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general area was inhabited by iron-age peoples from 900 AD, who were even trading with the East at that time. The park is divided into eastern and western sections, with the eastern section dominated by spectacular orange sandstone formations, while the west has some spectacular gallery forest along the banks of the Limpopo River. Birds we will be on the lookout for include Meyer’s Parrot, Tropical Boubou, Meves’s Starling, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Monotonous Lark, Kori Bustard, Temminck’s and Three-banded Coursers, Freckled Nightjar and Southern White-faced Scops-Owl. Mammals in the national park include Elephant, Lion, Giraffe, Klipspringer, the desert-adapted Gemsbok and Eland and, if we are lucky, the scare African Wild Dog. We have two nights at Leokwe Camp, and spend our time out on morning and afternoon game drives, interspersed with some rest and relaxation in the camp. Days 10 to 12 Moving on from Mapungubwe we cross over the Limpopo at Pontdrift Border Post and head into the Northern Tuli Game Reserve in Botswana, one of the most spectacular of Southern Africa’s wildlife regions. We have three nights at Mashatu Tented Camp which adds up to a relaxed but species-rich birding experience. We partake in open-vehicle game drives which take us along the river, where the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl is known to occur, as well as into the arid hinterland away from the river. Other birds we can look for include Three-banded and Bronze-winged Coursers, Bateleur, Kori Bustard, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Verreaux’s Eagle, Yellow-bellied Eremomela and Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater. The mammal component is equally interesting and we can look out for Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Bat-eared and Cape Foxes, African Wild Cat, Aardwolf, Brown Hyena plus small mammals such as Lesser Bushbaby, Banded Mongoose, Springhare and Large-spotted Genet. With the lunar-like weathered sandstone formations, primordial Baobabs and incredible wildlife, this should be the cherry-on-the-top experience of this fantastic safari. Day 13 After some final bird watching at Mashatu we head back across the Limpopo and we bid farewell to Kipling’s river. We drive through the city of Polokwane, our last port-of-call for the tour and if time allows in the afternoon we can drive through the Polokwane Nature Reserve, best known as one of the bests spots for finding Short-clawed Lark, while the arid busveld habitat holds a plethora of exciting bird species, such as Crimson-breasted Shrike, Violet-eared and Black-cheeked Waxbills, Green Wood-hoopoe, Acacia Pied Barbet and many others. There’s also a wide range of antelope to be seen in the reserve, including Tsessebe, Red Hartebeest, Roan and Sable. Days 14 & 15 After breakfast we plan on a last few birding sessions before the tour comes to an end. We may have time for another visit to the Polokwane Nature Reserve, in case the Short-clawed Lark eluded us the previous day, while the Zaagkuisdrift Road can provide several hours of birding. Later we drive to the airport where we catch our flight to London, which arrives the following morning. Southern Ground Hornbill Outline Itinerary Day 1 Depart London Day 2 Magoebaskloof, Days 3-4 Letaba, Kruger National Park Days 5-7 Punda Maria, Kruger National Park Days 8-9 Mapungubwe National Park Days 10-12 Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana Day 13 Polokwane Day 14 Depart Johannesburg Day 15 Arrive London Party Size Maximum of 12 clients (two leaders with more than six clients). Accommodation Comfortable accommodation in twin/double and single rooms, with private facilities in lodges, hotels and National Park restcamps. Transport By minibus. S O U T H A F R I C A & B O T S W A N A Crested Guineafowl Includes All flights, meals, accommodation, transport, entry fees, services of the leaders, airport taxes and tips. Gradings Good/Tented 300 Warm Moderate Special Moderate Good Easy Scheduled Bateleur To make a booking please call Ornitholidays on 01794 519445 47
TA N Z A N I A Tanzania – Photographic Tour Rift Valley, Crater & Plains Saturday 08 February – Sunday 23 February 2014 Leaders: Richard Coomber and local guides 2014 Cost: £5,399 single room supplement £500 Thursday 05 March – Friday 20 March 2015 Leaders: Paul Rogers and local guides 2015 Cost: £5,599 single room supplement £520 Lake Victoria Serengeti National Park Kilimanjaro Ngorongoro Arusha Crater Lake Manyara Tarangire National Park TANZANIA he Ngorongoro Crater, the plains of the Serengeti, Lake Manyara and snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro – T these are all well known areas, frequently seen on wildlife programmes and dreamed about since childhood stories of adventures in darkest Africa. We have already visited this country at least a dozen times, and now it’s your chance to see all of these sites at first-hand. Few areas of East Africa can surpass Tanzania for grandeur of scenery, variety of mammals and spectacular birdlife. The Serengeti has the greatest concentration of large mammals on Earth – perhaps in excess of two million. It is likely that we shall encounter Lion, Cheetah, Leopard and Black Rhinoceros during our visit, as well as about 40 other species. The Wildebeest should be migrating in vast herds, accompanied by their attendant predators, and this tour has been designed to give us the best chance of finding these vast herds. Overhead fly squadrons of vultures, while Bateleurs plane for mile upon mile looking for prey. Vast Kori Bustards display like exploding powder puffs, while diminutive sunbirds bustle from one brightly coloured flower to another, as they search for nectar. We visit a wide variety of habitats to ensure a good diversity of birds and game – from the dry acacia woodland of Tarangire and the dramatic cliffs of the Rift Valley to the vast open plains of the Serengeti. This tour is a birdwatcher’s dream and the opportunities for photography will be fantastic. We visit Tanzania in “High Season” when the game viewing should be at its best and there should be many birds that are winter visitors to the area. Tanzania can still give you the thrill of the really wild East Africa – visit it now. ITINERARY Days 1 to 4 We leave London in the evening on our scheduled flight to Kilimanjaro, via Nairobi. We meet our transport at the airport and drive through superb scenery to Tarangire where we stay for the next three nights. Tarangire National Park has a mixture of habitats, which we can explore during our time here: there is the dry, open acacia woodland beloved by rollers, beeeaters and shrikes, where Secretarybirds stalk through the long grass and between the spiky shrubs looking for a small lizard or snake. The common birds here include Black-winged Kite, White-backed Vulture, Bateleur, Tawny Eagle, Helmeted Guineafowl, Blacksmith Plover, Laughing Dove, Speckled Mousebird, Lilacbreasted Roller, Common Bulbul, Common Fiscal, Grey-headed Sparrow and Red-billed Quelea. Giant baobabs stand as though planted upside down, and the grassy areas often hold secretive pairs of Heuglin’s Coursers. Spotflanked, D’Arnaud’s and White-headed Barbets all occur here, together with Brown and Orangebellied Parrots. The areas of open water and swamp around the Tarangire River hold Hamerkop, African Darter, Goliath Heron, African Spoonbill and Three-banded Plover. An endemic speciality of the area is the Ashy Starling. Game will be common and we can hope to see herds of Elephant, together with Giraffe, Waterbuck and the delightful Kirk’s Dikdik. Bronze Sunbird Days 5 & 6 We leave Tarangire, and travel to Kirurumu Camp, overlooking Lake Manyara, where we stay for two nights. This tented camp has a small drinking pool next to the dining tables and we can look for Cut-throat Finch and Green-winged Pytilia amongst a host of other birds and small mammals that come to bathe and refresh themselves. We shall also visit the lake itself looking for Silvery-cheeked Hornbills and Syke’s Monkey, both Lesser and Greater Flamingos, White and Pink-backed Pelicans, and perhaps finding the famous tree climbing lions. The lakeside is often teeming with waterbirds and we can spend some time here identifying the many storks, herons, egrets, waders and ducks. 48 For a previous tour report or further information please call: 01794 519445
Page 1 and 2: ORNITHOLIDAYS 2014 49 Our Forty-Nin
Page 3 and 4: 49 Our Forty-Ninth Year ORNITHOLIDA
Page 5 and 6: I S O R N I T H O L I D AY S R I G
Page 7 and 8: L AT E 2 0 1 3 T O U R S Summary of
Page 9 and 10: T O U R G R A D I N G Tour Grading
Page 11 and 12: G R E E N TA X E S A N D C A R B O
Page 13 and 14: Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA
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Page 25 and 26: M E X I C O Mexico Western Mexican
Page 27 and 28: C O S TA R I C A Costa Rica Classic
Page 29 and 30: C U B A Cuba Endemic Birds & Winter
Page 31 and 32: T R I N I D A D & T O B A G O Trini
Page 33 and 34: S T LU C I A St Lucia at Leisure Pi
Page 35 and 36: G U YA N A Guyana Rainforests, Wate
Page 37 and 38: C O LO M B I A Colombia Birding’s
Page 39 and 40: B R A Z I L Brazil Atlantic Forest
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Page 43 and 44: E C U A D O R Ecuador Tumbesian & A
Page 45 and 46: Waterhole at Etosha, Namibia
Page 47 and 48: S O U T H A F R I C A South Africa
Page 49: S O U T H A F R I C A & B O T S W A
Page 53 and 54: G H A N A Ghana In search of Picath
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Page 57 and 58: U G A N D A Uganda Birds & Primates
Page 59 and 60: N A M I B I A Namibia Etosha & the
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Page 67 and 68: M O R O C C O Morocco Atlantic Coas
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Page 71 and 72: J O R D A N Jordan Birds & History
Page 73 and 74: K U W A I T Kuwait Birding in the G
Page 75 and 76: I N D I A India - Goa Birds, Beache
Page 77 and 78: S R I L A N K A Sri Lanka Teardrop
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Page 83 and 84: B H U TA N Bhutan Birds & Buddhism
Page 85 and 86: N E PA L Nepal Chitwan, Koshi & Phu
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S PA I N Spain - Coto Doñana & Sie
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S PA I N Spain - The Canary Islands
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S PA I N Spain - Coto Doñana & Ext
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S PA I N Spain - The Island of Meno
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S PA I N Spain - Southern Catalonia
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S PA I N Spain - Catalonia - Photog
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S PA I N Spain - The Pyrenees Monta
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S PA I N Spain - Tarifa & Coto Doñ
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S PA I N Spain - Aragon Cranes, Lam
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P O R T U G A L Portugal at Leisure
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P O R T U G A L Portugal at Leisure
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I TA LY - S I C I LY Italy - Sicily
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I TA LY Italy Po Delta Po Delta Pal
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I TA LY Italy at Leisure Birds & Wi
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F R A N C E France - Wallcreeper To
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F R A N C E France - The Camargue,
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N E T H E R L A N D S Netherlands W
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I C E L A N D Iceland Winter Wonder
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I C E L A N D Iceland Land of Ice &
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T U R K E Y Turkey Turkish Delight
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B E L A R U S Belarus Europe’s La
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F I N L A N D Finland Owls, Woodpec
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H U N G A R Y Hungary Spring Tour S
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H U N G A R Y Hungary at Leisure Cr
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R O M A N I A Romania Danube Delta
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B U L G A R I A Bulgaria at Leisure
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O U R T E A M O F L E A D E R S Our
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O U R T E A M O F L E A D E R S Blu
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C A L E N D A R Calendar 2014 JANUA
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C O N D I T I O N S O F B O O K I N
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C O N D I T I O N S O F B O O K I N
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ORNITHOLIDAYS 29 Straight Mile Roms
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