upriver gambia (1 Viewer)

[Birdbox]

I'm visiting Gambia for the first time for two weeks in Nov/Dec. My partner and I are staying on the coastal strip and have pretty much sorted out how we'll be utilising our time and what sites to 'work'. However we need advice on getting upriver, where to stay and how to work the areas once in situ.

Is it better to decamp at Tendaba or McCarthy island?
The road journies sound a bit arduous - can these be reached by actually travelling on the river instead- or is that time consuming during a fortnight's package?
Are Bansang quarry and Basse within easy reach or do they themselves involve time consuming trips from a river base?
What kind of cost are we talking recently?
Anyone considering the same trip at the same time? Wanna share the cost?

 

[nigelblake]

E-mail Yaya Barry and he will sort out a price and itinerary for you, Yaya is a very experienced Gambian birder and a good guide. PM me for his e-mail address.

 

[MarkHows]

Take a look at my recent trip report and details of prices I paid and guides etc.

We had a great time upriver

http://www.hows.org.uk/inter/birds/gambia/gambia.htm


Mark

 

[Steve G]

To make the most of your trip & maximise on the birding you really need to get up to Janjangbureh Island (Georgetown) from where you can easily visit Prufu (east of Basse) & Bansang Quarry as well as other sites such as Kunkilling forest park,etc. This is achievable in a day but such a trip is a nightmare due to the terrible state of the roads -the poor road condition currently cannot be overstated -don't attempt it in a single trip. A much better option is to split the journey by staying at Tendaba each way. The Tendaba area is listed in the African Bird Club's top 10 African Birding sites & has lots to offer. Tendaba camp is fairly basic but is clean, the food is OK & the camp has a feel-good atmosphere & a well-stocked bar.
It is well worth looking at a package with the Hidden Gambia, a company allied to Bird Safari Camp (BSC) at Georgetown. They travel from the coast to Bintang Bolong by road where you pick up a boat to Tendaba, staying overnight before heading to Farafenni on the north bank by the same boat. A minibus then takes you inland along the newly re-surfaced northbank road stopping at birding sites on the way including the fabulous Ka-ur wetlands (Egyptian Plover, flocks of Pratincoles, etc,etc). The road trip ends at Kuntaur where there is another boat which moves on to BSC. This final section by boat is through the River Gambia National Park passing by the Kai-Hai islands. This whole area is simply stunning with great birding from the boat (African Fish Eagle, Finfoot, various Kingfisher sp, African Pygmy Geese, etc,etc) whilst there is also a good chance of hippo, chimps, crocs,etc.
Accommodation options at Georgetown boil down to 3 camps -Janjangbureh camp on the northbank (cheap but perhaps best avoided), Baobaolong camp (favoured by birdguides -basic but is on the mains electricity supply as well as having its own generator) & BSC. We stayed at BSC in november 2005 & it is fair to say that we did not see the camp at its best. Local management at the camp had clearly lost its grip, we had no electricity at all for 3 days (complete generator failure) > no lights, ran out of candles, dark for 12 hrs each night > impossible to rise before dawn > late starts due to late breakfast preparation, no fridges > no cool drinks, no cold storage of food > poor food hygiene. Other guests staying at BSC developed D&V > couldn't keep down their antimalarial prophylaxis (this whole freshwater river section of The Gambia is rife with Falciparum malaria). I gather that this has all been sorted out & that there is new management in place -if so then BSC is probably the best accommodation option. Certainly the birding around BSC is excellent & it can be used as a base for day trips to Basse, Kunkilling forest, Bansang, etc. I'll post website details when I get home from work later tonight. Send me a PM if you need more info.

 

[Steve G]

Hidden Gambia: www.hiddengambia.com/adventure_holidays/discover_the_river_timetable.asp

BSC: www.bsc.gm/

Gambian Birding Group: www.gambiabirding.org/



Finally for a top birdguide (who has his his own vehicle) can I suggest Modou Colley. Modou is an excellent birder, good company, trustworthy & is involved in a number of community-based conservation programmes in The Gambia. He has a website which, though still under construction, has an extensive gallery of Gambian birds -many of which were taken on up-river trips.


MODOU'S WEBSITE: www.gambianbirds.com/

 

[Birdbox]

Thanks to all so far - some great feedback which will be acted on.

 

[MarkHows]

Just to comment on Steve G's post. Birdsafari camp has indeed been sorted out with new management. We had an excellent stay, the food was superb, the staff very friendly and the camp had a great atmosphere and the birds in the camp itself just added to it, we stayed 2 nights and I would definatly go again.

Electricity was available from 7am until 12pm, cold drinks always available and they took travellers cheques.

We drove on the north bank road in 1 day, but the road is no better than the south bank road on which we returned.

Mark

 

[Steve G]

Just to comment on Steve G's post. Birdsafari camp has indeed been sorted out with new management. We had an excellent stay, the food was superb, the staff very friendly and the camp had a great atmosphere and the birds in the camp itself just added to it, we stayed 2 nights and I would definatly go again.

Electricity was available from 7am until 12pm, cold drinks always available and they took travellers cheques.

We drove on the north bank road in 1 day, but the road is no better than the south bank road on which we returned.

Mark

I am very glad to hear this as the camp clearly has the makings of something special. In which case I would strongly suggest that you phone Mark Thomson of Hidden Gambia/BSC (the UK number on the website) & discuss a customised package involving river travel. I cannot stress enough just how stunning, beautiful & bird-filled the river section between Kuntaur & BSC.

For a modest fee BSC will organise trips to Basse (via Bansang) -the road between Georgetown & Basse is actually very good. The main reason for visiting Basse is for N.Carmine Bee-eaters as Egyptian Plover is easy at Ka-ur (& in a much more natural setting). Last year Carmine Bee-eaters bred in a small mixed colony with Red-throated Bee-eaters near the Wassu stone circles -a site just west of Georgetown & easy to access (so a drive to Basse may not be necessary).

 

[Birdbox]

Bad news folks. Hidden Gambia will not be operating this season and in fact are looking for buyers for both the camp and the business itself. They've refered me to Soloman Jallow.

 

[Steve G]

Bad news folks. Hidden Gambia will not be operating this season and in fact are looking for buyers for both the camp and the business itself. They've refered me to Soloman Jallow.[/QUOTE
]
Very sad but not too surprising -wish I had the money & business sense to take it on, the area is stunning & the birding spectacular.


Contact Modou Colley. -Modou will take you upriver in his 4x4 via Tendaba then on to Baobolong Camp. Lawrence Bangura the co-owner of the camp is an excellent birder -he can organise a boat for you to visit the River Gambia National Park which is an absolute must if you go upriver.

Another possibility -both new & very different is to stay at The Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust's (CRT) camp which is situated on one of the islands in The River Gambia National Park. Acommodation is in safari tents which have an en-suite. There are only a few spaces available -they offer a 3-day full board package including road & river transport to the camp -currently the 3 nights package based on 2 sharing is £499 per person. If interested check with The Gambia experience: www.gambia.co.uk.

Modou can be contacted easily by sending him a text message on your mobile -his number is: 002209908916 -if you contact him tell him his 'bruv' sent you!

 

[James Lowther]

Just out of interest,
could anyone give me a very rough *ballpark* figure for how much *in total* (excluding food and drinks) it would cost for two people to take a three night upriver trip (two nights tendaba, one georgetown), with a decent guide, trying in particular for egyptian plover, red-throated and carmine bee-eaters and crowned cranes, staying in mid-range accomodations (i.e. tendaba and baobolong camps), with one or two boat trips (tendaba plus maybe a visit river gambia NP) and maybe even a trip to kiang west NP??
As I say, just a ballpark figure.
Am I looking at £100 each, £250, £500, £1000 or even more!!!
Cheers,
James

 

[James Lowther]

bumping this up just in case anyone can help me...

 

[MarkHows]

bumping this up just in case anyone can help me...

About £250 pounds each, for travel, guide, boat trip at Tendaba, boat trip at Georgetown, 2 nights Bird safari camp, one at tendaba.

Is what we paid in January but prices seem to rise quickly and be sure to negotiate.

Mark

 

[James Lowther]

Cheers Mark,
that gives me some sort of idea at least,
James