16 Day Birding Tour in Senegal: Explore Sahelian Avifauna

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Senegal
1 stop
1
Dakar
Arrival at Blaise Diagne Airport (DSS) we drive to Thies where we have dinner and accommodation.
45 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Northbound Journey – Thiès to Podor via Kebemer and Richard Toll
1 stop
2
We drive North with a stop in Kebemer where we try local specialties such as Chestnut-bellied Starlings, White-rumped Seedeaters, etc. and our lunch is at Richard Toll. After lunch we are going in search for Sudan Golden Sparrows and Senegal Batis and later afternoon we drive to Podor.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 3
Birding in Podor
1 stop
3
We spend our morning in Podor to see Cricket Warblers, Fulvous Babbler, Norther Wheatears, Abyssinian Rollers and European Turtle Doves.
7 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Birding in Djoudj
1 stop
4
Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary
We travel to Djoudj and along the way we can see Orange-breasted Waxbills, Quailfinches, River Prinia and Winding Cisticola, along with a good selection of waterbirds. After lunch we go at Grand Lac (Le lac de Guiers), where we can see Lesser Flamingos sometimes mixed with Greater Flamingos.
8 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 5
Birding at Bango-Marigots
1 stop
5
Saint-Louis
We start with the nearby wetlands where we can see numerous Palearctic waders plus lots of Eurasian Spoonbills. We can also see African Spoonbill, White Pelicans, Pink-backed Pelicans and many other waterbirds. Afternoon we set off inland towards the Marigots where we can see Double-spurred Francolins, African Pygmy Geese, African Swamphens, ‘Iberian’ Yellow Wagtails and Winding Cisticolas
7 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Birding in Saint Louis
1 stop
6
Saint-Louis
We spent the next morning in the St. Louis area, and we shall see West African Crested Terns, Caspian, Sandwich and Gull-billed Terns, Slender-billed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed, Mediterranean Gull, etc. In the afternoon we return to the Marigots to try Orange-breasted Waxbills, Greater Swamp Warblers.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 7
Scenic birding and journey to Kaolack
1 stop
7
Kaolack
After breakfast the next day we start our journey south towards Kaolack via Touba. On the way we can see Egyptian Vulture, Mottled Spinetails, Mosque Swallows, Green-winged Pytillia. After lunch in Touba we continue our road with a couple of short stops as we continued towards Kaolack to see Speckle-fronted Weavers, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, Pygmy Sunbirds and both Western Subalpine and Bonelli’s Warblers, Singing Bushlarks, Desert Cisticolas, Savile’s Bustard, Quail-Plovers
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 8
Travel to Kedougou
1 stop
8
Kedougou
We drive to Kedougou, near the Guinea border in far southeast Senegal. We begin though with a visit to the outskirts of Kaolack in the hope that Scissor-tailed Kites might appear as they departed from their roost in the Saloum Delta. On the way towards Tambacounda (where we have lunch) we can see Piapiac and Red-necked Falcon, Scissor-tailed Kites. When having lunch, we can see Brown Babblers and Purple Starlings.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 9
Birding in Kedougou
1 stop
9
Kedougou
Our first morning in the Kedougou area we are exploring the escarpment to the east and we can easily see Martial Eagles, Gosling’s Buntings, African Blue Flycatcher, Snowy-crowned Robin Chats, Sahel Bush Sparrows (as Bush Petronia is now known) but. In the afternoon we drive west of Kedougou and go in search of Sun Larks, Finespotted Woodpeckers, Heuglin’s Masked Weavers, Red-throated Bee-eaters and Grey-headed Kingfisher.
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 10
Dindefelo
1 stop
10
Reserve Naturelle Communautaire de Dindefelo
After breakfast, we take our way to Dindefelo and we have a couple of roadside stops to try Bronze-tailed Starling, Dorst’s Cisticola, Violet Turacos, etc. Once at Dindefelo we go to look for Black-bellied Firefinches and we can also see Orange-cheeked Waxbills and White-crowned Robin-Chats. The rest of the morning will be spent along the wooded Cascade Trail where we can see Wilcock’s Honeyguide, Green-headed before making our way back towards the village for lunch. We have several stops on the return journey to Kedougou and we can see Black-faced Firefinches, Orange-cheeked Waxbills, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleus, Bronze-winged Courser Stone Partridges.
8 minutes • Admission ticket included
Day 11
Escarpment Birding and Transfer to Wassadou via Niokolo Koba NP
1 stop
11
A final morning in the Kedougou area will be focused on the escarpment near Fongolimbi once more but with a stop en route to see Fox Kestrels, Northern’ Red-headed Weavers and Senegal Eremomelas. After picking up our bags in Kedougou (and picknick lunch) we travel back north through Niokolo Koba NP to our next base on the Gambia River at Wassadou,
8 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 12
Birding in Wassadou
1 stop
12
The two days will be spent on the river, with one morning and one evening trip on the small lodge boat, or along the trails and we can Adamawa Turtle Doves, European Turtle Dove, Egyptian Plovers and African Finfoots as well as Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, Giant Kingfishers and many others including plenty of Senegal Thick-knees, African Wattled Lapwings, White-backed Night Heron.
7 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 13
Birding in Wassadou
1 stop
13
As day 12, we spend another day in Wassadou and we can add species like Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, Giant Kingfishers and many others including plenty of Senegal Thick-knees, African Wattled Lapwings.
2 days • Admission ticket free
Day 14
Travel to Coast
1 stop
14
Parc National du Delta du Saloum
: After a final night at Wassadou we have a long drive towards the coast. On the way we can see Lesser Blue-eared Starling, Paradise-whydahs, Tawny Eagle, African Hawk Eagle and Brown Snake Eagle, Red-necked Falcon, Verreaux’s Eagle Owls.
8 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 15
Birding in Delta du Saloum and driving to Dakar
1 stop
15
Parc National du Delta du Saloum
The Saloum Delta is dominated by marine habitat, mangroves and saltwater vegetation as well as river islands. Very early in the morning, we have a boat to discover the mangrove-lined streams and mud banks of the Saloum Delta, where wintering shorebirds are Caspian and Gull-billed Terns. On the Senegambia coast we can also observe Ospreys. In the afternoon we will visit Sandicoly where we can see Yellow-throated Leafloves, Black-necked Weavers; Later in the afternoon we will head to Dakar (230km/ 4 heaures).
8 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 16
Birding at Technopole and drive to the airport
1 stop
16
Dakar
Breakfast is served at 7:30 am and at 8:00 am we go to Technopole (30 minutes) for a morning bird watching. Technopole is a green and humid area inside the capital Dakar, consisting of a freshwater area and terrestrial shrubs. After lunch we visit the African Renaissance Monument and the handicraft shops before heading to the airport. END
8 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible

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