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Rockrunner African Elephants N A M I B I A Outline Itinerary Day 1 Depart London Day 2 Windhoek Days 3-4 Sossusvlei Days 5-6 Swakopmund Days 7-8 Damaraland Days 9-10 Okaukeujo Resort, Etosha National Park Days 11-12 Mushara Lodge, Etosha National Park Day 13 Erongo Day 14 Depart Windhoek Day 15 Arrive London Party Size Maximum of eight clients. from the Palearctic as well as holding local species. The gravel plains hold the endemic Gray’s Lark and the almost white ‘desert’ form of Tractrac Chat. Days 7 & 8 We depart after breakfast, visiting Swakopmund Saltworks and the nearby lichen fields before heading into the Damaraland region of northwestern Namibia. Inland we pass Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg, which peaks at 2,573 m and take time to bird watch and absorb the vastness of the scenery along the way. Damaraland is typified by displays of colour, magnificent table-topped mountains, rock formations and bizarre-looking vegetation. Birds to see in the Damaraland region include White-tailed Shrike, Carp’s Tit, Burchell’s Starling, Chestnut Weaver, Violet Wood-hoopoe and perhaps Hartlaub’s Spurfowl. The next day, after an early breakfast, we take an exciting 4x4 excursion along the ephemeral Aba Huab River valley to explore this remarkable region and to search for game, including the elusive desert-adapted Elephants, if they are in the area. Later we can have a picnic lunch under the shade of a large Ana Tree – ideally watching a herd of elephant browsing nearby. Later we can visit the nearby attractions and geological sites of Twyfelfontein rock engravings (recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes. Days 9 & 10 After breakfast we make our way east, via Khorixas and Outjo, to Etosha National Park where we stay for two nights at Okaukuejo Resort, stopping off to visit the Petrified Forest along the way. We can take a game drive to nearby waterholes before reaching the camp by sunset. This evening we can relax by Okaukuejo’s excellent floodlit waterhole where game comes and goes throughout the night. The park consists of grassland, woodland and savannah and boasts some 114 mammal and over 340 bird species. Wildlife that we might see includes African Elephant, Lion, Giraffe, Blue Wildebeest, Eland, Kudu, Oryx (Gemsbok), Zebra, both Black and White Rhinoceros, Cheetah, Leopard, Spotted Hyena, Honey Badger and Warthog, as well as the endemic Black-faced Impala. Birds to see in Etosha include Crimsonbreasted Shrike, Southern Pied Babbler, Rufous-eared Warbler, Red-necked Falcon, Stark’s Lark, Double-banded Sandgrouse, Spotted and Verreaux’s Eagle-Owls, Pearl-spotted Owlet, African Pygmy-Falcon, Barred Wren-Warbler, Violeteared Waxbill and Shaft-tailed Whydah, among others. Our second day is spent on game drives within Etosha National Park, looking at the amazing array of birds and animals. As we are inside Etosha National Park we have the freedom to game drive and return to Okaukeujo for lunch and a siesta before going out during the late afternoon. Days 11 & 12 Today we game drive our way across the park in an easterly direction to arrive at Mushara Bush Camp in the afternoon, visiting more waterholes en route. Lunch is taken at Halali Rest Camp. On arrival at Mushara we can explore the area around the camp. The next day we have a full day of exciting game viewing within the eastern section of Etosha National Park. Sandy scrub areas nearby are frequented by Rufous-naped, Fawn-coloured and Monotonous Larks, while Meyer’s Parrot may also be in this area as well as the scarce Black-faced Babbler. White-headed Vulture, Tawny Eagle, Bateleur, Gabar Goshawk and Secretarybird should also be seen. We also have a chance of seeing Leopard here, as well as perhaps Cheetah. Day 13 After breakfast we make our way to the Erongo Mountains, stopping off to visit the Lake Otjikoto along the way. During the afternoon we arrive at Erongo Wilderness Lodge, located at the base of the granite formations, near the Erongo Mountains. Here we can enjoy the welcoming atmosphere and superb accommodation. We can look for Ruppell’s Parrot, White-tailed Shrike and Short-toed Rock- Thrush, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Violet Wood-hoopoe, Rockrunner and Damara Hornbill, among others. The late afternoon game drive will be a great finalé to a superb tour and on our return for dinner Freckled Nightjars should be calling. Days 14 & 15 In the early morning we can look for Hartlaub’s Spurfowl. After breakfast we return to Windhoek Airport for our return flight to London (via Jo’burg), where we arrive next day. Accommodation Comfortable accommodation in twin/double and single rooms with private facilities has been arranged at all hotels, lodges and guesthouses. Transport By minibus Includes All flights, meals, accommodation, transport, entry fees, services of the leaders, airport taxes and tips. Gradings Good 210 Cool to Hot Low Special Moderate Excellent Moderate Scheduled Sociable Weavers To make a booking please call Ornitholidays on 01794 519445 57
T H E G A M B I A The Gambia A Taste of West Africa Friday 07 February – Friday 14 February 2014 Leaders: Nigel Jones and local guides 2014 Cost: £1,899 single room supplement £200 Friday 07 November – Friday 21 November 2014 Leaders: Simon Boyes and local guides 2014 Cost: £2,499 single room supplement £260 Banjul Tendaba GAMBIA Georgetown e have two tours to the sun-drenched Gambia, which Ornitholidays has previously visited over 30 times. The one in February is a one-week tour Wbased at the Senegambia Hotel; the other in November is our “standard” two-week tour with a week on the coast and a week up-river. These holidays to The Gambia provide an excellent opportunity to explore the avifauna of a range of different habitats contained within this small West African state. Not only do they provide an exciting introduction to the birds of Africa, but they also provide the chance to see many Western Palearctic breeding species on their wintering ground. The first week of the tours is spent on the coast, where we stay at the Senegambia Hotel. Its beautiful grounds constitute a bird reserve in their own right and provide a first-class introduction to the commoner West African species. The stretch of sandy shore belonging to the hotel provides a chance to observe at least five species of tern, as well as passing gulls and waders. The programme of local excursions will take us to different habitats within the coastal zone from mangrove swamp and estuarine wetland through savannah to rainforest and rice fields. During the second week of the November tour, we move 'up river', staying in two different camps, each located on the banks of the Gambia River. As we travel eastwards, so we encounter drier and more open variants of savannah, which should allow us to see nearly 300 species of bird. One of the beauties of travel to The Gambia is that it is on the same time zone as the UK – therefore there is no jetlag after the six-hour flight. ITINERARY Days 1 to 7 We leave London in the morning by a direct charter flight, arriving at Yundum Airport near Banjul in the late afternoon. We transfer by coach to the Senegambia Hotel for a stay of seven nights. During our time here we shall make various excursions. A lovely introduction to the birds of The Gambia is to explore the grounds of the hotel and its foreshore, as the area holds an astonishing diversity of birds. There will be many sunbirds, doves, weavers and finches to identify, but the most striking bird we should find is the gaudy Yellow-crowned Gonolek. Overhead we may find Broad-billed Rollers, in the shady corners of the gardens there are White-crowned Robin-Chats and noisy Oriole Warblers, while Long-tailed Glossy Starlings are quite common. The hotel feeds Hooded Vultures, so there are always a few present in the grounds. The foreshore holds waders, and passing terns can include Gullbilled, Royal, Caspian, Lesser Crested, Sandwich and Little. The Community Bird Project Reserve at Marakissa is an area of protected woodland, with scattered fields, where we can look for Fanti Saw-wings, Lavender Waxbills and large flocks of Red-cheeked Cordonbleus. Rollers are a feature here, with Abyssinian, Rufous-crowned and Bluebellied all being found. Other birds we may spot include White-crested Helmet Shrike and both Leaflove and Yellow-throated Leaflove. After visiting Marakissa we can take lunch at the River Lodge where we have time to relax and take cool drinks, while we watch Piapiacs coming to slake their thirst. We need to have an early breakfast one day to ensure that we are at Abuko Reserve when the gates are opened. This reserve comprises a small relic of the forest that once prevailed in the coastal zone of The Gambia, together with a savannah extension. It is difficult to single out species for particular mention, so rich is the avifauna. For those impressed by size, there is the Palm-nut Vulture, Black-headed Heron and Hamerkop; but for colour the Green Turaco, Redbellied Paradise-Flycatcher, Abyssinian Roller Northern Red Bishop and Swallow-tailed Bee-eater take a lot of beating. The shady paths provide a welcome escape from the heat and we can wander the tracks looking for Western Bluebill, Ahanta Francolin, Black Crake, Giant Kingfisher, Common Wattle-eye, Little Greenbul and African Thrush. Other animals may include Red Colobus Monkey, Gambian Sun Squirrel, Monitor Lizard and Bell’s Hinged Tortoise. We can visit the Bijillo Forest Reserve where we hope to find Little Bee-eaters, as well as Grey Hornbill, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Tawnyflanked Prinia, Black-crowned Tchagra and Shikra. An afternoon walk near the Fajara Golf Course should provide encounters with such species as Black-headed and Wattled Plovers, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Senegal Coucal, Piapiac, Brown Babbler and Yellow-billed Shrike. The 58 For a previous tour report or further information please call: 01794 519445
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ORNITHOLIDAYS 2014 49 Our Forty-Nin
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49 Our Forty-Ninth Year ORNITHOLIDA
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I S O R N I T H O L I D AY S R I G
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L AT E 2 0 1 3 T O U R S Summary of
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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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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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