Ghana
BirdingBirding
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While Southern and Eastern Africa are more popular destinations on account of traditional safaris, Western Africa hosts some of the continent’s best birding, especially for rainforest species not available elsewhere. Political instability and lack of tourist infrastructure are major obstacles in much of the region, but that’s where Ghana, a stable democracy and the most developed country among its neighbors, defies the stereotype and presents massive opportunity. The lowland rainforests host a dazzling array of regional endemics. Throw-in easy access to the iconic White-necked Rockfowl (aka Picathartes) and the monotypic Egyptian Plover – both of major interest to family listers – and there’s no shortage of amazing birds along our appointed route. And, as a bonus, we’ll have several days in the Guinea Savannah in the northern part of the country; that open habitat will offer completely different species than we found in the southern rainforests and push the trip list well over 300 species. As the detailed, day-by-day itinerary will reveal, there is a ton to see and do in Ghana! If you thought of West Africa as difficult and challenging to travel in, think again; many have been captivated by the wonders and birding opportunities of this safe, super-friendly African nation. It mystifying why Ghana is not more popular! In the detailed itinerary we use official habitat names according to the Habitats of Africa book and their Habitats of the World (HotW) codes if you wish to read more about these environments.
NOTE – This itinerary is a modified version of what we’ve run in previous years. Specifically, we’ve cut the two days/nights in Bolgatanga because there are now reliable sites for Egyptian Plover closer to Mole National Park. It is therefore no longer necessary to reach the Burkina Faso border for that special bird. One of the two saved nights will be spent at Ankasa, giving us more time to track down high-value forest species. The second night will be used in Kumasi so that we can visit Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary, a stronghold for African Gray Parrot. This change will eliminate six-plus hours of driving and avoid what was suboptimal lodging in Bolgatanga.
Price
From $5920
Length
14 days (18 days w/ extension)
Physical Difficulty
Moderate
Pace
Moderate
Focus
Birding
Group size
9 + 1 leader + 1 local guide
Main Tour: 13 – 26 April
$5920; single supplement: $800
Atewa Hills Extension: 27 – 30 April
$2050; single supplement: $200
Starting City
Accra
Ending City
Accra
After arrival in Accra, you will be transferred to a hotel for the night. The first tour activity will be a welcome dinner tonight in Ghana's culturally rich capital.
In the morning we will visit Shai Hills on the Accra Plains. An area of stoic inselbergs (granite outcrops) surrounded by rich wooded grassland, which is home to more than 400 bird species. A significant site for Black-bellied Bustard and Senegal Parrot in particular, Shai Hills boasts an impressive bird list with many wonderful birds like Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Guinea and Violet Turacos, Viellot’s, Double-toothed and Bearded Barbets, Blue-bellied Roller, Blue-breasted and Woodland Kingfishers, Green Woodhoopoe, Black Scimitar-bill, Mocking Cliff-chat, Splendid Sunbird, and Purple Starling, as well as Stone Partridge, an anomalous African relative of the New World wood quail! But our main target is probably the tricky Chestnut Owlet, a taxonomically debated subspecies of African Barred Owlet, which might be split in the future. The afternoon will be spent forging our way towards southwest Ghana, to one of West Africa’s premier parks, Kakum. We will spend three nights just outside the park.
This is one of Ghana’s flagship reserves, comprising lush verdant rainforest, and sporting Africa’s best canopy walkway (extending some 330m) as its centerpiece attraction. There are only a handful of walkways in the entire continent, and this is definitely the best of them. The park is recognized as an Important Bird Area, with over 360 species recorded near the walkway itself, but is crucial for butterflies and mammals too. An astounding 10 species of hornbill have been recorded from the walkway, including several seldom-seen in Africa, like Western Long-tailed, Brown-cheeked, Western Dwarf, and Yellow-casqued Hornbills. The diversity of birds is extremely impressive, with 10 species of kingfishers also featuring, including Chocolate-backed and Giant Kingfishers. Watching Rosy Bee-eaters sailing past the walkway is unforgettable. A remarkable 11 barbets occur there also, including specialties like Bristle-nosed, Hairy-breasted and Naked-faced Barbets, and Red-rumped Tinkerbird. Other birds we will be on the lookout for in Kakum will be other West African specialties like Yellow-billed Turaco, Fire-bellied and Melancholy Woodpeckers, Red-vented and Blue-billed Malimbe, Violet-backed Hyliota, Sharpe’s Apalis, and Johanna’s Sunbird. Our time will not only be spent on the walkway though, as we seek birds at ground level, walking forest trails that may lead us to a ton of greenbuls, Rufous-sided Broadbill or White-tailed Alethe to add to the intoxicating mix of canopy birds on site.
Continuing our exploration of southern Ghana and the rainforest belt, we continue west to a very special site indeed, Ankasa, right on the border with Ivory Coast. This treasured area has only opened up relatively recently and so is not as well developed for tourists as Kakum, but there is a great new naturalist hotel that hosts us. This enables us access to the best pristine primary lowland rainforest in Ghana, famed for holding rare and local species like Nkulengu Rail, White-bellied Kingfisher, White-crested Tiger-Heron, Hartlaub’s Duck, Spot-breasted Ibis and Akun Eagle-Owl. We will spend two nights near this exceptional forest reserve.
A full day will be spent in Ankasa seeking some of the many rare and local species occurring there. The birdlist is mouth-watering, and we will be on the hunt for Red-thighed Sparrowhawk, Shining-blue Kingfisher, Black and Blue-moustached Bee-eaters, Red-fronted Parrot, Red-chested Owlet, Rufous-winged Illadopsis, Red-headed Malimbe, Western Bluebill, White-browed Forest-Flycatcher, White-tailed Alethe, Red-fronted Antpecker, and Carmelite Sunbird. A second night will be spent in the rainforest, we can search for night birds like Fraser’s Eagle-owl and Long-tailed Nightjar.
After much of the day in Ankasa we return to Kakum for another night, visiting a different sector of the park.
After a few days walking forest trails seeking rare deep forest birds, we will have a break by birding the more open Aboabo section of northern Kakum National Park during the morning; this offers easy roadside birding with a shot at some special birds in the process, most notably Long-tailed Hawk, the odd nutchatch-like Preuss’s Weaver, and Black-capped Apalis a specialist of this forest biome. Other exciting possibilities include Red-billed Helmetshrike, Blue Cuckooshrike and the scarce and handsome Yellow-throated Cuckoo. In the afternoon, we will make the pilgrimage to a very special piece of rainforest that hosts vine tangled caves, where the White-necked Picathartes, one of the strangest of Earth’s bird families, dwells. The visit is strategically timed in the late afternoon, when the “rockfowl” usually return to their caves to roost, after a day of foraging within the forest. This bird alone draws birders to Ghana from across the globe, as it is the most reliable site in the world to find this species and indeed African endemic family. At the end of this landmark day, we drive to the city of Kumasi for the night, in readiness to visit one of the final forest sites of the main tour.
This will be a day of contrasts. In the morning we will visit the butterfly reserve of Bobiri, seeking forest species like Red-billed Dwarf-Hornbill, a tiny woodpecker in the form of African Piculet, and one of Africa’s smallest birds in the form of Tit-Hylia, as well as other species like Narina Trogon, Afep and Western Bronze-naped Pigeons, African Emerald Cuckoo, Forest Scimitarbill, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Sabine’s Puffback, Red-headed and Crested Malimbes and Finschs’s Flycatcher-Thrush. By the afternoon, however, we will journey north, leaving the southern rainforest belt and passing into dryer Upper Guinea Savanna, with its markedly different birds. We will spend three nights at a hotel inside Mole National Park.
On these days we will explore the savannas of northern Ghana in earnest. Here, large herds of elephants still roam, and we will quickly boost our birdlist with easy birding in more open habitat to what we have experienced previously on the tour. This large (4,800 km2) national park protects predominantly open Guinea savanna woodland, which is interspersed with grasslands, swamps, and escarpments. There are two ephemeral rivers in the park, the Lovi and Mole, which dry out during the dry season and act as waterhole magnets for mammals and songbirds like finches. Mole is home to more than 330 bird species (90% of Ghana’s savanna avifauna!) and over 90 mammals. Based at the park’s main hotel, beautifully perched on an escarpment over-looking panoramic waterholes and savanna woodland below, there’s always a chance of an exciting find. We will watch the waterholes, for the likes of elephants, Waterbuck, Kob and Bushbuck, and a slew of waterbirds, like Hamerkop, Woolly-necked and Saddle-billed Storks, Black-headed Heron and Hadada Ibis. Closer inspection may reveal flocks of radiant finches, like Lavender and Orange-cheeked Waxbills, firefinches (six species occur in the park), and Red-winged Pytillias. The skies are not to be ignored as there are an incredible 30 raptor species, including Palm-nut and White-backed Vultures, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Bateleur and Red-necked Buzzard, six bee-eaters (including Red-throated and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters), seven hornbills (including Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill and Northern Red-billed Hornbill), five rollers (including Abyssinian, Broad-billed and Purple Rollers), and ten kingfishers (including Blue-breasted and Gray-headed Kingfishers). Other notable species include Violet Turaco, Bearded Barbet, Yellow-billed Shrike, Senegal Eremomela, the gorgeous black-and-yellow Oriole Warbler, Purple Starling, White-crowned Robin-Chat, Splendid Sunbird, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, and Sahel Bush Sparrow. Night birding is often productive with some amazing marquee nightbirds, including Grayish Eagle-Owl, African Scops-Owl, Northern White-faced Scops-Owl, and the stunning Standard-winged and Long-tailed Nightjars all possible. Two nights will also be spent inside the park, on the scenic escarpment.
Departing Mole we forge farther north, moving into the Upper East Region of northern Ghana, close to the border with Burkina Faso. The habitat noticeably becomes drier, hillier and rockier. In the afternoon we visit Tongo Hills, an area of granite outcroppings, where we seek Fox Kestrel, Rock-loving Cisticola, Mocking Cliff-chat and Brown-rumped Bunting. Other birds include Gabar and Dark-chanting Goshawks, Piapiac, Pygmy and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, and Orange-cheeked and Black-rumped Waxbills. Two nights will be spent in Bolgatanga, a town that lies within the Red Volta River Valley, historically a major migration route for elephants, and a great strategic position to pursue another key West African bird family the following day...
Today we skirt the Burkina Faso border, starting out at Tono Dam, where waterbirds mix with songbirds visiting the wetland’ edge to slake their thirst. Targets include Spur-winged Goose, Forbes’s Plover, Senegal and Spotted Thick-knees, Four-banded Sandgrouse, Namaqua Dove, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Yellow Penduline-Tit, African Silverbill, Cut-throat, Zebra Waxbill, Gosling’s Bunting, and several starlings like Long-tailed Glossy, Chestnut-bellied, Lesser Blue-eared, Greater Blue-eared and Bronze-tailed Starlings. At this time we may also encounter some migratory Western Palearctic warblers too. In the afternoon we shift focus to a river where another spectacular African-endemic family can be found, the striking black-white-and-grey Egyptian Plover or Crocodile Bird, one of the major drawcards for this tour. Patrolling the river banks, if it takes flight we will be exposed to one of the neatest wing patterns in the avian world. We return to Bolgatanga for a second night.
After some final birding within the dry country of Northern Ghana, we retreat south, to the city of Tamale to connect with a domestic flight to the Ghanaian capital, Accra. This will be taken in the afternoon in order to arrive in time for international departures from Accra this evening.
Day 1: Arrival in Accra
After arrival in Accra, you will be transferred to a hotel for the night. The first tour activity will be a welcome dinner tonight in Ghana’s culturally rich capital. For those who arrive early, the hotel grounds and surrounding neighborhood host a surprising array of birds.
Day 2: Shai Hills to Kakum National Park
In the morning we will visit Shai Hills on the Accra Plains. This is an area of inselbergs (Af6G) – granite outcrops surrounded by a rich mosaic of Afrotropical Grassland (Af7A) and Guinea Savanna (Af6F), which is home to more than 400 bird species. Shai Hills supports many wonderful birds like Black-bellied Bustard and Senegal Parrot. Shai Hills also hosts Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Guinea and Violet Turacos, Viellot’s, Double-toothed and Bearded Barbets, Blue-bellied Roller, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Green Woodhoopoe, Black Scimitar-bill, Mocking Cliff-chat, Splendid Sunbird, and Purple Starling. And there’s a decent chance for Stone Partridge, an anomalous African relative of the New World wood-quail! We will also be on the lookout for Chestnut Owlet, a taxonomically debated subspecies of African Barred Owlet, which might be split in the future. After a full morning at the reserve, we’ll return to the hotel for an early lunch. The drive to Kakum National Park will consume the entire afternoon, but we’ll make an en route stop at a coastal lagoon if time allows. Beyond West African Crested Tern, we could bump into Western Reef-Heron, Spur-winged Lapwing, and a host of other waterbirds. This will be the first of three nights near Kakum NP.
Days 3 – 4: Kakum NP
Featuring verdant Afrotropical Lowland Rainforest (Af4A), Kakum is one of Ghana’s flagship reserves. The centerpiece attraction is Africa’s best canopy walkway, a 330-meter loop that affords elevated views of birds we’d otherwise struggle to see. Ten species of hornbill have been recorded from the walkway, including several that are seldom seen: Western Long-tailed, Brown-cheeked, Western Dwarf, and Yellow-casqued. Barbets refuse to be ignored; Western Yellow-billed, Yellow-spotted, Hairy-breasted, Bristle-nosed, Naked-faced, and Speckled and Red-rumped Tinkerbirds all frequent the walkway. Beyond those, we will be on the lookout for Yellow-billed Turaco, Blue Malkoha, Rosy-Bee-eater, Blue-throated Roller, Melancholy Woodpecker, Red-fronted Parrot, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Sabine’s Puffback, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Violet-backed Hyliota, and several varieties of sunbirds. Time on underlying trails and in surrounding secondary growth might yield Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Black Bee-eater, Forest Scimtarbill, African Piculet, Rufous-sided Broadbill, White-tailed Alethe, West African Wattle-eye, and a host of greenbuls. Importantly, we must always keep an eye to the skies for Long-tailed Hawk, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, and four spinetails (Mottled, Black, Sabine’s, Cassin’s). We’ll also make at least one nocturnal foray to search for Brown Nightjar and Fraser’s and Akun Eagle-Owls. There is no shortage of birds, and two days (or even five!) at Kakum won’t feel like enough. It’s worth noting that we’ll have extended downtime on both days to escape stifling midday heat. Our morning session will run from roughly 6 to 11am; the afternoon session 3:30 to 7pm, at which point we’ll return to the hotel for dinner.
Day 5: Kakum to Ankasa National Park
We will use this final Kakum morning to mop-up unaccounted species before continuing west, towards Ankasa NP. The drive is upwards of five-hours, but we’ll break it up with one or two en route birding stops. Those might reveal African Jacana, Northern Red Bishop, or Orange Weavers in roadside ponds. We will spend this night and the next two just outside the park entrance.
Days 6 – 7: Ankasa NP
Situated in the southwestern corner of Ghana, abutting the border with Ivory Coast, Ankasa NP harbors the least disturbed track of primary rainforest in the country. This treasured area has only recently opened and is not as well developed for tourists as Kakum, our lodge being a very notable exception. The rooms and food are the best we’ll experience on this tour, a far cry from the camping expeditions required just a few years ago! Using that sanctuary as our base, we’ll have two full days to explore Ankasa. The park’s birdlist is mouth-watering. Wet areas could host Hartlaub’s Duck, Spot-breasted Ibis, Dwarf Bittern, White-crested Tiger-Heron, or White-bellied or Shining-blue Kingfishers; the forest hosts Blue-headed Wood-Dove, Great Blue Turaco, Red-chested Owlet, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Blue Cuckooshrike, Honeyguide Greenbul, Western Bearded-Greenbul, Rufous-winged Illadopsis, Red-headed Malimbe, Western Bluebill, White-browed Forest-Flycatcher, Red-fronted Antpecker, and many exciting others. We will also make a serious effort to find Gray-throated and Nkulengu Rails, two of the most prized birds in the region. And, taking an eventual break from the forest – where the birding is admittedly very challenging – we’ll visit the coast and its more open habitats to look for Carmelite Sunbird and West Africa Crested Tern, among others. These two days will be structured as at Kakum, with morning and afternoon outings book-ending lunch and midday rest.
Day 8: Ankasa to Kakum NP
We will have one final morning at Ankasa before lunching at the lodge and retracing our tracks to Kakum. The return drive will likewise require the entire afternoon. We hope to break it up with en route birding stops as we did on the outgoing leg. This single night will be spent back in the Kakum area.
Day 9: White-necked Rockfowl (Picathartes)
The first part of the morning will be used at Kakum, where we will – despite our best efforts earlier in the tour – inevitably be missing some birds. That outing will run until mid-morning, at which point we’ll start north towards Picathartes Guest House. En route stops will afford opportunity for Long-tailed Hawk, White-throated Blue Swallow, Rock Pratincole, and Black-capped Apalis.
Picathartes Guest House is a collaboration between Ghanaian conservationists and locals. The rocky cliffs above the lodge are arguably the easiest place on Earth to see rockfowl, but the surrounding forest is periodically threatened by loggers. Enter the lodge, which was built to generate sustainable income for the community. With locals invested, the site should continue as the default location for this incredible bird family. This is precisely why we spend this night at the lodge, to support the community’s conservation efforts. Unlike everywhere else we stay on this itinerary, the rooms at Picathartes Guest House do not have AC. However, that lack is offset by strong ceiling fans. It’s a minor sacrifice to know we’re helping people and birds! If all goes according to plan, we’ll lunch at the lodge and rest ahead of the afternoon hike (a mostly-flat half-mile each way) for the rockfowl. The birds spend the day foraging in the forest before returning to the rock outcropping in the mid- to late-afternoon. It’s there, seated on benches, where our vigil will unfold. If/when the birds show, they’re often very close because they’re accustomed to visitors. Nothing is guaranteed, but the success rate is very high when conditions are favorable.
Day 10: Picathartes Forest and Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary
As we will have visited the Picathartes site in the heat of the afternoon yesterday, we will return this morning, when there should be more activity. Among many possibilities, we could tick Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo, Gray or Kemp’s Longbills, White-throated Greenbul, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Olive-green Camaroptera, Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher, Red-billed Helmetshrike, or Fraser’s Sunbird. Towards late-morning, when activity winds down, we’ll drive two hours north to our hotel in Kumasi (Ghana’s second largest city). There we’ll rest ahead of a late-afternoon trip to Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary, about an hour east of the city.
Over 450 species have been eBirded at Bobiri, so the possibilities are numerous. Some of them include Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Narina Trogon, Tit-Hylia, Western Nicator, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher and African Forest-Flycatcher, and Johanna’s and Buff-throated Sunbirds. Great as those are, Gray Parrot might be the most prized bird at Bobiri. The reserve is a known roost, so we’ll be sure to mind the skies in case a representative materializes. Afterwards, we’ll return to Kumasi for dinner and the night.
Day 11: Kumasi to Mole NP
Today’s commute to Mole NP will be upwards of seven hours (no avoiding it, sadly!), so we’ll eat breakfast and depart soon thereafter. There isn’t much birding to be had along the way, but we’ll stop if anything exciting presents. When we do arrive, we can use the late-afternoon hours to walk the lodge grounds. Perched high on an escarpment, they offer breathtaking views of the underlying Guinea Savanna (Af6F). It’s a great vantage from which to watch the sunset while unwinding from a long day of driving. This will be the first of three nights at Mole NP.
Days 12 – 13: Mole NP
Hallelujah! We’re finally in the savanna, where the sightlines are wider and the birding easier than in the complex but alluring southern forests. The species complement will be entirely different to what we’ve encountered to this point, and the trip list will skyrocket in our new surroundings. Those who have birded Eastern and Southern Africa will be surprised to hear that we can – despite the presence of elephants – explore the habitat on foot. The region’s pachyderms are notoriously docile, but we’ll nonetheless be accompanied by an armed ranger, who is also likely to know where to find many of our target birds! That list of possibilities is both vast and thrilling: Violet Turaco, Gray-headed and Malachite Kingfishers, Red-throated and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, four species of rollers (Purple, Blue-bellied, Abyssinian, Broad-billed), Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Bearded Barbet, Fine-spotted Woodpecker, Sun Lark, Snowy- and White-crowned Robin-Chats, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Senegal Eremomela, various cisticolas and apalises, Oriole Warbler, multiple bushshrikes, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, six species of firefinch and many others. And all that’s before we check watery/open areas for waders (Forbes’s Plover, Hamerkop, storks, ibises) and the skies for raptors (vultures, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Bateleur, Grasshopper and Red-necked Buzzards). We’ll also undertake at least one bout of night-birding for Grayish Eagle-Owl, African Scops-Owl, and Long-tailed and Standard-winged Nightjars, the last with bizarre ‘flags’ extending off the back of the wing. Day lists can exceed 100 species, so there will never be a shortage of excitement. While mammals aren’t as prevalent in Mole as they are in Eastern or Southern Africa, we could, beyond African Elephant, encounter antelope in the forms of Waterbuck, Kob or Bushbuck.
Day 14: Egyptian Plover, internal flight, and international departures
We’ll depart Mole on this final morning and head toward Tamale, from where we’ll catch a mid-afternoon flight to Accra. En route, we’ll detour to the shores of the White Volga River and search for our final prize – Egyptian Plover! Stunning while standing, the beautiful bird reveals a striking wing pattern when it takes to the air. Intersecting this stunning monotypic family will be the perfect finale to our Ghana adventure. Once we’ve secured it, we’ll head to the airport for the 50-odd minute flight to the capital. Most flights from Accra to the US leave ~10pm so we’ll have plenty of time to make those international connections.
The extension focuses on the forested hills of Atewa. As well as having a nearly full complement of lowland rainforest birds, there are also some special species on the ridgetop hill forest. To reach the higher elevations, we spend the day making a strenuous climb up and strolling back at a leisurely pace, and so this has been offered as an extension, so only those who feel able to do this can opt in. Atewa holds over 300 bird species, due to the diversity of forest types available at different elevations. Scarcer species we hope to find that are difficult on the main tour include Blue-moustached Bee-eater, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Lowland Akalat, Nimba Flycatcher, and Lowland Sooty Boubou. Other possibilities include a full complement of five species of illadopsis, Fraser’s Sunbird, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Green Twinspot, Western Nicator, Chestnut Wattle-eye, and the strange Long-tailed Hawk. If you can do the extra walking, and wish to maximize your Ghana birding experience, this extension is a must!
Day 1: Arrival in Accra. Afternoon visit to Shai Hills
Day 2: Drive to Atewa area. Afternoon birding in secondary habitat
Day 3: Atewa Hills. Full day’s hiking and birding
Day 4: Drive to Accra in morning. Arrival day of main tour
PACE: Moderate to intense. This is a fast-paced tour in which most of the time is spent in the field. The sun rises at about 6:00am, and we often have reasonably long drives to reach the birding sites from our accommodation, so there will be a lot of early mornings. The 12-hour days near the equator mean that days are not extremely long. Almost all our meals are taken in restaurants. There are a couple of long drives on this tour, especially on days 9 and 12, when the drive may take as long as 10 hours. Most roads are good, but the roads in and around Mole NP are dusty and bumpy. There will be down time at the hotel in the middle of the day on a few days, but most days of this tour are spent entirely in the field.
PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY: Birding will be done on foot throughout this trip, but the walking is mostly easy. There is one moderately demanding hike for the Picathartes that takes around 90 minutes at a slow pace. There is a long and fairly difficult walk on the Atewa Hills extension, when the whole day will be spent hiking. The entire trip will be spent at low elevation.
CLIMATE: The toughest part of this trip is the climate, being hot and humid in the southern rainforest areas and hot and dry in the north of Ghana. It’s a heavy, humid heat in the south and a scorching, dry heat farther north. Early mornings can be in the 70’s but clients should be ready for 90°+F and high humidity. Our bus and almost all of our lodges (but not every single one) are air-conditioned. There is a chance of rain at this time of year, though usually it is concentrated in short heavy bursts that should not interrupt birding much.
ACCOMMODATION: Mostly moderate and improving each year. While Ghana is an established birding destination, the hotel/lodge infrastructure doesn’t compare to Southern (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana) or Eastern (Kenya, Tanzania) Africa. All lodgings except Picathartes Guest House have air conditioning; please see Day 9 above for clarification on that point. In general, the food and accommodations are of a high standard compared to the rest of West Africa. The food is limited in scope, Ankasa being a very notable exception. Otherwise, it’s like what one would find in small-town-USA: burgers, roasted/fried chicken/fish, pizza, sandwiches, fried rice, pasta, etc. The local cuisine offers a nice smack of heat for those who like spice. Sometimes, hot water is not available at Mole NP, but the climate is hot and humid, so most people do not miss it. All accommodations have private en-suite facilities, and most have 24h electricity, though power cuts are common.
PHOTOGRAPHY: This is a birding tour, and Ghana is a challenging place for photography, but there are some opportunities for photography. There is a lot of hunting, so birds are wary of humans. The rainforest, with a tall canopy, and thick understory, is an inherently difficult environment for photography. With that said, Ghana is among the best places in the challenging west African forest biome for photography, especially from the Kakum canopy walkway. Photography in the savannah of the north is much easier than in the southern rainforest.
Extra notes:
The forest birding requires patience. There’s a lot of listening and waiting, but that’s the only way to see many of the shy, West African specialties which this departure seeks. Even with a laser and a scope, good binocular skills are required because we’re often looking at small birds in tall trees.
Biting insects are surprisingly uncommon. Clients should take the necessary precautions (anti-malarials, long sleeves, repellent), but they should know mosquitos aren’t a major issue on this departure.
The Ghanaian people are fantastic. It can be awkward walking through impoverished communities with bins, a scope, and a camera, but locals are always friendly. Fortunately, persistent or aggressive engagement is not an issue.
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: A valid passport is required; the passport must be valid for at least six months past your intended stay. A visa is required. Currently, 3-month tourist visas can be obtained upon arrival for citizens of the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and most European countries. The visa costs $50. A visa can also be obtained beforehand through an embassy or consulate. Travel requirements are subject to change, and it is a good idea to double-check your entry requirements at least six weeks before you travel; contact the nearest embassy or consulate, or ask our office staff for help.
WHAT’S INCLUDED?: Tips to local guides, drivers, and lodge staff; accommodation from the night of day 1 to the night of day 13; meals from dinner on day 1 (unless you arrive too late for dinner service) to breakfast on day 14; reasonable non-alcoholic drinks during meals; safe drinking water between meals; birding with a camera tour leader with audio playback gear from the afternoon of day 1 to the evening of day 13; one arrival and one departure airport transfer per person (transfers may be shared with other participants of the same tour if they arrive at the same time); ground transport for the group to all sites in the itinerary in suitable vehicle(s) with local driver(s); entrance fees and local guide fees for all the sites mentioned in the itinerary; a printed and bound checklist (given to you at the start of the tour – only electronic copies can be provided in advance).
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?: Optional tips to the tour leader; tips for luggage porters (if you require their services); snacks; additional drinks apart from those included; alcoholic beverages; travel insurance; excursions not included in the tour itinerary; extras in hotels such as laundry service, minibar, room service, telephone calls, and personal items; medical fees; other items or services not specifically mentioned as being included.
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