Upper Guinea Rainforest Birdwatching Tour (trip)

Upper Guinea Rainforest Birdwatching Tour

  • Accra ,Ghana
  • Active & Adventure
Ghana, Africa

from £1,350* per person12 DaysYear-round
Comfort accommodations Exertion level: 3
Operator: Ashanti African Tours 24 people max

We constantly strive to improve our birdwatching itineraries and offer our guests the opportunity to venture into birding areas no other operators visit. Our new upper guinea rainforest special tour takes us to the rarely visited unspoilt Ankasa rainforest near the boarder of the Ivory Coast. A beautiful rainforest protecting some wonderful quality species and the only rainforest in Ghana where the white breasted guineafowl is known to be. With over 755 species of birds, Ghana is an ideal birdwatching destination. Ashanti African Tours use highly experienced tour leaders and guides with expert knowledge of Ghana's birds and their habitats. Our tour leaders have been working and living in and around Ghana's national parks for over 30 years studying and recording Ghana's birds. This local knowledge enhances our guest's chances of a productive and enjoyable birdwatching holiday. Ghana covers a variety of habitats from coastal wetland lagoons and saltpans on the Gold Coast, moving inland we find primary Guinea tropical rainforest where the world famous Kakum canopy walkway is found. We arrange early opening of the walkway for a number of mornings during our tour. One of the many highlights of our tour is undoubtedly the visit to a yellow headed picathartes nesting site, getting a glimpse of this remarkable bird is an amazing feeling never forgotten. As we are dedicating the majority of our time to rainforest birding we are enhancing our chances of finding the more sought after secretive species, which all leads to an extremely impressive quality bird tally, a tally we know will not disappoint!

Loading map, please wait...

Locations visited/nearby

Ghana, Africa

0 testimonials about this trip.

3 testimonials about the provider, Ashanti African Tours:

  • Reviewer: Marcy, Leah and Shana Bernbaum

    I and my two daughters (ages 26 and 30) just returned from a month's trip to West Africa where we visited Morocco, Mali, and Ghana. For all three trips we went through travel companies (local companies in Mali and Ghana and an Australian company - Intrepid - in the case of Morocco). While we thoroughly enjoyed all three visits, as well as finding them very educational, the one that really stood out was the one to Ghana. A large part of our positive experience is due to the way Ashanti African Tours organized and managed our trip. The highly positive experience started with planning the trip. I told Mark that I was a retired foreign service officer with USAID, had spent most of my life in development (including living in Kenya), that I am a frustrated applied cultural anthropologist who is very interested in the cultures of the countries I visited, and that I didn't want a typical "tourist" trip. I also told him that my daughters (a fourth year medical student and a school teacher) were also very interested in programs with an ecological focus; as well as education and health systems in Ghana. Based on what we told him, Mark put together a trip that covered all of our interests. In 7 days and six nights (unfortunately we had limited time) he organized a trip that collectively met our interests. We went to Kumasi which is the seat of the Ashanti kingdom where we visited a Museum on the grounds of the King's Palace. We went to craft villages near Kumasi where we saw Kente cloth being weaved. We went to a Cacao plantation (cacao is one of Ghana's major experts), which my school teacher daughter was very interested in given she had done a unit on chocolate with her students. We went to two fascinating ecotourism spots supported by USAID: a forest with sacred monkeys (including a grave yard for the monkeys) attached to two villages where the people worshipped the monkeys; a hippo reserve attached to a fascinating village (where we stayed in a compound built for visitors and had the local villagers come to dance for us, very spontaneous, they had lots of fun as did we!). In both cases we went into family compounds in the villages and had a chance to talk to family members. We also went to a game park which is known for elephants. What we particularly liked about the trip was that, with the exception of the visit to the game park, we didn't see any other tourists: we ate in local restaurants, stayed in hotels (2 and 3 star) which were primarily frequented by Ghanaians. In addition, and a real treat, we went to Mark's home in Kumasi for dinner where -- in addition to having a wonderful Ghanaian dinner -- we met and talked to Mark's wonderful Ghanaian extended family. The trip was definitely value for money. Another plus was that accompanying us on the tour (in addition to Mark and his brother in law who is the driver) was a gentleman who had just been named Ghana Cultural Guide for the year 2006 by the government. He was terrific: we learned so much from him (we also learned a lot from Mark, it was fascinating getting his take on customs and culture in Ghana as well as the take of the cultural guide). We also loved the exchange: Mark was as interested in us as we were in him and Ghana. This made, early on, for a wonderful atmosphere in the car and as the trip developed. Finally, I really appreciated Mark's sincere interest in the country. In addition to the program being a "responsible" travel program, Mark is personally very interested in becoming involved in integrated rural development through eco-tourism. He would like to support a community living near a wildlife program with opportunities for income through tourism, assure conservation of the wildlife, and assist the community with development needs (water, solar energy, education, etc.). Ashanti African Tours are a terrific company, in my humble opinion

  • Reviewer: Mrs. Holly Pierce located in California

    My husband and I have travelled to many out-of-the-way spots on this earth, always under the guidance of major adventure travel companies. When it came to Ghana which finds itself on no major companies’ itineraries, we knew we were taking a chance by signing on by internet for a cultural tour of Ghana with a company unknown to us. What a delightful surprise it was to travel with Mark William's Ashanti African Tours! Our group was small and we never felt as if we received less than the most attentive treatment. Tropical Ghana is not for the faint-hearted, but our team made every possible effort to ensure our safety, comfort and pleasure. With Mark, Peter and Prince's longstanding ties with the locals, our group of six were able to see things and connect with people in a way not possible within the parameters of a larger crowd-the itinerant palm wine brewers, the dealer of West African antiques hidden away in a nondescript neighbourhood, a cheerful group of Ghanaian nurses on holiday. And you ain't seen nothing' 'til you've seen the huge, smiling king of the Ashanti's dance for his rapturous subjects-His Majesty's still got that swing! As a long-time resident of Ghana and with his team of the most knowledgeable national guides, Mark Williams and Ashanti African Tours deliver an authentic and stimulating experience-and create warm bonds of friendship-you will not soon forget.

  • Reviewer: Doris, Uncle Tommie, Millard and Sherelle (Septemb

    Dear Mark, Diana, Corner, Lydia, Peter, Mama, family and friends: There are not enough words in the entire world that would express our sincere thoughts, love, and care that we have for each of you. Each of you must come to visit us in the U.S. This is an order! Thank you Mark and Diana for taking all the uncertainty out of this tour for us, the scheduling and unscheduling, the yes, then - No! Changes and re-arranging. We owe you so,-so-,so-,so-much. To invite all of us into your personal lives, your home, fed us, and made each of us to feel welcome. I, (we), will never be able (in a million years) to tell you - Thank you. We will see you in July 2007. We all had a great time.

Comments from Facebook

Special information

  • This is a custom departure, meaning this trip is offered on dates that you arrange privately with the provider. Additionally, you need to form your own private group for this trip. The itinerary and price here is just a sample. Contact the provider for detailed pricing, minimum group size, and scheduling information. For most providers, the larger the group you are traveling with, the lower the per-person cost will be.

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrival

You are welcomed at the airport and transferred to your hotel, where you can relax and acclimatise yourself to Africa. Your expert guides will brief you on all aspects of your tour over complementary drinks (first night only).
 
Day 2 Birdwatching

Early start as we visit Sukumona lagoon before heading west towards Kakum National Park. We will stop to birdwatch at Winniba plains and another lagoon before arriving at our hotel.

Day 3-4 Birdwatching

Early starts as we head for early opening of the world famous canopy walkway at Kakum National park. During the next 2 early mornings we will be spending the most critical bird viewing hours 40 meters above the forest floor on the canopy walkway, which platforms are large enough to support Telescopes. In the afternoons we visit Antikwaa on the north western section of the park.

Day 5 Birdwatching

An early start, we will be concentrating our attention on the many trails within Kakum National park. In the afternoon we set off for Ankasa which should be a major highlight of your trip, Ankasa is a rarely visited pristine tropical upper guinea rainforest protecting some wonderful species.

Day 6-7 Birdwatching

We dedicate the next 2 days to birdwatching in Ankasa, walking trails deep into this wonderful forest searching for the specialities it protects.

Day 8 Birdwatching

After an early breakfast we set off for a remote Yellow Headed Picathartes nesting site, we check into our guesthouse and enjoy lunch before setting off into the rainforest for what should be the highlight of the trip.

Day 9 Birdwatching

Early start visiting Aboabo on the eastern section of Kakum National Park, in the afternoon we transfer to Kumasi and birdwatch the Owabi reservoir.

Day 10 Birdwatching

Early morning visit to Bobiri forest reserve, setting off for the Atewa range in the afternoon.

Day 11 Birdwatching

This morning we birdwatch the highest point of the range where we are likely to find different species. In the afternoon we travel to Accra and revisit the Sukumona lagoon.

Day 12 Birdwatching

A morning visit to Shai Hills Reserve, the habitat is savannah woodland, here we aim to see different species. In the afternoon we transfer you to the airport for your flight home.

More information from Ashanti African Tours: