Cameroon April 2018 (1 Viewer)

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 11, 2017

• #1

Hi all,

we are a group of birders planning a birding tour to Cameroon in April 2018.

We are already three birders and we may accept up to three more.

We already have contacted a local birding guide in Cameroon.

We shall visit mainly the SW region of Cameroon that is the richest part of the country regarding birds.

We will use budget hotels so it will not be expensive, mainly if you travel from Europe.

There is a good and not expensive connection from Brussels to Douala with Brussels Airlines.

The core of the tour will be 10 full days birding in the country (plus international flights).

One of us plans to stay longer and anybody who wants to join us is completely free to extend the tour as much as he wants.

Important point: we will visit one National Park that implies walking for a few kilometers and sleep one night in a hut, no hotel that night.

Of course you may skip it and sleep in a hotel that night but you will miss the birds.

If you are interested in joining us please send me a PM.

Regards,

 

Last edited: Jun 11, 2017

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #2

For those interested in bird families, we will try to watch two interesting ones, i.m.h.o.

One is Piicathartidae, we will try to see the grey-necked rockfowl (Picathartes oreas) and that is the reason to stay one night in the camp in the National Park because the birds can be observed when they came back to the place where they spend the night.

The other one is Arcanatoridae (Dapple-throat and allies). We will try to watch Grey-chested babbler (Kakamega poilothorax).

Of course, some other bird families will be also observed.

Regards,

 

W

Welsh Peregrine

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #3

What dates exactly? Would be interested in Kakamega and Picarthartes if its the beginning of the month. Kelvin Britton

 

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #4

Kelvin,

The idea is the beginning of the month because at the end of the month we have the risk to have rain as the rainy season begins in May.

The "core" week is from Saturday, 7th to Sunday 15th.

Then two of us will expand three more days that could be 4th, 5th and 6th if that fits to you.

The one that is staying longer will stay from the 16th.

If you are interested, please tell me to send you all the info.

Regards,

 

W

Welsh Peregrine

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #5

Please do. pm me. K

 

DMW

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #6

Jose, given your reference to camping, I suspect you might be planning to visit Korup NP to look for Picathartes. If this is the case, I wonder if you are aware that Campo Ma'an NP is (or at least, was when I visited a few years ago) a much more reliable site and requires no camping? If you left Douala in the morning, you could potentially see Picathartes the same afternoon.

Perhaps the situation has changed, but when we visited Korup, Picathartes was quite unreliable.

Cheers
Duncan

 

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #7

Yes, Duncan, that is the situation.

The guide suggested us to go to Korup NP as a reliable place to look for Picathartes.

He mention that this park will provides more birds than going to Campo Ma'an NP, that is in the opposite direction (East) and it is a reliable place for Picathartes.

The main negative point is that there is not hotel and the only option is to spend the night in a hut in a camping site.

I have seen the pictures of the camp and it it not a luxury place, for sure, but it is not so bad for a single night.

By the way, I will be very glad to receive any suggestion from anybody like you that have already been to Cameroon or have recent and accurate information about birding in this country in order to prepare the tour.

Regards,

 

DMW

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #8

Hi Jose,

I would agree that Korup is better for birding than Campo Ma'an, and the camping area is good - a pair of Vermiculated Fish-owls is resident there. However, we did not see Picathartes at Korup, and reading other reports certainly gave the impression that it was often missed there. They were really easy to see at Campo Ma'an.

Your guide might well be correct - perhaps they are more reliable there now, or perhaps there is a new and better site than Rengo.

Cheers
Duncan

 

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 12, 2017

• #9

It seems that we area already four people.

Two more places left !

 

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 15, 2017

• #10

Just to inform that if we are six people we will get a good price:

Tour cost 6pax 785.000XAF per pax.

or 1.196 Euro or 1.053 Pounds

Plus international flights (around 600 Euro from Europe)

If anybody wants to takes a pre-tour extension, it seems that some of us are going to organize it (extra cost).

 

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 16, 2017

• #11

It seems that we are already five people.

So, last place!

The dates will be:

Pre tour extension: 2nd-5th April 2018

Main tour: 5th - 15th April 2018 (arriving to Brussels 16th early in the morning)

Hurry up if you are interested!

Regards,

 

J

Jose Ramon

Well-known member

• Jun 19, 2017

• #12

Just to inform you that we are already six people, so the tour is fully booked.

Regards,

 

B

baseline

Well-known member

• Feb 4, 2020

• #13

Just a cheeky 'bump' for anyone who was following this thread when it was live, and might still be interested in a trip to Cameroon... See new thread - I'm planning a similar trip for March 2020.