Guided Ghana, Sao Tome & Principe Birding Tours, Nature & Wildlife Tours,
Culture & History Tours of Ghana and West Africa.

Detailed Description of 16 Days Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe Birding Tour.



Day 1… Arrival in Accra Ghana.

Akwaaba (Welcome to Ghana).

Upon arrival, you will be met at Kotoka International Airport by our guide who will welcome you and transport you to a bird friend hotel for a good night rest and prepare for your 16 days Birding and Wildlife Excursion in Ghana, Sao Tome and Principe.




Overnight at a Standard Hotel in Accra. (Accra).





Day 2… Shai Hills Reserve – Sakumono Lagoon – Winneba Plains.



Your birding tour in Ghana will kick start today in the morning with a visit to the open grassland savannah of Shai Hills, hoping to see and photograph some good savannah birds and birds that are associated with this site like white-crowned cliff chat, stone partridge, blue-bellied roller, purple roller, violet turaco, Senegal parrot, swallow-tailed bee-eater, red-necked buzzard, oriole warbler, long-crested eagle, black-bellied bustard, Temminck’s courser, chestnut owlet, and red-shouldered cuckoo-shrike.

You will also see whinchat, flappet lark, African crake, Ahanta francolin, European reed warbler, spotted flycatcher, rufous cisticola, vinaceous dove, West African wattle eye, Senegal batis, lanner falcon, Eurasian hobby, double-toothed barbet, yellow-fronted tinkerbird, blackcap babbler, snowy-crowned robin chat, splendid sunbird, yellow-throated leaflove, bearded barbet, African grey hornbill, mosque swallow, copper sunbird, Jacobin cuckoo, cardinal woodpecker, grey tit-flycatcher, African paradise flycatcher, shikra, and brown babbler.

Moreover, there will also be sights of white-throated bee-eater, grey-backed camaroptera, yellow-billed kite, black-winged kite, yellow-billed shrike, grey woodpecker, Vieillot’s barbet, Senegal coucal, pied wagtail, northern grey-headed sparrow, as well as other birds just to mention few. Later, after an incredible morning at Shai Hills, you will shift attention to Muni Lagoon which contains residential and migratory shore birds including black heron, Kittlitz’s plover, collared pratincole, grey and western reef heron, northern pintail, glossy ibis, great, intermediate, and little egret, squacco heron, little bittern, purple swamphen, common ringed plover, African wattled lapwing, Senegal thick-knee, winding cisticola, zitting cisticola, spur-winged lapwing, greater swamp warbler, and white-faced whistling duck.

At the lagoon, you will also see common greenshank, common redshank, ruddy turnstone, reed cormorant, yellow wagtail, common sandpiper, yellow-throated longclaw, black and little tern, African spoonbill, common tern, western marsh harrier, royal tern, marsh and wood sandpiper, African jacana, little grebe, black-crowned night heron, black-winged stilt, cattle egret, pied and malachite kingfisher, village weaver, common bulbul, yellow-billed kite, pied crow, red knot, and grey plover.

Furthermore, sightings of curlew sandpiper, sanderling, black-tailed and bar-tailed godwit, pied avocet, green-backed and purple heron, black crake, common moorhen, Kentish plover, and more will be seen here as well. After the tour, you will then proceed to Muni Lagoon and Winneba plains to add some more species to your list before making your way to Cape Coast.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in Cape Coast. (Cape Coast).






Day 3 – 5… Kakum National Park (Canopy Walkway), Abrafo Forest – Antwikwaa Forest – Jawari Road and Surroundings.


After an early breakfast, we will set off for the World`s famous canopy walkway at Kakum National Park which is the leading destination for birdwatching in Ghana. A wonderful world of amazing canopy species will wait you out there. We hope to get there early hours to see the first light and record the first species that will fry out. Your day will bring out black dwarf hornbill, violet backed hyliota, white-crested hornbill, Congo serpent eagle, Cassin’s hawk-eagle, long-tailed hawk, brown-cheeked hornbill, and red-cheeked wattle-eye.

You can also expect to see tit hylia, African piculet, forest wood hoopoe, black-casqued hornbill, red-tailed bristlebill, green-tailed bristlebill, western bearded greenbul, brown illadopsis, Puvel’s illadopsis, buff-throated sunbird, Johanna’s and tiny sunbird, olive-bellied sunbird, Ussher’s flycatcher, blue cuckoo-shrike, black and rosy bee-eater, Cassin’s and Willcocks’s honeyguide, Sharpe’s apalis, rufous-crowned eremomela, Bioko Batis, hairy-breasted barbet, western nicator, black-bellied seed cracker, and orange weaver.

There will also be sightings of Vieillot’s weaver, Maxwell’s black weaver, icterine greenbul, Fraser’s eagle-owl, Akun eagle-owl, red-chested goshawk, African cuckoo, red-thighed sparrowhawk, black and white flycatcher, blue-throated roller, yellow-billed turaco, little and little grey greenbul, Cassin’s and Sabine’s spinetail, white-spotted flufftail, African pygmy ,chocolate-backed, African dwarf, and giant kingfisher, red-rumped tinkerbird, blue-breasted kingfisher, yellow-throated tinkerbird, little green, as well as fire bellied and buff-spotted woodpecker.

Also, not to forget other beautiful species such as pin-tailed whydah, red-headed, red-vented, crested, and blue-billed malimbe, Preuss’s and yellow-mantled weaver, red-tailed greenbul, white-breasted, grey-headed, and chestnut-breasted nigrita, peregrine falcon, piping hornbill, whistling cisticola, great spotted, black, Levaillant’s, and African emerald cuckoo, common swift, Diederik and Klaas’s cuckoo, malachite kingfisher, rock pratincole, white-bibbed swallow, white-headed lapwing, and tambourine, blue-headed wood, as well as blue-spotted wood dove.

Moreover, there will be Ethiopian swallow, green-headed sunbird, lesser striped swallow, green crombec, Kemp’s and grey longbill, swamp greenbul, western bluebill, copper-tailed glossy and chestnut -winged starling, black-winged and western black-headed oriole, blue-throated brown sunbird, green sunbird, chesnut-capped flycatcher, blue-headed crested flycatcher, honeyguide, golden and yellow-whiskered greenbul, fanti and square-tailed sawwing, melancoly and brown-eared woodpecker, naked faced, yellow-billed, and yellow-spotted barbet, red-billed helmetshrike, brown nightjah, black-throated coucal, blue malkoha, red-fronted parrot, Latham’s forest francolin, Ayres’s hawk-eagle, European honey buzzard, and others as well.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in Cape Coast. (Cape Coast).






Day 6… Ankasa Rain Forest.


The key target for the day is the Nkulengu rail and you will be going all out to locate this rare species in the early morning hours.
You will be searching for many Upper Guinea endemics such as Hartlaub’s duck, white-breasted guineafowl, yellow-casqued hornbill, African finfoot, shining blue and white-bellied kingfisher, Cassin’s flycatcher, red-billed dwarf hornbill, olive long-tailed and dusky long-tailed cuckoo, great blue turaco, white-throated greenbul, rufous-winged illadopsis, rufous-sided broadbill, shining drongo, forest robin, red-fronted antpecker, red-headed quelea, as well as armelite and Reichenbach’s sunbird.

You will also see white-browed forest flycatcher, red-chested owlet, common cuckoo, grey-throated rail, crested guineafowl, yellow-bearded greenbul, western bearded greenbul, African pygmy goose, blackcap illadopsis, Congo serpent eagle, European honey buzzard, red-billed helmetshrike, buff-spotted and fire-bellied woodpecker, African emerald cuckoo, Cassin’s spinetail, square-tailed saw-wing, white-tailed ant thrush, Finsch’s flycatcher thrush, western bronze-naped pigeon, tambourine and blue-headed wood dove, chocolate-backed kingfisher, dusky blue flycatcher, yellow-whiskered greenbul, Akun eagle-owl, and Fraser’s eagle-owl.

Furthermore, red-vented, blue-billed, and crested malimbe, orange weaver, Narina’s trogon, black bee-eater, red-bellied paradise flycatcher, Ayres’s hawk-eagle, red-thighed sparrowhawk, olive sunbird, Fraser’s sunbird, black cuckoo, yellow-billed turaco, white-tailed alethe, western black-headed and black-winged oriole, swamp greenbul, green-headed sunbird, golden greenbul, yellow-spotted barbet, yellow-throated tinkerbird, red-fronted parrot, including more incredible species will be scanned here as well.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in Ankasa NP. (Ankasa).





Day 7… Ankasa Forest – Brenu Beach Road.

You will enjoy a final morning of birding at this wonderful location. You will be targeting species you may have missed or would like to get better quality images.

After a full morning of birding, you will return to the lodge or camping site to arrange your bags and enjoy lunch before heading back towards Cape Coast. Species like Yellow billed turaco, Little and Little Grey Greenbul, Cassins and Sabines Spinetail, White Spotted Flufftail, Marsh Tchagra, Red Winged Prinia, African Pygmy, Chocolate Backed, White Bellied, African Dwarf and Giant Kingfishers will awaits you, Red rumped tinkerbird, Blue Breasted Kingfisher, Yellow Throated Tinkerbird, Little Green, Fire Bellied and Buff Spotted Woodpecker, Pin Tailed Whydah, Red Headed, Red Vented, Crested and Blue Billed Malimbe will be available.

You will also see Preusss and Yellow Mantled Weaver, Red Tailed Greenbul, White Breasted, Grey Headed and Chestnut Breasted Nigrita, Peregrine Falcon, Piping Hornbill, Whistling Cisticola, Great Spotted, Black, Levaillants and African Emerald Cuckoo, Common Swift, White Rumped Swift, Didric and Klaas`s Cuckoo will be seen well, before you make your way to Cape coast stopping at Brenu Beach Road to add some more species to your list.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in Cape Coast. (Cape Coast).






Day 8… Rock Pratincole Site – Picathartes Site.



Today will be the big day of the trip. You will be visiting the White-Necked Rock-fowl nesting site, so please make sure that you have enough memory cards. You will check out of the hotel after an early breakfast and set off for Remote Village.

It could be hard to contain your excitement as these legendary prehistoric looking birds will hop and jump on the rocks while preening themselves just meters from your eyes, giving photographers among you a busy time for the day. Later, you will continue your journey to Kumasi after you enjoy your target bird.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in Cape Coast. (Cape Coast).






Day 9……. Fly from Accra to Sao Tome.


Fly to Sao Tome. Arrive at Sao Tome and transfer to your accommodation, for the next 2 nights. Upon arrival, your guide will welcome you at the Airport and transfer you to your hotel and prepare for a memorable Adventure at these two small Islands.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel around the airport.





Day 10………. This morning you should see our first endemic birds in the hotel grounds before breakfast, with Sao Tome Prinia most likely and Newton’s Sunbird and Sao Tome Thrush also possible.

Then we’ll head into the primary rainforest to visit the botanical gardens of Bom Successo and the picturesque forested volcanic crater of Lagoa Amelia.

Endemic birds abound here and Sao Tome Green Pigeon, Sao Tome Oriole, Sao Tome Paradise-Flycatcher, Black-capped Speirops, Sao Tome Weaver and the extraordinary Giant Weaver are all present.

You will take your time to walk the trail up to the crater and back searching for these special birds and other species typical of the island, including African Emerald Cuckoo, African Palm Swift, Yellow-billed Kite and Southern Masked-Weaver.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel not far from the airport.





Day 11………. Today your guide will transfer to the airport and fly to Sao Tome`s smaller neighbour, Principe. This magical island is an incredibly special place to visit and has been classified as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve because of its pristine and impenetrable jungle, steep-sided mountains and beautiful beaches.

Having never been connected to Sao Tome or the African mainland, Principe has its own special selection of endemic birds.

On arrival you will head to Roca Sandy for lunch and some initial birding, which may include your first local endemics such as Principe Speirops, Principe Sunbird and Principe Golden-Weaver.

After lunch you’ll travel by boat initially to Maria Correia, on the west side of the island, for the possibility of finding Principe White-eye, one of the toughest endemics to locate here. You’ll then continue onwards to the south of the island for a night of camping in the rainforest.

This remote and undisturbed area is home to a newly discovered but little-known nightbird, Principe Scops Owl – very few people have ever encountered this elusive, cryptic species, and you will need plenty of good fortune to do so, but using local guides you have the best possibility of an encounter.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in southern Principe.






Day 12………. You start the day with a further exploration of the primary rainforest and hope to catch sight of some additional Príncipe endemics, including the enigmatic and inexplicably rare Principe Thrush, before being collected for your return to the comforts of the Roca Sandy.

On the boat journey back to the north you will look out for seabirds such as White-tailed Tropicbird and Brown Booby, and time and sea conditions permitting you may see the curious oceanic outcrop known as Jockey’s Cap (Ilheu Caroꞔo), to the south of the capital, Santo Antonio.

This offshore rock has its own endemic subspecies of Principe Seedeater, making this one of the most range-restricted birds on the entire planet. Once you hit dry land there should also be time to look for any remaining endemic birds not already encountered.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in southern Principe.






Day 13………. After breakfast your guide will transfer you to the airport and fly back to Sao Tome, arriving mid-morning. On arrival you will head to the north of the island, visiting Lagoa Azul, the northern savannah and the rainforests of the north-western side of the island, which together offer a diverse and exciting range of species.

Among them are Harlequin Quail, Red-necked Francolin, Black-winged Bishop, White-winged Widowbird, Golden-backed Bishop and the extraordinary Pin-tailed Whydah.

The possibility of rare birds from mainland Africa should also be on your radar, during his previous visit to this area, Dominic Mitchell discovered African Pygmy-Goose and Lesser Moorhen, both exceptional in these islands.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel not far from the airport.






Day 14……… This morning you will drive south via Santana to Sao Joao dos Angolares, before eventually heading on foot to your second campsite in the mountainous region of Monte Carmo.

The walk to the camp is short, and soon you will be marvelling at the pristine rainforest. The diminutive Sao Tome Ibis, thought extinct until rediscovered in this area as recently as 1991, survives in this important wilderness.

You will search for this curious, tree-dwelling specialty as well as other endemics such as Sao Tome Paradise-Flycatcher and Giant Sunbird, and as day turns to night there is also a chance of Sao Tome Scops Owl, which occurs close to our camp.



Overnight at a Standard Hotel in Mount Carmo.






Day 15………. Spending time around Monte Carmo allows you to explore the higher elevations of the mountain. To get the most out of the day, you’ll have a pre-dawn breakfast before trekking to the upper mountain areas to find the most difficult of our target endemics, Sao Tome Fiscal, Sao Tome Grosbeak and Sao Tome Short-tail.

There are no guarantees but by spending time patiently searching the right habitat, you will maximize your chances. You will also keep an eye out for the island’s only endemic snake, Sao Tome Black Cobra, or Cobra-preta to the locals.

In the afternoon we’ll bird our way back down to camp and then drive to São João dos Angolares, for some close-of-day birding in the beautiful environs of Roca Sao Joao.



Overnight at a Standard hotel around.






Day 16……… Roca Sao Joao is in a wonderful setting where you can relax on your last day, or spend a little time exploring the plantations and forest edge around the estate for any last target birds you may have missed – Sao Tome Pigeon, Sao Tome Spinetail, Sao Tome White-eye and Principe Seedeater are among those that occur here.

You will then return north to the capital in the afternoon and transfer to the airport for your flight back to your country.



Tour Concludes.

Get in touch for a memorable Adventure of a life time.