout... ...If I'd known you were willing to spend a bit of dosh on quality then I would have suggested Makasutu -stunning place with great birding.

Sandele is a chill-out at the end and not about the birding. Makasutu looks amazing but it isn't by the sea, which we wanted for non-birding reasons, and although it seems from other links to be in the same price bracket as Sandele, it is not available as an option from Hidden Gambia, and the prices I've seen elsewhere make the upgrade cost from Hidden Gambia seem a real bargain. I don't think we're paying what you might think we're paying looking at the direct booking costs of Sandele and Makasutu. All that said, Makasutu's birds look very special. Maybe next time.

At the start of your holiday try to book a guide to take you to Abuko & perhaps also Brufut/Tanji -2 days. Going with a guide ensures you get to the places quickly & don't get hassle on-site whilst there is still plenty of opportunity to find your own stuff.

I've arranged a couple of days with Modou Colley at the beginning of the trip per your recommendation. He's been very responsive and reasonably priced. His suggestion is Tujering Wood, Abuko and Brufut. I was thinking about Tanji, though?

I am very, very excited now and very grateful for all your help and advice.

All the best.
Graham

[Steve G]

I've arranged a couple of days with Modou Colley at the beginning of the trip per your recommendation. He's been very responsive and reasonably priced. His suggestion is Tujering Wood, Abuko and Brufut. I was thinking about Tanji, though?

I am very, very excited now and very grateful for all your help and advice.

All the best.
Graham

Hi Graham,

I'm just back from The Gambia -I was with Modou on one of the occasions you sent a text!

Tanji is nowhere near as good as it once was (neither is Yundum).

Brufut was productive -we even saw a Yellowbill (Yellow-billed Coucal) there last friday -my first ever -but it refused to show long enough for an image! From Brufut it's a short drive to the beach near Tanji/Ghana town.

It has been a very wet 'wet season' this year with lots of standing water which though good for birds & crops makes seeing the birds harder -waterbirds are less concentrated, many still being at the upcountry seasonal marshes whilst thirsty passerines/raptors have lots of drinking pools to choose from. We saw lots of Bishops (& a few Wydahs) in breeding plumage as well as plenty of Cuckoos (mainly Levaillant's), whilst Woodland Kingfisher was also very common. Most of these birds will have moved on by late November but there will be more Bee-eaters & raptors around. White-backed Night-Heron bred at Tendaba & Abuko though they have left the nest areas now (should still be seen at the bolongs opposite Tendaba with a bit of luck).

The upriver camps will be a little on the rough side. Tendaba has become more rundown & dirty over the last few years & though you will be in the VIP rooms don't expect too much. Ask the staff to spray your room at night for Mozzies (you can buy a tee-shirt at Tendaba which states: 'Tendaba camp is great -a billion mosquitoes can't be wrong!).
Breakfast is very basic being bread & eggs (if they are not off!) whilst at night I would avoid Bushpig in any form on offer (Stick to chips & Ladyfish!!!!). The Tendaba showers are a trickle of cool water only (no hot) & the towels are nylon (like trying to dry yourself with a plastic bag!!). The toilets are ok but take some extra bog roll!

If you want any further info let me know.

Cheers,

Steve

[Lichfield Birder]

Have just returned from 2 weeks in The Gambia with family. Managed to get out for 2 x 8 hr days birding with the guide Modou Colley. I can thoroughly recommend him as a guide who knows his birds inside out, even from the calls, as I am sure a few on this thread will testify.

Went out on 2 days visiting Abuko, Lamin Lodge, nearby rice fields, Brufut Woods, Tanji beach and Tujering. Saw over 130 sp. which is not a massive amount but still had a great time. I would say that he is a much better bet than using one of the bumsters around Kotu Creek, and whilst his daily rate of about £35 maybe a bit high compared to others, it is worth it.

He is genuinely into the environment, as in the close season he does much voluntary work for trees4africa.

The one thing I did notice, is that his Bushnell bins, which he has dropped, has one of the objective lens out of alignment and there is a great big chunk of plastic clunking around inside them. When looked through, there is not a great deal to be seen, and he admits he relies on memory for much of what he sees. Are there any birders out there who have used his services and want to club together to get him a half decent 2nd hand pair of bins. I am sure we could get him something half decent for about £100 or so. Let me know.