March 2nd – Arrival to Dakar International Airport, transfer to our first lodge, a nice hotel on the beach. 

March 3rd – We will do a bit of morning bird photography and then head out to the Koulack area.  This afternoon, we will visit the largest Scissor-tailed Kite colony in the world, with over a thousand birds usually present, also there are usually large numbers of Lesser Kestrels with some Common Kestrels mixed in.  We take a boat on the Saloum River to get to the colony which is located on an island.  It makes for an exciting afternoon of flight photography.  Our hotel here is the Relais de Koulack, a very nice property on the banks of the Saloum River. 

March 4th – This morning, we will go out looking for some difficult birds such as Quail Plover and Black Scrub Robin as well as more common open country species. In this area there is a nice mix of waterbirds on the river and great arid country birds like Sahel Paradise Whydah, Abyssinian Rollers, Bronze-winged Coursers and Black-headed Lapwings.  In the afternoon we will visit the kite and kestrel colony again.  Hotel: Relais de Koulack

March 5th – After breakfast and a bit of bird photography on the grounds, we set off for Nikolo Koba National Park in Southeastern Senegal.  Without stops, it’s a 6-hour journey but we will have some stops for birds and lunch on the way.  We will arrive at our lodge, Hotel Campemente Wassadou on the river in the late afternoon. 

March 6th-8th – We will have 3 full days of photography here.  There are large numbers of Northern Carmine Bee-eaters here and it’s a good location for White-crested Tiger Heron and Egyptian Plover.   This is one of the better spots to find roosting Pel’s Fishing Owl in Africa and while it’s not guaranteed, we have a pretty good chance to see and photograph this amazing bird as well as Golden Nightjar.  We will have 3 game drives, Nikolo Koba is the last stronghold of the Western Giant Eland, we have a chance to see and photograph them as well as Western Roans, Elephants, Lions and other mammals.  Abyssinian Ground Hornbills are often seen on these game drives.  Of course, Hippos and Crocodiles are commonly seen and photographed on the river.  Hotel Campemente Wassadou

March 9th – One more morning of photography at Nikolo Koba and then we will check out and head into Gambia.  After checking in to our lodge we will have a boat trip to visit an island where we will have photo opportunities with Chimpanzees (from the boat), they regularly come down to the water at this location.  It’s also a good trip for hippos, African Fish Eagles, waterbirds and crocodiles.  Kairoh Gardens Lodge

March 10th – This morning, we will visit a quarry with large numbers of Red-throated Bee-eaters, the nearby river is a good location for Egyptian Plover.  Then we will check out and head to Tendaba Camp.   This afternoon we will visit a hide in the forest which is good for Shikra, Greater Honeyguide, Stone Partridge, Lavender Waxbill and other species.  Sometimes Red Colobus Monkeys gather to drink here.  Tendaba Camp

March 11th – We will have a morning boat trip to photograph African Finfoot, Yellow-billed and Woolly-necked Storks, Blue-breasted Kingfishers and other species, then in the afternoon we will visit a blind which usually gets visits from Patas Monkeys, it’s also good for raptors such as African Hawk Eagle and smaller birds such as Purple Glossy Starling.  Tendaba Camp

March 12th – This morning, we will spend some time photographing open country birds such as Abyssinian, Broad-billed and Purple Rollers as well as Pygmy Sunbird and Grasshopper Buzzard, then we will check out and head towards the coast.  This afternoon we will visit a blind which is very good for African Pygmy Kingfisher and other forest species.  Then we will arrive to our hotel on the beach in the late afternoon.  Senegambia Beach Hotel

March 13th and 14th – We will have 2 full days visiting various blinds in the Banjul area.  The birds we should photograph include Violet and Guinea Turacos, Long-tailed Starling, Shikra, Black-rumped and Lavender Waxbills, Blue-breasted and African Pygmy Kingfishers, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, and many more. Walks nearby add a lot of interesting birds such as Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Blue-bellied Rollers, Beautiful, Variable and Copper Sunbirds and a variety of waterbirds.  There are lots of Green Woodhoopoes on the hotel grounds.  Senegambia Beach Hotel

March 15th – We will have a morning photography session at nearby Kotu for Malachite, Pied and Blue-breasted Kingfishers as well as with luck Painted Snipe, then check out and head back into Senegal.  We will have some birding stops on our way to the hotel, which will be a nice hotel on the beach about an hour south of Dakar airport. 

March 16th – Morning transfer to the airport for your return trip home, if you would like to spend another night near the airport in Dakar we can arrange that for you.