16-Day Ornithological Tour in Senegal – 2027

Meet the team at Blaise Diagne International Airport and travel about 39 kilometres to Thies. Dinner and the first overnight are planned at Blue Hotel Residence.

Head north after breakfast, pausing for lunch at Ocean and Savanne before reaching Richard Toll. Following arrival at roughly 15:00, use the remaining daylight around the local airfield zone for Sahel scrub and dry-country birds. The stated road distance is approximately 295 kilometres, with dinner and lodging at Teranga Walo Residence.

Search nearby acacia and grassland for birds such as Cricket Longtail, Temminck’s Courser and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse. The afternoon drive covers about 100 kilometres to Podor, where the savanna is visited for a possible Golden Nightjar encounter. Tekrour Inn is the planned base.

Spend the morning among cultivated land and acacia scrub, concentrating on Sahel specialities, desert-adapted birds and migrants. Continue roughly 225 kilometres to Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary; after lunch, explore for flamingos and White-faced Whistling-Ducks. Overnight is at Njagabar Village Camp.

Explore Djoudj, an important first staging area for migrants arriving across the Sahara on the East Atlantic Flyway. Pink-backed and Great White pelicans, African Fish-Eagle and African Jacana are among the possibilities. Later, transfer about 56 kilometres to Saint-Louis for dinner and lodging at Hôtel Étoile du Sud.

Travel toward Kaolack by way of Louga and Touba, breaking for lunch in Touba. A stop near Kaolack is intended for Square-tailed Saw-wing before checking in at Hôtel de Paris. The day’s stated journey is around 295 kilometres.

Check the edge of Kaolack early for birds leaving roosts around the Saloum Delta, including the source-listed White-bellied Elanion. Continue to Wassadou and visit the river for possibilities such as Egyptian Plover, African Finfoot, Giant Kingfisher and Northern Carmine Bee-eater. Campement Wassadou hosts the overnight.

Use a combination of boat time, riverside trails and the camp lookout to explore Gambian River habitats. The first full day can focus on Sahel and denser woodland birds; named possibilities include African Finfoot and Woodland Dove alongside Red-throated Bee-eater and White-crowned Lapwing. Return to Campement Wassadou.

A second complete day allows another morning and evening session on the river or along the trails, adjusted to the previous day’s observations and current activity. Time at the camp viewpoint adds a quieter way to scan the same riverine and woodland mosaic. Lodging remains at Campement Wassadou.

Bird along the road to Kédougou, then settle in and take lunch before an afternoon session nearby. Mali Firefinch and Egyptian Plover are two of the targets mentioned for this section. The night is scheduled at Hôtel Le Bedik.

Work the eastern escarpment in the morning for species including Martial Eagle and Neumann’s Starling. Later, shift west of Kédougou to look for Little Lark, Black-spotted Woodpecker and other local birds. Use Hôtel Le Bedik again for the overnight.

Drive about 30 kilometres to Dindefelo, making selective roadside stops for Violet Turaco and Grey-breasted Prinia. Around Dindefelo, the search turns to Fox Kestrel, with Guinea Turaco another possibility. Return to Hôtel Le Bedik.

Make one final visit in the Kédougou area, concentrating on the escarpment near Fongolimbi and stopping en route for Common Kestrel. Bateleur, Brown Snake-Eagle and African Hawk-Eagle are among the raptors that may occur. Continue to Tambacounda for the night at Keur Horison.

Undertake the long westbound transfer toward the Saloum coast. Birding stops may produce Swainson’s Spurfowl, White-eared Prinia, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl or Striated Heron. The planned accommodation is Hakuna Lodge or a similar property in Ndangane.

Leave early for Palmarin, approximately 25 kilometres away, to examine coastal habitat for waterbirds, waders, gulls, terns and raptors. After lunch at the hotel, take a delta boat excursion that also includes village visits; Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Brown-throated Sunbird and Beaudouin’s Snake-Eagle are named possibilities. Return to Hakuna Lodge.

Begin with a track walk through the bush for birds such as Broad-billed Roller, Savile’s Bustard and Four-banded Sandgrouse. Following lunch and time near the beach, travel to Blaise Diagne Airport for the evening flight and the end of the programme.