These two small remote islands in the Gulf of Guinea form an independent republic. They are situated on the equator and are the southern extension of a volcanic ridge which runs from Mount Cameroon farther north. In the interior, extensive tracts of rainforest, dripping from the constant rain, cover the steep, precipitous, uninhabited slopes of the towering volcanic mountains, often obscured by the clinging mist and cloud. Many of the endemics are globally threatened, and we will endeavour to locate as many as possible. We will traverse the coastal regions of São Tomé looking for the most obvious endemics such as São Tomé Prinia and São Tomé Spinetail, and the localized Golden-backed Bishop (introduced from Angola). Others such as Giant Sunbird and Giant Weaver are best found in the rainforest and we will walk forest paths festooned with creepers in order to look for them. Amazingly, here in the mountains we are likely to see the magnificent White-tailed Tropicbird cruising along the precipice like cliffs where it nests. Príncipe holds as many as seven endemics of its own. Very similar in appearance São Tomé, with lofty peaks covered in rainforest, the endemic birds are readily accessible around a luxurious beach resort.

São Tomé and Príncipe (8 days)
 
Day 1. Sunday: Libreville - São Tomé. Today we fly to São Tomé and start our search for its endemic birds. The northeastern coastline comprises dry woodland and agriculture mixed with estuaries and mangroves. Endemics here comprise São Tomé Prinia and Newton's Yellow-breasted Sunbird, and these should soon be found, perhaps followed by a São Tomé Spinetail emerging from a nest cavity in a tree. Amongst the grasslands we should see Golden-backed and Black-winged Red Bishops, White-winged Widowbird, African Masked Weaver and Pin-tailed Whydah.

Days 2-3. Monday & Tuesday: Southern São Tomé. We spend two days and one night on an optional camping expedition to the south of the island. After a 1.5 hr drive, we walk and bird up the hill for three hours. The walk is moderately strenuous when dry, but can be wet and slippery if it decides to rain. We set up a basic camp on top of the mountain, and based form here we will seek out the rarest of the endangered and scarce endemics in the island, including the shy Dwarf Olive Ibis and the football-sized nests of the Giant Weaver. On the edge of old palm plantations we will look for São Tomé Olive Pigeon, São Tomé Bronze-naped Pigeon and São Tomé Green Pigeon feeding in the fruiting trees or perching high in the canopy and basking in the sun after the mist has cleared. Fortunately, São Tomé Scops Owl sometimes calls by day, which may enable us to locate this tiny and exquisite bird. Nearer the campsite we’ll look for Bocage’s Longbill, and make special attempts to find the critically endangered Newton’s Fiscal as well as the once thought to be extinct São Tomé Grosbeak. After two nights, we return to São Tomé City for a welcome warm shower on the night of day three. For those not so eager on camping, the good news is that with the exception of the Ibis, the fiscal, grosbeak and Longbill…most other birds can be viewed at lower elevations, and we will gladly arrange for you to stay at one of the comfortable tourist “Rocas” for the duration of any camping-out nights.

Days 4-5. Wednesday & Thursday: São Tomé. We spend the next couple of days exploring the island’s interior, particularly the Botanical gardens at Bom Successo, where we shall be concentrating on the central highlands avifauna. Here, cocoa plantations and lush forests cover deep valleys replete with gorgeous streams and rivers. These paths should reveal the São Tomé race of the Malachite Kingfisher, Gulf of Guinea Thrush, São Tomé Oriole, São Tomé Paradise Flycatcher, Príncipe White-eye, São Tomé Spierops and Príncipe Seedeater. Parties should reveal small groups of São Tomé Weavers as they cling, nuthatch-like, to mossy tree trunks. The São Tomé Giant Sunbird should reveal themselves with their staccato piping call while feeding on hibiscus plants. Nights in São Tomé city. We start preparing for our journey to the spectacular tropical paradise of Príncipe.

Day 6. Friday: Príncipe. This morning we will take a short flight across to the island of Príncipe for a one night stay, spending the rest of the day exploring the island. If the weather is clear, we will see the high, distinctly phallus-shaped mountains of the interior, formed from eroded volcanic plugs and craters, with their heavily forested slopes. The forest adjacent to our luxury lodge should find us in the thick of the island bird life. The brightly coloured Príncipe Golden Weaver can be seen nest building in the trees whilst the Príncipe Sunbird, Príncipe Kingfisher, Príncipe Glossy Starling and Príncipe Drongo are common. The subtle and beautiful Príncipe Speirops is rarer but we should find them gleaning in the canopy like white-eyes, their close relative. The Dohrn's Thrush-Babbler normally reveals itself with an explosive yet melodic song. This very unusual bird is a taxonomic enigma that is quite unlike any other African passerine, and is a total puzzle as to its affinities and origins! Once we have managed all the endemic species, we shall concentrate on the endemic sub-species as some of these may merit full species status. In particular the Blue-breasted Kingfisher and Lemon Dove are worthy of looking at. Other species in the forests include African Green Pigeon, Laughing Dove, African Emerald Cuckoo and Common Waxbill. The afternoon will allow us some leisurely snorkelling or sea-watching opportunities.

Day 7. Saturday: Príncipe - São Tomé. This morning we return to São Tomé where we spend the rest of the day either mopping up specialties or enjoying the distinct island life of this former Portuguese colony.

Day 8. Sunday: São Tomé - Libreville. After some final birding on São Tomé we will catch an afternoon flight back to Libreville, where the tour draws to close.

Main Gabon tour (14 days)

Day 1. Arrival in Libreville. Today is an arrival day for everyone, we gather at one of Libreville’s select  hotels for an overnight stay.

Day 2. Libreville – Lambarene- Lope NP: Today we are met by our convoy of sturdy 4x4’s and head off eastwards through magnificent swathes of rainforest until we reach Lambarene for lunch. Birding en route can be prolific and we will have to fight back our instincts to avoid stopping too often if we are to reach our destination in good time. Scanning the mighty Ogoue River and its sand banks we hope to tease out riverine gems such as Grey Pratincole, African Skimmer and White-headed Lapwing.  The final stretches before reaching Lope NP are on rough terrain, but we should reach Lope with enough light to bird some of the grasslands, wetlands and riverine forest edge surrounding our comfortable hotel.
   
Days 3-4. Réserve de la Lopé.  The Réserve de la Lopé was established in 1982. The lodge, overlooking the Ogooué River, is quite stunning and is surrounded by fantastic habitat. The river, which forms the northern park boundary, is scattered with rocks and boulders. The rushing waters support Water Thick-knee, Rock Pratincole, Pied Kingfisher and African Pied Wagtail. Along its scrub-covered banks we may see the beautiful Violet-tailed Sunbird, as well as Reichenbach's, Copper, Green-headed and Green-throated Sunbirds. La Lopé is an extraordinary mosaic of habitats, including rivers, plains, bush savanna and gallery forest that blends into a dense dark forest filled with massive liana-draped trees and tangled thickets. This magnificent forest is home to many avian specialities, including the rare and localized Dja River Scrub Warbler. This skulking Bradypterus requires a concerted effort to find, but thus far has never eluded us. Exploring La Lopé’s rolling grasslands we should find a wealth of grassland species such as Long-legged Pipit, Yellow-throated Longclaw, and several species of cisticola, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Orange-cheeked Waxbill and on well-grazed or burnt areas Black-chinned Quailfinch, and often the nomadic Forbe’s Plover. In the adjacent scrub the immaculate Blue-breasted Bee-eaters are draped along the bushes and Black-headed Batis calls monotonously. The forest edge may yield the glorious Black Bee-eater, while the repetitive Whistling and Chattering Cisticolas call alongside. Barbets are common here and we may find Naked-faced Barbets and Speckled, Yellow-throated and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds. The forest interior may reveal a  bird party and we will try to find Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush, Green Hylia, Buff-throated Apalis, African Paradise Flycatcher, Western Black-headed and Black-winged Orioles, Yellow-mantled and Dark-backed Weavers and Blue-billed, Cassin's, Red-bellied and Red-headed Malimbes as well as an array of greenbuls which could include Little, Little Grey, Plain, Slender-billed, Yellow-whiskered, Golden, Honeyguide, Red-tailed and White-bearded Greenbuls and Green-tailed Bristlebill. Hornbills are excellent indicator species of climax forest and we’ll keep an eye open for the superb White-crested Hornbill with its elongated tail, African Pied and Piping Hornbills, and the massive and rather antediluvian Black-casqued Wattled Hornbill.

Other species that we might encounter on our walks and drives through the area include African Harrier-Hawk, Palm-nut Vulture, Black Sparrowhawk, Crowned Eagle, Blue-spotted Wood and Red-eyed Doves, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Grey Parrot, the fabulous Great Blue and Guinea Turacos, Blue-headed and Gabon Coucals, Yellowbill, Bates's Swift, Woodland and Shining-blue Kingfishers, Red-chested Swallow, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Banded Prinia, Green and Lemon-bellied Crombecs, Fraser's Forest and Shrike-Flycatcher, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, many sunbirds, Black-shouldered Puffback, Western Nicator, Purple-headed and Splendid Glossy Starlings, and Black-necked, Orange and Vieillot's Black Weavers. We will also search for the incredible Long-tailed Hawk or the bizarre Lyre-tailed Honeyguide performing its display flight over the canopy. La Lopé hides a healthy fauna including the forest forms of the African Buffalo, African Elephant, several small forest antelopes and cercopithecine monkeys. Gorillas and Chimps are present but are hard to come across, unlike  Mandrill’s which with a bit of luck can be heard and tracked down, or radio tracked if anyone is keen to put in the effort and join the local researchers for a morning or afternoon tracking session. 

Days 5-6. Mikongo Camp (Lope NP). Designed to become the prime Lowland Gorilla Trekking station in the country, Mikongo Camp saw its dreams slashed by the intransigence and difficulty of habituating Lowland Gorillas.  Today, tracking Gorillas here is possible, however getting a good sighting requires a healthy dose of luck. However, our aim bird here is no less mythical than Gorillas, and far more plausible – the Red-headed Picathartes also known as Grey-necked Rockfowl. A bit of a systematic conundrum this enigmatic species has been misclassified as a crow, a starling, a flycatcher some kind of Thrush and even a Babbler…but has finally found its peace on its own family closely related to a  bunch of archaeo-endemic African lineages such as Rockjumpers and Sugarbirds.  Over the next few days walks through the forest will aim to gravitate towards active nesting colonies of this species hoping to see some arrive at dusk to roost.  During our wanderings in the depths of this primal rainforest we can hope to encounter Latham’s Forest Francolin, Black Guineafowl, Vermiculated Fishing Owl and Fraser’s Eagle Owl, Gray-headed Broadbill, Black-faced Rufous Warbler, White-browed Forest Flycatcher, Violet-backed Hyliota, Blue Cuckooshrike, Honeyguide and Sjostedt’s Greenbul, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Black-capped Illadopsis, Forest White-eye, Woodhouse’s Antpecker and a flurry of colourful Malimbes to boot.

Other mammal delights in this forest realm include Crowned, Moustached and Putty-nosed Monkeys, Black Colobus and Grey-cheeked Mangabey. Mandrills are here too but out-witting the sentries in this turf is almost unimaginable. Yellow backed and Blue Duikers abound, whilst encounters with Forest elephant and Red River Hog can be frequent.

Day 7. Mikongo to Makoukou. Essentially a driving day, we will criss cross gallery and magnificent rainforests on a general easterly bearing. Birding en route is tempting and rather distracting as we continually flush from the roadside crimson flashes of Black-bellied seed-eaters, hulking Western Bluebills, doves, hornbills and unsuspecting game.  The several river crossings along the way will increase our chances at scoring at least a glimpse of Shinning Blue Kingfisher, the industrious and well camouflaged Cassin’s Flycatcher and per chance the shy African Finfoot.

Ipassa Reserve near the larger town of Makokou is our destination for the next four nights.  Not only is this 10 000 ha reserve one of the richest Equatorial Forest areas for birding, it is also a well known migratory hot spot for the enigmatic African River Martin, whom at times congregate here in numbers hard to describe. 

Day 8-10. Ipassa Reserve (Ivindo Basin). An excellent network of research trails allows for great access into the depths of this superb reserve.  We will hope to locate and track down as many bird parties as possible and  from their midst  tease out gems  such as Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Black Dwarf Hornbill, Yellow-billed Turaco, Bare-cheeked Trogon, Gabon Coucal, White-spotted Wattle-eye, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Ansorge’s, Icterine, Xaviers and White-bearded Greenbul, Yellow-throated Nicator, Grey Longbill, Gosling’s Apalis, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Pale-breasted Negrofinch, Tit-Hylia, Forest Penduline Tit, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Gray-throated Tit-flycatcher, Fraser’s and Bate’s Sunbird, Rachel’s Malimbe, Maxwell’s Black ,Preuss’s Golden backed and Yellow-capped Weavers.

The more open areas provide a better chance to locate raptors such as Congo Serpent Eagle, Crowned Eagle, Ayre’s and Cassin’s Hawk Eagle. Scaly Francolin and White-spotted Fluftails abound but are hard to see at the forest edge. At emerging snags we hope to locate Blue-throated Rollers or cooing Afep Pigeons….and possibly White-thighed Hornbills.  A stunning cast of barbets namely Grey-throated, Bristle-nosed, Yellow-spotted, Streaky-throated and Yellow-billed barbets should be present too. Lower down in open woodlands Western Nicator, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Verreaux’s Batis, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Cassin’s Malimbe, Chestnut-breasted Negrofinch and per chance Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk may be spotted.  At dawn and dusk we will try our luck locating Black and Plumed Guineafowls, Sjostedt’s and Wood Owl and the possible overflying shapes of Olive or Spot-breasted Ibis.
Boat rides here are possible and often churn out a bagful of goodies such as African Finfoot, Hartlaub’s duck, White-backed Night Heron, Leaflove, Brown and Bate’s Nightjars. 

Day 11. Makokou to Leconi.  Mostly a driving day, today we aim to reach Leconi, a tiny town a stone throw away from the DRC’s border.  En route we will stop for any interesting birds in particular Red-throated Cliff Swallows that nest underneath some of the larger bridges, and stakeout perches of Black-headed Bee-eater.

Days 12-13 Leconi. The 'Highlands of Gabon' area between Franceville and the Congo border is the main area of interest for birders in south eastern Gabon. Here the land rises and the rainforest gives way to mixed habitat. This area is spectacular and is covered by a mosaic of grassland and copses of Miombo (Brachystegia) woodland and is frequented by the localised and delightfully plumaged Congo Moor Chat which frequently perches up on bushes. Two other species, Black-chinned Weaver and Finsch's Francolin, require considerable more effort to locate. Other species in the open grassland include the distinctive local forms of the White-bellied (Barrow’s) Bustard and the Rufous-naped (Malbrandt’s) Lark as well as Red-necked and Coqui Francolins, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Temminck's Courser, Flappet Lark, Banded Martin, Plain-backed and Short-tailed Pipits, Sooty Chat, Tinkling and Dambo Cisticolas, and Neddicky. Raptors are a feature of this open landscape and we might encounter Black-shouldered Kite, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Dark Chanting Goshawk and Red-necked Buzzard. The nearby scrub holds the taxonomic enigma, the Black-collared Bulbul as well as Striped, African Pygmy and Brown-hooded Kingfishers, White-fronted and Little Bee-eaters, Black Wood-Hoopoe, African and Didric Cuckoos, Double-toothed Barbet, Red-throated Wryneck, Cardinal Woodpecker, African Broadbill, Woodland Pipit, Petit's Cuckoo-Shrike, White-browed Scrub Robin, Common Stonechat, Salvadori's and Green-capped Eremomelas, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Pale Flycatcher, Chinspot Batis, Angola Batis, White-winged Black Tit, Amethyst, Johanna's and Violet-backed Sunbirds, Fiscal Shrike, Northern Puffback, Black-crowned Tchagra, Lühder's Bush Shrike, Square-tailed and Fork-tailed Drongos, Pied Crow, Violet-backed Starling, Yellow-throated Petronia, Black-throated and Yellow-fronted Canaries and Cabanis's Bunting. The Red-capped Crombec, Souza's Shrike and Perrin's Bush Shrike occur at very low densities and if we are lucky we may encounter one of these. Another star bird, the Black-headed Bee-eater, can occasionally be found hawking insects at the forest edge.

Day 14. Leconi to Franceville and Libreville. Today we drive back to Franceville and catch a flight back to Libreville in the evening.  

Loango National Park Extension (2010) (7 days)

Loango NP will be included in the main tour for 2011 and will not be offered as an extension. The updated itineraries will be posted here when the 2010 tours finish.

Days 1-6: Loango Lodge and Loango National Park. This morning we fly south to the marvellous Loango National Park where we shall base ourselves for the next five nights. This area is renown for its phenomenal birds and is combined with the best wildlife viewing in Central Africa. Some of our first birds could include flocks of Black-bellied Seedcrackers, Bluebills and Bronze and Black-and-white Mannikins flying up from the roadsides. The main attraction at Loango between September and December is the bizarre African River Martin, which passes through the area at this time of year on migration from areas unknown to its coastal and riverine breeding grounds in the southwest. If conditions are right we have an excellent chance of seeing this most peculiar hirundine during our stay; indeed it can often be seen from the hotel itself. We are also likely to pick up the magnificent Rosy Bee-eater that occurs in this area in large numbers at this time.

We will check into a brand new lodge, complete with a bar, restaurant and bungalows, beneath the palms alongside the long inlet separating the lodge from Petit Loango NP. The area around the lodge holds Forbes's Plover, Senegal Lapwing, Fraser’s Forest-Flycatcher, Shining-blue Kingfisher, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Rufous-bellied Helmetshrikes, Black Bee-eaters, Cassin's Malimbes, Blue-throated Roller, Black-chinned Quailfinch.

During our stay here we will make forays into the massive adjacent National Park which is filled with a variety of habitats including grassy plains, swamp forest and grassland, gallery forest, savanna and lowland equatorial forest. From deep in the forest come the bouncing calls of Blue-headed Wood Doves and sometimes the echoing resonant hoots of Narina Trogons, or even Bare-cheeked Trogons. Other distinctive species include the spectacular Chocolate-backed and Blue-breasted Kingfishers and several cuckoos including Black, Olive Long-tailed and Klaas's Cuckoos.

We will also seek White-crested Hornbill, Red-chested Goshawk, Long-tailed Hawk, White-bellied Kingfisher, White-browed Forest-Flycatchers, Grey Pratincole, Superb Sunbird, African Cuckoo-Hawks, Western Bluebill and Fire-crested Alethe. We may also score the delightful Black-headed Bee-eater which is regular but rare at this locality. Other accompanying species may include the diminutive Buff-spotted Woodpecker, the marvellous Blue and Purple-throated Cuckoo-Shrikes, Yellow and Grey Longbills, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Chestnut-capped and Blue-headed Crested Flycatchers, Bates's Paradise Flycatcher, Fraser's Sunbird and Northern Red-billed Helmet Shrike. The diversity of bulbuls found here is astonishing. Over twenty species occur including Swamp Palm Bulbul, Ansorge's, Sjöstedt's Honeyguide, Spotted, Yellow-necked, Simple, White-throated, Icterine, Xavier's and Eastern Bearded Greenbuls and Red-tailed Bristlebill. Patience will be required to locate the skulkers of the undergrowth such as Fire-crested and Brown-chested Alethes, White-tailed and Red-tailed Ant-Thrushes, Brown Illadopsis and Blackcap Illadopsis. At the forest edge we should find the somewhat comical Vanga Flycatcher with its bright yellow eye and elongated crest. In one of the open savanna areas we shall have a clear view of the treetops, making it far easier to see canopy species such as flycatchers and barbets including Grey-throated, Bristle-nosed, Yellow-spotted, Hairy-breasted and Yellow-billed Barbets, and Afep Pigeons that perch in only the highest snags.

Amongst the many other birds we will be looking for are the near-mythical Congo Serpent Eagle, Cassin's Hawk Eagles, Mottled Spinetail, Blue-throated Roller, White-thighed Hornbills, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Green-backed, Brown-eared and Gabon Woodpeckers, Rufous-sided Broadbill, White-chinned Prinia, Black-capped Apalis, Yellow-browed and Olive-green Camaropteras, Chestnut and White-spotted Wattle-eyes, Brown-headed Tchagra, Sooty Boubou, Yellow-throated Nicator, Olive-bellied Sunbird, Crested Malimbe, Black-headed Waxbill and Magpie Mannikin. White-spotted Flufftails should be found here easily. Along the rivers we ought to see African Finfoot, African Giant Kingfisher, White-throated Blue Swallow and Cassin's Grey Flycatcher. Nocturnal excursion on these same rivers may reveal the amazing Pel’s and Vermiculated Fishing-Owls.

We will also never be far from great mammals such as Buffalos, Elephants and Red River Hogs. Of course these would all be upstaged by an interaction with the Lowland Gorillas or local troops of Chimpanzee that are encountered fairly regularly in this area.

Day 7: Loango-Libreville. Morning at Loango and then fly back to Libreville. The tour finishes in Libreville.


Tour info: 

CLIMATE: Hot and humid in the lowlands, cool and pleasant in the highlands of São Tomé and Príncipe.

DIFFICULTY: The main tour is mostly easy. On the extension, one moderately difficult hike and camping are optional on São Tomé to see the rare endemics.

ACCOMODATION: On the main trip, accommodation is mostly very good. On the islands extension accommodation is very good although camping is optional one night on São Tomé.