Ghana is fantastic, with superb birding, and rich traditional cultures that coexist comfortably with modern development. Ghana offers all there is to see in the Upper Guinea region, including savanna in the north and rainforest in the south. Arguably, the main reason for visiting Ghana is the Yellow-headed Picathartes (Rockfowl). This strange, communal, cave-dwelling, forest bird is found only very locally and is therefore highly-prized among world birders. Currently, Ghana offers the best chance in the world to see this incredible creature.

Day 1: Accra. After your arrival in Ghana’s capital you will be transferred to a hotel in this vibrant city.

Day 2: Shai Hills to Kakum. We’ll spend the early morning enjoying the open savannas at Shai Hills, looking for Yellow-billed Shrike, Senegal Parrot, Violet Turaco and the strange Stone Partridge. Shai Hills is a varied savanna habitat just east of Accra. Mocking Cliff-chats can be found hopping around on the escarpment, Croaking Cisticolas can be heard buzzing from the dry grasslands, Double-toothed Barbets perch up in the open woodlands, and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters can be found along the lake shore. Thereafter we travel and bird to our Kakum hotel, but not before visiting a bird-packed lagoon just a stone’s throw from our Accra hotel. There we will be greeted by the site of hundreds of birds, including shorebirds working the muddy edges like Kitlitz’s Plovers and Collared Pratincoles, herons and egrets wading in the deeper waters that could include Black Herons with their bizarre ‘umbrella’ fishing style, and rafts of terns out on the lagoon islands. The scrubby edges around the lake should bring us our first Western Plantain-eaters, and vermillion-red chested Yellow-crowned Gonoleks lurk in the brush. From there we will make our way to Hans Cottage, birding some savanna and wetland sites along the way. At the end of the day we’ll arrive at our base for the next three nights, complete with great views over the lake where weaver colonies crowd the islands and Nile Crocodiles loaf harmlessly along the shore.

Days 3-4: Kakum NP. One of the tour highlights is visiting Kakum’s famous canopy walkway, the finest example of its kind in Africa. The walkway is often alive with birds buzzing in the treetops all around, right at eye-level. Birds such as Sabine’s Puffbacks, Sharpe’s Apalis, Yellow-billed Turacos, Fire-bellied Woodpeckers, Red-vented Malimbes, Chocolate-backed Kingfishers, and pink-breasted Rosy Bee-eaters hawking above the canopy, are all among the myriad of possibilities up there. Hornbills are particularly well represented at Kakum, with White-crested, Black Dwarf, Black-casqued, Yellow-casqued, Black-and-white-casqued, and Brown-cheeked all possible right from the forest walkway. Troops of monkeys move through the trees, with Monas and Lesser Spot-nosed Monkeys being the most regularly encountered species. On the ground, the park trails offer up such prize birds as Red-billed Helmetshrike, Finsch’s Flycatcher-Thrush, the beautiful Gray’s Malimbe, and the spectacular Rufous-sided Broadbill. A late afternoon trip back up onto the walkway can be good to search for Red-fronted Parrots and a number of hornbills passing overhead on their way to roost, while after dark a Brown Nightjar may emerge to call from the canopy beside us. We will also explore the western reaches of Kakum NP that offers up the electric-blue spangled Black Bee-eater, White-spotted Flufftail, Blue Cuckooshrike, Kemp’s Longbill, and a whole host of other rainforest birds. In one afternoon we will make a trip out to a seldom-visited, wooded reservoir where will be on the lookout for the orange-footed African Finfoot, the African version of South America’s Sungrebe.

Day 5: Kakum to Ankasa. After another early morning’s activities at Kakum we’ll set off for the mega reserve of Ankasa after a late breakfast. Ankasa is one of the new great finds in Ghana, supporting much extensive lowland Upper Guinea rainforest. A late evening arrival may yield Wood Owl, or Fraser’s or Akun Eagle-Owls. These two nights will be spent close to Ankasa.

Day 6: Ankasa Reserve. We have the better part of two full days to explore this beautiful forest park in western Ghana, near the border with Ivory Coast. It is in pristine condition, and offers a true experience of the unique Upper Guinea African rainforest. Special species that we will be pursuing here include Hartlaub’s Duck, Shining-blue Kingfisher, Rufous-winged Illadopsis, Green-tailed Bristlebill, and Yellow-bearded Greenbul. The enigmatic and rare White-breasted Guineafowl has recently been seen in Ankassa, though our chances of an encounter are slim. Nocturnal excursions may turn up the scarce Akun Eagle-Owl.

Day 7: Ankassa to Kakum. After some additional birding looking for additional species at Ankassa, we’ll head back to Kakum, and in the afternoon might visit a site for Preuss’s Cliff-Swallow.

Day 8: Aboabo and Picathartes. This morning we’ll bird the Aboabo sector of Kakum. This offers great roadside birding, and the open forest allows great viewing opportunities. We may find the spectacular Long-tailed Hawk, Black-capped Apalis, Blue-headed Crested-Flycatcher, and a bunch of cuckoos including the local Yellow-throated Cuckoo. Treetop flocks may yield the strange nuthatch-like Preuss’s Weaver. In the afternoon it is full steam ahead for the Yellow-headed Picathartes. A short hike into some steamy jungle will put us in position. There we will wait, scouring the rainforest vines and cave floor for the “rockfowl”, which traditionally come into roost in the afternoon. This is sure to be the tour highlight, as the Picathartes is a truly odd, absolutely unique bird that bring people to Ghana from all corners of the globe. We overnight in Kumasi.

Day 9: Kumasi to Mole NP. This day will see us emerge out of the rainforest belt that dominates the southern half of Ghana into the Guinea savanna that stretches across the north. The switch in habitats will bring us many new species in the process. These should include some widespread savanna species such as Bearded Barbet, Abyssinian Roller, Senegal Eromomela, African Golden Oriole and Pearl-spotted Owlet.

Days 10-11: Mole NP. Mole is northern Ghana’s flagship park. Some large herds of elephants still roam in the park and can often be seen right from our resort terrace, along with some other wildlife such as Kob, Waterbuck, and Bushbuck. The open savanna and woodlands hold some very different species from those found in the rainforests of the south. Checking the few remaining waterholes at this time can be a boon for finches, with five species of firefinch possible, along with Red-winged Pytilias, Lavender, Orange-cheeked and Black-rumped Waxbills, and Village Indigobirds in addition to Cinnamon-breasted and Cabanis’ Buntings. Aside from that, Mole is a great site for quality nightbirds. Checking a deserted runway may produce a few of the ridiculous male Standard-winged Nightjars, while Northern White-faced Owl and even the glowing Pel’s Fishing-Owl are all found within the park. Checking the densely leaved trees beside any of the small waterholes may lead us to a daytime roosting Pel’s, and right around our hotel Grayish Eagle Owls and Freckled Nightjars can both be regularly found.

Day 12: Mole NP to Tongo Hills. We will head north from Mole NP into the hot, dry Upper East region. Our destination will be the Tongo Hills, where will seek out birds of the hill country such as Fox Kestrel and Rock-loving Cisticola. En route we will also check a spot for the “jewel of the Nile”, Egyptian plover. Passing through some good habitat along the way should also bring us some further quality savanna woodland birds such as roaming parties of White Helmetshrikes, Rufous-crowned and Blue-bellied Rollers, and Grasshopper Buzzards or Dark Chanting Goshawks may be found standing sentry by the roadside.  At the end of the day we’ll check into a Bolgatanga hotel for two nights.

Day 13: Tono Dam. The savanna woodlands that fringe this large dam hold Chestnut-bellied and Long-tailed Glossy-Starling, Vieillot’s Barbet, Yellow-billed Shrike, often a day-roosting African Scops Owl, African Quailfinch, and Long-tailed Nightjar, while the dam itself can be good for huge roaming flocks of the odd Spur-winged Goose.

Day 14: Bolgatanga to Kumasi. We’ll spend the day traveling south from the Upper East region, returning to Kumasi for another night.

Day 15: Bobiri Forest Reserve to Accra. Bobiri is a secluded forest reserve just outside Kumasi that is a key site for the diminutive Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill. The site also offers up Africa’s smallest bird, Tit-hylia, in addition to Africa’s smallest woodpecker, the tiny African Piculet. Other possibilities include Black Dwarf Hornbill, Black-throated Coucal, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Gabon Woodpecker, Fraser’s Forest Flycatcher and the magnificent Long-tailed Hawk. We return to Accra in the afternoon where this tour will draw to a close.

Please note that we have temporarily eliminated Atewa from our itinerary. The state of disrepair of the road that climbs to the higher reaches of Atewa has caused its owners to close the road temporarily, even to 4×4 vehicles. It is still possible to reach the area but an arduous 3-4 hour walk starting well before dawn is required and we do not think this is a feasible hike to do on a departure day. Justifying a visit to this site and an extra day on tour hardly seems worthwhile. Even though the farm bush sectors below may offer a few specialties (Magpie Mannikin, and Western Bluebill) Atewa is only a justifiable stop if we are able to give its marque species (like Nimba Flycatcher, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Tessmann’s Flycatcher, Forest Scrub Robin, Yellow-footed Honeyguide and many others) a fair, deserved and realistic chance. We believe that the state of the road precludes that.

TRIP CONSIDERATIONS

CLIMATE: For the most part hot, and very humid also in the rainforest areas of southern Ghana. The savanna areas of the north are pleasantly dry and hot. There is a chance of rain at this time of year, though usually it is concentrated in small heavy bursts that should not interrupt birding too much.

DIFFICULTY: The walking throughout is easy going. There is one moderately demanding hike for the Picathartes that takes around an hour at slow pace. The toughest part of this trip is the climate, being hot and humid in the southern rainforest areas and dry and hot in the north of Ghana.

ACCOMMODATION: Moderate to good throughout. In general, the food and accommodations are of a high standard compared to most of the rest of West Africa. Please note that hot water is not available at Mole NP or Bolgatanga, but the climate is hot and humid, so it is not essential. All accomodation has private en-suite facilities.