Bird Safari on the Gold Coast
Ghana, 16 days (14 full birding days)


Ghana is your dreams come true! Our Bird Safari to Ghana offers superb birding opportunities in the Gold Coast of West Africa, with sunshine, fantastic scenery, extremely friendly people, abundant wildlife and hundreds of exotic butterfly and bird species. The trip explores many superb habitats from the coastal wetlands of Sakumono Lagoon and Panbros Saltpans, through lush broad-leaved Upper Guinea forests at Kakum and Bobiri, and the dry savanna of the Sahel at Mole. Sought-after species found here include White-necked Picathartes, Congo Serpent-Eagle, Black Bee-eater, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Standard-winged Nightjar and Blue Cuckoo-Shrike. In addition, Mole offers a good variety of African savannah mammals including African Elephant. It is the most secure country of the region, due to the extreme friendliness and goodwill of its people and the political stability over the last decades. The relatively fast development of its infrastructure and the fact that English is spoken everywhere makes this country an excellent choice for your African birding holiday.
This longer itinerary includes an extra day with a visit to Atewa Mountains, home of the rare Blue-headed Bee-eater and many other forest specialities.

Day 1
You arrive in the evening to Accra, the capital of Ghana where your meet your Ecotours guide. We transfer to the hotel.
Accommodation: Accra

Day 2
Starting our tour from Accra, we head west visiting Panbros coastal salt lagoons. This is the area for many wintering waders, closely viewed alongside Black and Western Reef-Heron, Pied Kingfisher, also White-throated Bee-eater, Croaking and Black-backed Cisticola. On the way to Cape Coast we spend some time on the Winneba Plains to look for Lizard Buzzard, Wattled Lapwing, Green Turaco, Plain-backed Pipit and for the rare Black-bellied Bustard. In the picturesque Lilypond nearby we may be rewarded with close views of African Pygmy Goose, African Jacana and the jewelled Malachite Kingfisher. Late afternoon we arrive to Hans Cottage, a hotel with its own lake and a colourful wildlife.
Accommodation: Hans Cottage Hotel near Kakum

Days 3-5
We spend three days in Kakum National Park, which conserves important primary and secondary Upper Guinea forest. Here, from the world famous Kakum Canopy Walkway Blue Cuckoo-shrike, Chestnut-bellied Helmet-shrike, Grey and Red-fronted Parrots, Black-casqued and Brown-cheeked Hornbills, White-headed Wood-hoopoe and Great Blue Turaco might be seen. Tree platforms provide a fabulous vista over the forest, ideal for raptor watching: Cassin's Hawk-Eagle, Red-chested Goshawk and African Harrier-hawk are all possible. Walking on the trails of Antwikwa we might encounter the sought-after Black Bee-eater, Piping Hornbill, Brown-necked Parrot, Preuss’ Weaver and Ussher’s Flycatcher among many others. We will also visit nearby coastal grasslands, woodlands, mangroves and wetlands, and observe the abundant wildlife including Preuss’s Cliff Swallow.
Accommodation: Hans Cottage Hotel near Kakum

Day 6
After a morning birding in the Kakum area, we drive to Assin Fosu, the site of the enigmatic Yellow-necked Picathartes. In the afternoon we walk in the hilly rain forest to search for these sough-after and rare birds arriving back to their nests before dark.
Accommodation: Assin Fosu

Day 7
In the morning we visit the Aboabo section of Kakum, an open forest with some remnant large trees. It is a good place to see Long-tailed Hawk, Blue-headed Wood-Dove, Black and Red-billed Dwarf Hornbills, Yellow-billed Turaco, a nice array of greenbuls including Red-tailed Greenbul and Grey-headed Bristlebill, the tiny Tit-Hylia, flycatchers, sunbirds and malimbes among others. Then we drive north to Kumasi. Near here we visit Owabi Sanctuary where we search for the elusive African Finfoot and Giant Kingfisher on the small reservoir.
Accommodation: Kumasi

Day 8
We travel far to Mole National Park in the Guinea Savannah Belt. The scenery changes dramatically, the broad-leaved woodland zone is much less humid. En route we stop to see Grasshopper Buzzard, Abyssinian, Blue-bellied and Rufous-crowned Rollers perched atop the roadside trees. In the evening we reach our fine hotel inside the park.
Accommodation: Mole Hotel, on an escarpment overlooking a waterhole inside the National Park

Days 9-11
We spend 3 full days in Mole where we expect to find Spur-winged Goose, Hadada Ibis, Hamerkop, Saddle-billed Stork, Stone Partridge, Violet Turaco, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Greyish Eagle-Owl, Red-throated Bee-eater, Blue-breasted and Grey-headed Kingfisher, Black Flycatcher, Snowy-crowned and White-crowned Robin-Chat, Oriole Warbler, White Helmet-shrike and several iridescent sunbird and glossy starling species. This is also a great place for raptors including Bateleur, Lizard Buzzard, Martial Eagle and White-backed and White-headed Vulture. The afternoons are rest periods which can be spent by the pool, whilst observing the animals at the waterholes. Warthogs graze on the lawns, Olive Baboons and Patas Monkeys troop by and Elephants bathe below. On one evening we search for the incredible Standard-winged Nightjar and owls. We also visit the local village of Larabanga and its famous ‘Stick Mosque’.
Accommodation: Mole Hotel, on an escarpment overlooking a waterhole inside the National Park

Day 12
We depart Mole after a final early morning birding and head south to Kumasi. We stop en route to look for Dark-chanting Goshawk, Speckled Pigeon and Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark. We also pay a short visit to the Kintampo Waterfall on the way.
Accommodation: Kumasi

Day 13
Just East of Kumasi lies Bobiri Forest Reserve famous for its abundance of butterflies and birds. We spend a morning with birding along the forest paths of Bobiri, looking for specialities including Narina Trogon, Blue-throated Roller, White-crested Hornbill and Shining Drongo. In the afternoon we drive to the Atewa mountain range where the logged forest holds Yellowbill, Black-and-White Flycatcher and White-breasted Negrofinch.
Accommodation: Atewa

Day 14
We spend the morning in the northern Atewa mountain range that is the only place to find Blue-headed Bee-eater in Ghana. Other species here may include Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Turaco, Yellow-spotted and Hairy-breasted Barbet, Grey Longbill, Spotted Greenbul, Western Black-headed Oriole and West African Batis.
In the afternoon we return to Accra visiting Aburi Botanical Gardens on the way where we may find Purple Glossy-Starling, Chestnut-winged Starling and Heuglin’s Masked Weaver.
Accommodation: Accra

Day 15
We make a trip to the dry open savannah of the Shai Hills Reserve. Rufous-crowned and Blue-bellied Roller, Senegal Parrot, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Vieillot’s Barbet, Piapiac and Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike can be seen here. In the afternoon we might pay another visit to Sakumono Lagoon for an array of waterbirds including Black Heron, African Spoonbill and Royal Tern as well as Yellow-throated Longclaw in the accompanying grasslands. We have an evening flight back to the UK.

Day 16
We arrive back to the UK in the morning.