GHANA: 18 Day - Budget Birding Trip

Our first stop for the day will be SHAI HILLS , it is Savanna area in the south of Ghana , we have recorded many special birds here:

Target species: Mocking Chat, Senegal Batis, Double-spurred Francolin, Helmeted Guineafowl, Red-necked Buzzard, Splendid Sunbird, Flappet Lark, Blue-bellied Roller, Bearded Barbet, Yellow-throatedGreenbull, Green Twinspot.

From Shai hill our next stop will be at the Winneba plains ,a coastal savanna on the way to the forest areas of Ghana.

Target species: Green Turaco, Violet Turaco, African Moustached-warbler, Red-winged Warbler, Croaking Cisticola, Northern Red Bishop, Yellow-mantled Widowbird.

From the Winneba plains we will continue on our way to the Kakum area stopping at the Bremsu water works.

Target species: African Finfoot, Shining Blue Kingfisher, African Pygmy Goose, Long-tailed Nightjar.

From here we will head to our birder friendly hotel.

Kakum forest is the most popular bird area in Ghana. The canopy walkway allows you the opportunity to see great birds in close proximity. It is a fantastic place and easily the best place to see birds in Africa .We will aim to get about 50 to 100 species from the walkway. The other forests around Kakum , Sushen and Gyawari,  will provide us the opportunity to see some lower strata birds that we may miss at the canopy walkway.

Target species: Black Casqued-hornbill, Brown-cheeked Hornbill,Yellow-billed Turaco, Crowned Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Cassins Hawk-eagle, African Cuckoo-hawk, Congo Serpent-eagle, Black Dwarf-hornbill, Pied Hornbill, Golden Greenbul, Slender-billed Greenbul, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Western Nicator, Little Greenbul, Blue Cuckooshrike, Western Black-headed Oriole, Western Black-winged Oriole, Violet-backed Hyliota, Sharps Apalis, Black-capped Apalis, Buff-throated Sunbird, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Olive-bellied Sunbird, Grey long-bill, Bristle-nosed Barbet, Naked-faced Barbet, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Red-bellied Paradise-flycatcher and so much more, too numerous to mention.

Antwikwaa lies at the western part of Kakum forest. We will be birding along the road here.

Target species: Black Bee-eater, Puvels Illadopsis, Brown Illadopsis, Red-cheek Wattled-eye, Grey Hornbill, Kemps longbill

From here we will drive to river Pra.

Target species: Rock Pratincole, White-throated Blue Swallow, White-headed Lapwing.

Nsuta forest is a true gem where many special species occur.

Target species: Akun Eagle Owl, African Eagle Owl, Spot-breasted Ibis, Great Blue Turaco, Congo Serpent-eagle, African Piculet, Brown-cheeked Hornbill, Red-billed Helmet-shrike, Little Greenbul, Slender-billed Greenbul, Yellow-whisker Greenbul, Golden Greenbull, Western Nicator, Yellow-billed Turaco , Pipping Hornbill, Red Dwarf-hornbill, Black Dwarf-hornbill, Copper-tailed Starling, Forest Chestnut-winged Starling

After some morning birding at Nsuta we will head to Ankasa forest. We will make stops en route that will yield some of our most wanted species.

Target species: Brown Sunbird, Reichenbach's Sunbird, Hartlub's Duck , African Pygmy Goose, Orange Weavers

We will arrive in Ankasa and our lodge in the afternoon.

Target species: Cassin's Flycatcher, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, White-bellied Kingfisher

This pristine forest is most undisturbed forest in Ghana. We will bird the many trails in the forest to look for the lower strata birds.

Target species: White-breasted Guineafowl, Forest Robin, Rufous-winged Illadopsis, Long-tailed Hawk, Crowned Eagle, Red-chested Owlet, Yellow-bearded Greenbul, Violet-backed Hyliota, African Wood Owl, Blue-headed Crested-flycatcher, Kemp's Longbill, White-tailed Alethe

After our morning birding , we will drive to Half Assini to see the Camalite Sunbird, the only place it can be seen in Ghana then we will continue to Brenu beach road for our evening birding.

Target species: Green Turaco, Compact Weaver, Northern Red Bishop, Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Pied-winged Swallow, Marsh Tchagra, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Camalite Sunbird

This morning we will depart for Aboabo with the main aim of seeing the White-spotted Flufftail. We will also look for the African Piculet if not already seen.

Target species: Pruss's Golden-backed Weaver, Blue Cuckooshrike , Forest Woodhoopoe, Red-vented Malimbe, White-crested Hornbill.

We will leave the forest in the mid morning for our hotel where we shall have lunch before going for the big one for the day the ROCK FOWL (Yellow-headed Picathartes).

Day 13: Mole National Park which is situated in the north of the country is the best place in Ghana to see savannah birds. Our arrival at Mole will be in the evening and depending on our arrival time we may be able to do some night birding.

Target species: Scops Owl, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Spotted Eagle Owl, Standard-winged Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, Plain Nightjar can often be found here. Green Wood Hoopoe

Day 14-15: Bird watching at Mole is outstanding; the ease with which one can see the birds is amazing. All Ghana’s savannah birds are to be found here. Birding watching here is impossible without also coming face to face with large mammals, over 800 African Elephants are present in the park. Some of the elephants around the village near the park entrance are extraordinarily tame. Many species of antelopes, several species of monkeys can also be seen and the remarkably tame warthogs and troops of baboons are always to be seen around the hotel. Crocodiles and Water Monitors are also frequently encountered around the water holes.

Target species: Egyptian plover, Forbes plover ,Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Saddle-billed Stork, Bateleur, Martial Eagle, Long-tailed Starling, Purple Glossy Starling,Spotted Creeper, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Oriole Warbler, White-crowned Robin-chat, Red Pytilia, Red-headed Lovebird, African Golden Oriole, African Hobby, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow, Stone Partridge, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Red-throated Bee-eater, Broad-billed Roller, Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, Pel's Fishing Owl, Grayish Eagle Owl, Northern White-faced Owl.

Day 16: Bobiri forest may be smaller than Kakum forest but very productive. Bobiri forest will help to increase our number of forest species as well as provide more opportunity to get any species that we may have missed before.

Target species: Red-billed Dwarf-hornbill, Blue-throated Roller, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Bat Hawk, Gray Parrot and Red-thighed Sparrowhawk, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Compact Weaver, Little Greenbul, Puvels Illadopsis, Brown Illadopsis, Red-cheeked Wattle-eye, Western Bluebill, Black-necked Weaver, Naked-faced Barbet, Bristle-nosed Barbet.

Day 17: Today is normally one of the best day of birding in Ghana. There is nothing like the walk up the Atewa range with the possibility of seeing up to 70 species today. The big target here though is the Blue-headed Bee-eater while encountering many bird waves along the way.

Target species: Green-tailed Bristle-bill, Grey-headed Bristle-bill, Red-tailed Bristle-bill, Red-tailed Greenbul, Western Bearded-greenbul, Yellow-bearded Greenbul, Shining Drongo, Icterine Greenbul, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Yellow-billed Barbet, White-tailed Ant-thrush, White-tailed Alethe, Finch's Flycatcher-thrush, Congo Serpent Eagle, Cassin's Hawk Eagle, Ayre's Hawk Eagle, Letham's Forest Francolin and Ahanta Francolins. The list is endless .

Depending om your departure flight time we will have some time for birding before returning to Accra and the airport