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Travel ideas for next year (1 Viewer)

Vectis Birder

Vectis Birder

Itchy feet
I am thinking about a trip in late 2011/early 2012, preferably southern hemisphere or around the Equator. I was thinking about Australia but I've been there, done that. Ditto Ecuador (which I love) and Thailand.
I am a lone traveller, on a bit of a budget, so I won't be staying in flash hotels or joining tour trips such as those with Tropical Birding or Sunbird, etc - I am sure these are fabulous trips but they're beyond my means and the single supplements are ridiculous - but I am looking to go somewhere that isn't too expensive, has reasonably easy birding (recently-diagnosed arthritis in my knees means I can't go scrambling up hill and down dale any more), a nice lot of colourful birds, is warm (it doesn't have to be tropical but a good chance of decent weather would be nice), easy to get around and is fairly safe for a lone female traveller such as myself.
I'd kind of like an African destination as I have not been to Africa before, although any ideas are welcome.

Any suggestions? Or am I asking a bit much?

Cheers
'VB'
 
Chile when we were there felt very safe, but it is not as cheap as some SA countries, and there are parts where it is not really that warm either.

Cost wise, Bolivia and Brazil (parts of it) would fit the bill if I have understood what I have read, but I have no experience with the level of safety.

I don't know your budget, but you could do worse than sitting on the veranda of Asa Wright and watch the hummers and tanagers.

Niels
 
I have no experience with Africa, although I would sure love to visit that continent as well.

Costa Rica is safe and easy to travel around on a budget- I am a young female and have traveled solo throughout the country using public transport and never felt unsafe. Most ecolodges have nectar and fruit feeders that attract a lot of hummingbirds and tanagers, providing easy birding (but usually not too cheap). You can probably find budget hotels or hostels near key birding areas to save some money. There are some reasonable hotels in the Monteverde area, and a cheap bus that runs from the town of Santa Elena up to the Monteverde cloud forest preserve throughout the day. The entrance to the preserve has a nice little cafe with tons of hummingbird feeders that are always buzzing with activity. Manuel Antonio has a nice national park right on the coast. The town is pretty touristy, but I learned after I got there (and had already reserved a hotel) that there are some pretty cheap "backpacker" hostels a short walk from both the ocean and the national park.
 
Robert - thanks for the suggestions, I'll look further into those.

Neils - Asa Wright is a place I have long wanted to go, but I've heard it's expensive, although I'll need to look into it a bit more.

Ovenbird - Costa Rica is one of the places that I've thought of, I've heard good things about it and I would love to go to the neotropics again.
 
Another vote for The Gambia, described as the birding gateway to Africa. It's safe, only 5-6 hours flight time, it's English speaking and you can bird from the hotel. You can get a cheap package deal and book a guide from the UK or when you arrive and the birds are colourful and plentiful.

Another country I absolutely love which may be a surprise suggestion is Morocco. You may need French basic language skills to get by though a young Japanese lady I met way out in the desert didn't seem to speak any other language than her native tongue. She was travelling the World on her own, very brave if you ask me!

One more suggestion is Panama, or Canopy Tower to be precise. You'll be familiar with some of the bird families and you'll be extremely well looked after with free wine & 3 freshly cooked meals a day. It's a magnificent location and you'd get to see Gamboa & Pipeline Road, you may need to dig a bit deeper that the other two suggestions and it may be worth keeping a check on their website for offers.
 
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redeyedvideo said:
Another vote for The Gambia, described as the birding gateway to Africa. It's safe, only 5-6 hours flight time, it's English speaking and you can bird from the hotel.
Click to expand...

Nice country, also my first sub-Saharan country. However, a decided lack of big mammals makes it only an option if its birding first and foremost, thereby missing out on the true greatness of this fabulous continent.

redeyedvideo said:
Another country I absolutely love which may be a surprise suggestion is Morocco. You may need French basic language skills to get by ...
Click to expand...

Another good suggestion - and just about the cheapest suggestion you are likely to get. Ryan and Easy Jet go there, a doodle to do independently, cheap on the ground and a wonderful country to boot. Good birding, interesting country. Easy without any French, mine is crap and been there twice now, both several weeks.

However, all depends on how long you are thinking of travelling for. Both these destinations good for two or three weeks - if longer, I'd recommend elsewhere.



Regardless of whether two weeks or two months, I would recommend either South Africa or Namibia - both very easy countries for first-timers to the African continent, both easy to travel independently and cheaply. Would you be happy to rent a car at all - if so, both are extremely easy. If not, both still easy, but tours necessary to get into national parks (easy to organise at backbackers).

If it takes your fancy, let me know - spent over 18 months backpacking in southern Africa, much of it in these two countrues, will happily give any advice you need.

Go for it, you WON'T regret it ;)
 
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Vectis Birder said:
I am thinking about a trip in late 2011/early 2012,
...preferably southern hemisphere or around the Equator.
...a nice lot of colourful birds,
...is warm (it doesn't have to be tropical but a good chance of decent weather would be nice)

Any suggestions? Or am I asking a bit much?
Click to expand...

Ha ha ha, or you could come to Lithuania - way up north, most birds migrated out, bloody freezing and a decent chance of a half metre of snow :-O
 
Thanks guys. I certainly have much to think about. As regards time, I am thinking about two to four weeks.

Jos, I think I'll pass on Lithuania - I am already shivering in +2 degrees C here on the Isle of Wight. :-O
 
It would actually help a little to know how mobile you are and if you are expecting only public transport or am able willing to rent a car as others have said.

Niels
 
Jos Stratford said:
Nice country, also my first sub-Saharan country. However, a decided lack of big mammals makes it only an option if its birding first and foremost, thereby missing out on the true greatness of this fabulous continent.

Regardless of whether two weeks or two months, I would recommend either South Africa or Namibia - both very easy countries for first-timers to the African continent, both easy to travel independently and cheaply.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right about the mammals Jos, seeing a Leopard brought tears to the eyes of one of my top birding friends and was the highlight of our S.A. trip (the animal not the wet eyes!)

South Africa's getting some bad press today after a British couple were hijacked near Cape Town with terrible consequences. I hope this one incident won't stop people going, the game reserves are self contained a should be as safe as anywhere in the World.
 
redeyedvideo said:
South Africa's getting some bad press today after a British couple were hijacked near Cape Town with terrible consequences. I hope this one incident won't stop people going, the game reserves are self contained a should be as safe as anywhere in the World.
Click to expand...

Agreed, a tragic event indeed. However they went into the townships on the Cape Flats at 11 p.m. - it is not a nice thing to say, but that was a foolish mistake.

Everybody visting South Africa should be aware that townships are renowned for their high levels of violence and for the high incidence of car-jacking, rape and murder - it is the largely events in these poor townships that account for the appalling crime rates that blight South Africa. I simply would not take a taxi into the Cape Flats to go sightseeing, let alone late on a Saturday night.

South Africa as a whole is a wonderful country and in most of it you will receive warm welcomes everywhere and (away from Jo'burg, the townships and similar) is essentually as safe as anywhere in Europe - the national parks especially so.

Read up on the country and its risks before visiting, absolutely. Let this unfortunate crime deter you, no.
 
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I went to Gabon this year - not particularly cheap, but a shed load of cracking birds including Grey-necked Picathartes. Apparently the countries between Sierra Leone to Nigeria are now ( fairly ) safe and offer a chance to pick up Upper Guinea forest birds. I'm off to Somaliland next year - the only trouble with that is it'll have to be without insurance as the premiums are either a pi** take or just not available.

Chris
 
Bolivia is fantastic, and madly cheap, but the Andes are not really the place for someone with knee problems. Malaysia - very safe, very easy or, I'm with Jos, South Africa/Namibia. Any European going in the Cape Flats at any time of day is, frankly, mad.
 
njlarsen said:
Chile when we were there felt very safe, but it is not as cheap as some SA countries, and there are parts where it is not really that warm either.
Click to expand...

I think North Chile would be a good alternative, since it's in fact warm all year round and it's typically more affordable than the South side. Besides, most of the most colourful birds we have are there.

But if you're coming in our summer, you'll find out it's actually pretty warm everywhere, at least up to Chillán (~400 km south from Santiago), as long as you remain inland, in the so called center valleys strip, that is between our two main mountain chains running from North to South all over the country: Andes and the Coastal cordillera. Because of the Humboldt current, our shores are steadily cold and windy, but inland you'll find plenty of wonderful wildlife to get to know.

Regarding safety, although some basic principles have to be observed (as nowadays anywhere else after all), there's no doubt it's by far the safest corner in South America you can visit.
 
One thing that is on my personal wish list: a smaller boat on the Amazon, sitting under a cover and watch birds in the scope, with occasional stops for wandering off into the forest or being taken by canoe along a creek. I have no idea yet what that would cost.

Which reminds me of a thing I have done: a week on a boat on the Nile combining visits at all the archaeological sites between Luxor and Aswan with sitting on the desk and watching through the telescope while sailing. That was definitely worth while both from a cultural and a bird-watching point of view.

Niels
 
njlarsen said:
It would actually help a little to know how mobile you are and if you are expecting only public transport or am able willing to rent a car as others have said.

Niels
Click to expand...

Hi Neils,

I'd be relying on public transport. I can drive, but can't hire a car because I can't get a credit card (long tale of woe, I'm afraid :-C ), so it's buses, trains and taxis for me. It reduces my options, I know, but I can live with that. I'm used to it now.
 
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I'd forget South Africa then and go for Malaysia. Pretty easy to do by public transport, or it was when I made my two visit in the 90s. IMHO the best food in the world. Safe, healthy oh yeah there's lots of birds there as well. It'd compliment your trip to Thailand well.

Bolivia easy without a hire car - it's so cheap you can easily hire a taxi for a day - but still the problem of those mountains and your knees.
 
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