Gambia; practical help (1 Viewer)

[colcro]

Gambia bird guides etc

Bird Guides at Kotu Bridge:
In the last few years I have worked with several of these guys to get bins uniforms develop customer care skills (true!) produce a pricing structure of sorts and have a decent place to get out of the sun. There is no doubt that since the wabsa / bga (the Gambia) split the atmosphere at ‘The Office’ at Kotu Bridge has changed. Some of the senior professionals and their trainees now use this place less and less. I came back to the UK in November and a meeting with the Gambia Tourist Authority was due to take place in December. The main aim of this included cutting down on the number of ‘trainees’ whose behaviour does get the pros a bad name. There is a discipline structure re ‘trainees’ and what they can offer in the way of destinations etc. Trips up river have to be sanctioned by his trainer (an established professional) re the trainee’s competence in bird id and his ability to care for the clients. When you are approached by a ‘guide’ always ask them specifically if they are a professional or trainee. They should show id supporting any claim, be sure to check the photo. Lying about your professional status is considered a serious matter by the association. Fines are levied for misdemeanours, but persistent offenders can and are kicked out.
It is important that birders use professional local guides as much as possible. Their income from birding invariably supports the education and medical care for their large extended family. Established bird tour companies and the GamTours monopoly makes it hard for them to get clients apart from recommendation and the internet. If you have a bad experience from one of the guides at Kotu please let me know inc photo of offender if poss.
Money
The uncanny value of the humble Dalasi makes this an expensive country for visitors and Gambians alike. The only Gambian you will see with money on the street is a bush taxi apprentice. Be shy with your cash. Have plenty of £5 notes safe but always keep a couple in your sock as they are the MasterCard of bribes. If you have any trouble at check points, want to get your car on the last Barra ferry then one of these will get what you want…and you don’t have to show them your big roll!
Bumsters and Hassle
Don’t let them get you down…. fight back. The relationship between you and a bumster is set in the second question they ask you.
“Your first time in the Gambia?” reply….
“No I’ve been here many times. I have a Gambian Boss lady.”
Tell them you are married to a Gambian and that she does everything for you and they will soon bugger off.
Kotu Hotels
Bakuto is the best. Bungalow beach has snotty staff. Kombo, ok just avoid the Med buffet. Badala Park, much maligned but, if you need the services of a pimp….
Eats
24/7 Bar and restaurant, on right past Kotu fire station, Excellent cheap beer and food.
Good local atmosphere
The Ritz near Safari Gardens in Fajara great food but sometimes have to wait for it.
Taxis
The prices displayed are ridiculous and you should never have to pay these. Use the local green taxis. Start at a third of the asking price and go up to a half.
Birding Alone
It is possible in any area away from the Kotu / Senegambia tourist trap where you are generally considered to be a walking cash machine. Not so in the bush where you will find the real Gambia….and brilliant birding!

 

[bitterntwisted]

Hi,

Planning a trip in November or early December. Was going to take a package deal to one of the Kotu hotels and arrange a guide in advance for a few days from there, but also want to take a 3 to 5 day trrip up the river. How does this work re accommodation and guide - does the guide arrange the accommodation and run the whole trip or do you have to organise a guide and then book the accommodation (for him as well?)

Thanks,
Graham

 

[Steve G]

Hi,

Planning a trip in November or early December. Was going to take a package deal to one of the Kotu hotels and arrange a guide in advance for a few days from there, but also want to take a 3 to 5 day trrip up the river. How does this work re accommodation and guide - does the guide arrange the accommodation and run the whole trip or do you have to organise a guide and then book the accommodation (for him as well?)

Thanks,
Graham

Hi Graham,

Usually the guide will book the accommodation & organise transport giving you a 'package price' for the whole lot.
Upriver travel is a bit rough & ready & travelling from the Kotu/ Kololi area to Georgetown takes a full day each way so if possible 5 days upriver is better than 3.
Would suggest spending at least 1 whole day & overnight at Tendaba as the local birding is excellent it's worth trying to squeeze in 2 boat trips to Baobolong National Park & a trip into Kiang West.
A couple of years back I travelled from Kuntaur to Georgetown by boat through the River Gambia National park -it was a stunning trip with lots of birds (including Finfoot); if you could organise a similar trip it would be well worthwhile. Check out the Hidden Gambia schedule (it takes a minute or two to load): http://www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/discover_the_river_timetable.asp .The Hidden Gambia home page is: http://www.hiddengambia.com/ -contact details are on the website & the owner lives in the UK (he also owns suitable accommodation on the island).

As a useful resource (& as a possible guide/transport) check out my wee brother's website: http://www.gambianbirds.com/ but turn off the sound!
We managed to take all the bird images displayed on his site over 2 trips totalling 15 days (unfortunately the webpage engineer didn't sharpen the images after re-sizing so they all look soft!!).

Cheers,
Steve

 

[bitterntwisted]

Thanks, Steve, that's a great help. Appreciate there may not be luxury on offer, but how would I ensure the guide books the better accommodation on offer without marking it up too much? I'm not concerned about roughing it but I'm taking my Mum who is in her late sixties?

I'd seen the Hidden Gambia website but found the 'plan your holiday' function quite difficult to navigate and wasn't completely clear how it all worked. Similarly with the Gambia Experience. Both I expect would be easier to deal with by phone. But if I create an itinerary with them then would we get a good guide at a reasonable price through them?

I guess what I'm asking is it an either/or to go through someone like Modou Colley or to use Hidden Gambia?

Thanks again for the help - really excited about this and hope I can pull it together - my Mum's been talking about going since I was very, very young.

Graham

 

[Steve G]

Thanks, Steve, that's a great help. Appreciate there may not be luxury on offer, but how would I ensure the guide books the better accommodation on offer without marking it up too much? I'm not concerned about roughing it but I'm taking my Mum who is in her late sixties?

I'd seen the Hidden Gambia website but found the 'plan your holiday' function quite difficult to navigate and wasn't completely clear how it all worked. Similarly with the Gambia Experience. Both I expect would be easier to deal with by phone. But if I create an itinerary with them then would we get a good guide at a reasonable price through them?

I guess what I'm asking is it an either/or to go through someone like Modou Colley or to use Hidden Gambia?

Thanks again for the help - really excited about this and hope I can pull it together - my Mum's been talking about going since I was very, very young.

Graham

Clearly I'd like to direct you to Modou as he is a friend but I have to say that the Hidden Gambia package has considerable merit. The only problem with the Hidden Gambia is that you have to stay at Bird Safari camp which is a bit rough & ready (& is usually without power) & may not be appreciated by your mum. :eek!:

What birds do you want to see as this will dictate any itinerary?

Whilst Modou isn't the cheapest guide he is certainly honest & will not rip you off. He is a true birder as well as a professional bird guide (he's been birding with me in Speyside!) & is also very passionate about conservation being the main agent & driving force in a tree planting project at Faraba Banta (his home village). There are other guides of great merit such as Lamin Bojang & Yaya Barry but there are also an assortment of hustlers, rip-off merchants & half-wits so chose your guide carefully!

 

[Kalispera]

Hi Graham, I'm not trying to tell you what to do or which package to choose, Steve has given you ideas, BUT, we have hired Yaya Barry the last couple of years.
He gives a price, and that, in our case, was for one week, in 2006 we went to Tendaba, which was a two day excursion. I believe that the road is improving all the time, slowly but surely.
Yaya is a super guide, his driver, Abdullai, is great, and all in all its a tremendous place to go.
Steve has said the birds are incredible, everywhere you go you will be finding new birds on a regular basis.
We have stayed at the Senegambia on two occasions and last year we stayed at the Kombo, Senegambia, better birding, Kombo, better hotel.
Last year we booked a cheap flight, and Yaya booked the Kombo, cheap flights at the moment are a rarity, hoping they get much cheaper nearer November/December.
Hope this helps, if you require anymore details, just say.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Thanks all for the advice so far, everyone. Our holiday is pretty much booked up now through Hidden Gambia... http://www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/gambia_information.asp We've got four days at Footsteps Eco-Lodge near Gunjur... http://www.footstepsgambia.com/ then an eight-day guided up-river trip to Bird Safari Camp near Georgetown...http://www.bsc.gm/ with overnights at Tendaba on the way there and back and a night at the Chimpanzee project....http://www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/chimpanzee_safari.asp At the end we've treated ourselves to the luxury of the Sandele Bay Eco-retreat near Kartong for two days... http://www.sandele.com/

Got a good deal on the flight (£332 each) and the total bill will be under £1,400 each even though we've taken all the options possible including single supplements, which seems a pretty good deal.

I'm a novice at birding abroad, and still need some help in prep. I've been reading Barlow every night to gen up on everything we'll see and using a number of photo sites to test myself (and to get an idea of the most visible species) I also have Rod Ward's Prion birdwatcher's guide and the Gambia travel map. Hidden Gambia are sending the Bradt guide as a freebie. So...
(1) Is there any other recommended reading, or any other web sites with lots of photos for practice?
(2) Is it worth trying to learn calls - I've very good ears in the UK and I got there in Spain after a couple of days with MP3 player in hand and some last-minute revision. But a completely new avifauna may just be too challenging? Or expensive to get the recordings? The Barlow guide accompanying CD is £28... http://www.wildsounds.com/lookup.htm?ref=ABC&prodid=MAND-01
(3) Can anyone advise whether Malcolm Rymer's DVDs, at £51, are essential/optional/overpriced?... http://www.wildlifevideos.net/gambia1_new.html
(4) I've not made any guiding arrangements for the first three days at the coast. I'd like to spend one of them unguided. The first, second, or third day there? And any additional or last-minute guide recommendations to add to those above?

For me it's worth spending a few quid and a few hours on preparation to get the most out of the kind of holiday I will not take often. It also whets the appetite in a way which will make the birding even better when I get there. So where best to spend my cash and time?

Thanks again,
Graham

 

[Steve G]

Hi Graham,

Re Gambian birding resources try these:

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/Gambia/introduction.html
http://www.birdsofthegambia.com/

Gambia bird photographs -> try these:
http://www.pbase.com/wimdegroot/gambia_
http://www.pbase.com/michaelvanbosch/birds_of_the_gambia
http://www.pbase.com/michaelvanbosch/gambia_2008
http://www.pbase.com/okbird/birds_of_the_gambia
http://www.pbase.com/tonbenrob/gambia_trip_2005
http://www.pbase.com/tonbenrob/gambia_trip_dec_2006

Certain bird calls are worth knowing:Hadada Ibis; Pied, Grey & Red-billed Hornbill; The Barbets/Tinkerbirds; The Bulbuls such as Yellow-throated Leaflove, Grey-headed Bristlebill, etc; Cisticolas & (especially) the Bush-Shrikes. I mention these birds as you will be in riverside forest upriver where knowing such calls will be useful. The area at 'Baboon Islands' (where the chimp rehab project is) offers amazing birding & you will probably have access to small pockets of forest that few other birders will have been to.

I have a soft spot for Malcolm Rymer's Gambia DVDs as they do give a good prior idea of what to expect though they are hardly mandatory viewing (my wife detests his narrative with a vengeance!!!! ).

Your last two nights at Sandele being on the expensive side are best appreciated as a quality chillout.

If I'd known you were willing to spend a bit of dosh on quality then I would have suggested Makasutu -stunning place with great birding. It is a luxury lodge which few birders would contemplate BUT the birding is simply stunning!!
I saw an amazing range of great birds including very good views of very 'difficult' species >Mouse-brown Sunbirds come to the lodge waterbowls & perched on chair backs, Green-headed Sunbirds also visited regularly. I saw & photographed Goliath Heron & African Finfoot from our floating lodge verandah! We also had Giant & Blue-bellied Kingfisher from our bedroom, had a White-backed Night-Heron roosting only 15 metres from our lodge & had Broad-billed Rollers, Blue-cheeked, Swallow-tailed & White-throated Bee-eaters hunting overhead. The pool area was amazing & whist lounging in the pool I had overhead Lanner, Beaudouin's Snake Eagle, Wahlberg's Eagle, Long Crested Eagle & even took pictures of overflying Martial Eagles (adult & juv) from the swimming pool lounger!

At the start of your holiday try to book a guide to take you to Abuko & perhaps also Brufut/Tanji -2 days. Going with a guide ensures you get to the places quickly & don't get hassle on-site whilst there is still plenty of opportunity to find your own stuff.

 

[bitterntwisted]

Steve,

Thanks again for all the tips and advice. Sorry not to have posted sooner but have been very busy with work and haven't spent the time I'd have liked revising. But the photo links are very useful, and I'm getting there. Best are the ones you try to ID from thumbnails and then click through to check.

Certain bird calls are worth knowing... ...I have a soft spot for Malcolm Rymer's Gambia DVDs as they do give a good prior idea of what to expect though they are hardly mandatory viewing

I decided the DVDs were an unnecessarily expensive luxury and bought the Barlow CDs for £25. Would be nice if they were introduced, but nonetheless good quality recordings. Couple of gripes that I have to manually enter all the details to rip them, and more frustrating the order is not exactly as per either the plates or descriptions in the book, making learning the calls whilst thumbing pics and descriptions in the book a real challenge.

Your last two nights at Sandele being on the expensive side are best appreciated as a quality chillout... ...If I'd known you were willing to spend a bit of dosh on quality then I would have suggested Makasutu -stunning place with great birding.

Sandele is a chill-out at the end and not about the birding. Makasutu looks amazing but it isn't by the sea, which we wanted for non-birding reasons, and although it seems from other links to be in the same price bracket as Sandele, it is not available as an option from Hidden Gambia, and the prices I've seen elsewhere make the upgrade cost from Hidden Gambia seem a real bargain. I don't think we're paying what you might think we're paying looking at the direct booking costs of Sandele and Makasutu. All that said, Makasutu's birds look very special. Maybe next time.

At the start of your holiday try to book a guide to take you to Abuko & perhaps also Brufut/Tanji -2 days. Going with a guide ensures you get to the places quickly & don't get hassle on-site whilst there is still plenty of opportunity to find your own stuff.

I've arranged a couple of days with Modou Colley at the beginning of the trip per your recommendation. He's been very responsive and reasonably priced. His suggestion is Tujering Wood, Abuko and Brufut. I was thinking about Tanji, though?

I am very, very excited now and very grateful for all your help and advice.

All the best.
Graham

 

[Steve G]

I've arranged a couple of days with Modou Colley at the beginning of the trip per your recommendation. He's been very responsive and reasonably priced. His suggestion is Tujering Wood, Abuko and Brufut. I was thinking about Tanji, though?

I am very, very excited now and very grateful for all your help and advice.

All the best.
Graham

Hi Graham,

I'm just back from The Gambia -I was with Modou on one of the occasions you sent a text!

Tanji is nowhere near as good as it once was (neither is Yundum).

Brufut was productive -we even saw a Yellowbill (Yellow-billed Coucal) there last friday -my first ever -but it refused to show long enough for an image! From Brufut it's a short drive to the beach near Tanji/Ghana town.

It has been a very wet 'wet season' this year with lots of standing water which though good for birds & crops makes seeing the birds harder -waterbirds are less concentrated, many still being at the upcountry seasonal marshes whilst thirsty passerines/raptors have lots of drinking pools to choose from. We saw lots of Bishops (& a few Wydahs) in breeding plumage as well as plenty of Cuckoos (mainly Levaillant's), whilst Woodland Kingfisher was also very common. Most of these birds will have moved on by late November but there will be more Bee-eaters & raptors around. White-backed Night-Heron bred at Tendaba & Abuko though they have left the nest areas now (should still be seen at the bolongs opposite Tendaba with a bit of luck).

The upriver camps will be a little on the rough side. Tendaba has become more rundown & dirty over the last few years & though you will be in the VIP rooms don't expect too much. Ask the staff to spray your room at night for Mozzies (you can buy a tee-shirt at Tendaba which states: 'Tendaba camp is great -a billion mosquitoes can't be wrong!).
Breakfast is very basic being bread & eggs (if they are not off!) whilst at night I would avoid Bushpig in any form on offer (Stick to chips & Ladyfish!!!!). The Tendaba showers are a trickle of cool water only (no hot) & the towels are nylon (like trying to dry yourself with a plastic bag!!). The toilets are ok but take some extra bog roll!

If you want any further info let me know.

Cheers,

Steve

 

[Lichfield Birder]

Have just returned from 2 weeks in The Gambia with family. Managed to get out for 2 x 8 hr days birding with the guide Modou Colley. I can thoroughly recommend him as a guide who knows his birds inside out, even from the calls, as I am sure a few on this thread will testify.

Went out on 2 days visiting Abuko, Lamin Lodge, nearby rice fields, Brufut Woods, Tanji beach and Tujering. Saw over 130 sp. which is not a massive amount but still had a great time. I would say that he is a much better bet than using one of the bumsters around Kotu Creek, and whilst his daily rate of about £35 maybe a bit high compared to others, it is worth it.

He is genuinely into the environment, as in the close season he does much voluntary work for trees4africa.

The one thing I did notice, is that his Bushnell bins, which he has dropped, has one of the objective lens out of alignment and there is a great big chunk of plastic clunking around inside them. When looked through, there is not a great deal to be seen, and he admits he relies on memory for much of what he sees. Are there any birders out there who have used his services and want to club together to get him a half decent 2nd hand pair of bins. I am sure we could get him something half decent for about £100 or so. Let me know.

 

[Tony Knight]

on the subject of "good guides" I'd also like to second the name of Yankuba Tamba (+220 995 4017) who was mentioned further up the thread. I'd attempted to book a couple of half days with Modou that he couldn't make and sent Yankuba. The guy has fantastic eyesight and knows his birds and their songs. One morning we were struggling to track down a courser in a large set of fields and i was beginning to wilt and more than ready to throw the towel in. He knew I'd never seen one so told me to wait under the shade of a tree while he quartered the fields until he'd tracked them down. Sure enough 10 mins later he'd tracked one down for me and i got the shots i wanted.

 

[Steve Arlow]

I was planning a return trip in November with a trip upriver for 5 days to try and photograph Egyptian Plover especially and so I contacted a recommended Guide Dawda Barry. For 5 days upriver I have been quoted a 'Good Price' of £500.

I have to say that this good price is over priced by a long way, especially when you consider that you can get a package deal to the Badala Park Hotel at Kotu for a single room for 14 nights through Thomas Cook for £377 (thats return flight and hotel on a B&B basis).

I have to say that Dawda has just priced himself out of a guiding opportunity.

 

[dbradnum]

I was planning a return trip in November with a trip upriver for 5 days to try and photograph Egyptian Plover especially and so I contacted a recommended Guide Dawda Barry. For 5 days upriver I have been quoted a 'Good Price' of £500.

I have to say that this good price is over priced by a long way, especially when you consider that you can get a package deal to the Badala Park Hotel at Kotu for a single room for 14 nights through Thomas Cook for £377 (thats return flight and hotel on a B&B basis).

I have to say that Dawda has just priced himself out of a guiding opportunity.

Hi Steve

I'm not surprised at the price you've been quoted - when we went out there last year, there was a crazy level of variation in prices when I polled about six guides, all of whom had been recommended. Many of these then reduced their offer substantially when I haggled.

In the end, we went with Ebrima Njie, a rather quietly spoken guy but a very good birder IMO. I think he's originally from Tendaba, so he can sort out trips upriver. Send me a PM if you're still looking for a guide, and want his email. I've also heard good things about Mus(tapha) Manneh.

 

[RobertaG]

I can also recommend Mus Manneh - don't know what he would charge for a trip inland (ours was arranged as part of an overall week) but he can be contacted at [email protected].

 

[aucarius]

I spent a week out there at the end of February, my first time in Gambia, & I can heartily recommend Tamba Suso as a guide. He's based at the Senegambia Hotel & was very personable, professional & an excellent birder.

He can be contacted on e-mail: [email protected] and mobile: (00220) 9947535 & 7050354.

Tamba took my wife & I out to Kotu, Lamin (where he's from) & Brufut either in the morning (8 - 1130am) or afternoon (3.30 - 6pm) for £30-£40 (£15-20 each), Lamin was ~£27.50 each & included breakfast, which seems very reasonable compared to prices quoted above.

I ended up with 123 species, 105 of which were lifers, & that was without birding every day or going up-river.

 

[osprey66]

I was planning a return trip in November with a trip upriver for 5 days to try and photograph Egyptian Plover especially and so I contacted a recommended Guide Dawda Barry. For 5 days upriver I have been quoted a 'Good Price' of £500.

I have to say that this good price is over priced by a long way, especially when you consider that you can get a package deal to the Badala Park Hotel at Kotu for a single room for 14 nights through Thomas Cook for £377 (thats return flight and hotel on a B&B basis).

I have to say that Dawda has just priced himself out of a guiding opportunity.

I did a 7 night trip inland in december and paid 550 pounds which i think is a reasonable price for me and the wife

 

[aucarius]

business card

Attached is Tamba's business card that I scanned.

 

[Dave Williams]

I was planning a return trip in November with a trip upriver for 5 days to try and photograph Egyptian Plover especially and so I contacted a recommended Guide Dawda Barry. For 5 days upriver I have been quoted a 'Good Price' of £500.

I have to say that this good price is over priced by a long way, especially when you consider that you can get a package deal to the Badala Park Hotel at Kotu for a single room for 14 nights through Thomas Cook for £377 (thats return flight and hotel on a B&B basis).

I have to say that Dawda has just priced himself out of a guiding opportunity.

In case you haven't been the Badala Park is a bit of a dump from what I have seen and heard from people staying there. Best paying a bit more and opting for a better standard although price doesn't always mean better.Personally I wasn't impressed with the bird famous Senegambia hotel either, the rooms are bleak, the food average, the hotel too big and crowded and the gardens somewhat over rated.
All IMO of course !

 

[gambirder]

This is a pretty good link if you want to know how others rate your hotel. Badala Park incidentally got an average rating of 8/10.