Picture by Lieven De Temmerman ©

INTRODUCTION

Ghana offers the most accessible birding areas to see a good part of the Upper Guinea Endemics and some more widespread but still highly desired species. A 2-week trip should be sufficient to cover the Southern forests, while a 3-week trip could include Mole NP to cover savannah and Sahel species, and bird at a somewhat slower pace.

Many thanks go out to Robert Ntakor from Birding Tour Adventures for a smooth logistical organization.

ITINERARY

Notes on the schedule: We thought long and hard about including Mole NP, but this would take too much time driving (without birding) to get there. Moreover, most of the species (except a handful) can be seen in other countries, while the Southern forests required all the time we had, and contain 95% of the target birds. Some target birds are still very hard to see in Ghana (think about White-breasted Guineafowl or Western Wattled Cuckooshrike), or in other parts of their range (Rufous Fishing Owl, Spot-breasted Ibis, so we tried to maximize the time in the most promising blocks of forest (Kakum, Ankasa, Picathartes forest).

Download kml file with all gps coordinates

PRACTICALITIES

Organization / guiding

We started planning with 2 participants and initially opted for an independent trip using public transport or self-driving. As the group grew up to 5 persons and given the short time and the long wish list of birds, we opted to book at least a car + driver. Eventually, we ended up with a local specialist bird guide arranging the full package. This probably saved us a few days and for sure delivered more species in total, and, importantly, more species seen by all participants.

We decided to go with Robert Ntakor. When preparing the trip, he answered swiftly on all our questions through email, his price was right and we more-or-less knew he was good (through other reports, and he is mentioned in the field guide).

Robert has been guiding for all major bird tour companies, and now guides within his own company: Birding Tours Ghana. Robert is one of the top bird guides in Ghana, at many levels: firstly, probably needless to say, Robert knows his stuff and he is very good at finding birds. He was always thinking about our target list, was very flexible and even suggested earlier starting times every day than we had in mind (think 3:30). He is a relaxed and easy-going person, and his love for bushwhacking was shared by all of us - and vice versa.

Transport

For transport, Robert hired a trusted driver (Michel) who was always smiling, drove very safely and was never complaining about early departures / driving in the dark,... We comfortably fit into a Toyota HiAce minibus with air-conditioning. This was a convenient car for our trip. The trail in Ankasa can be impossible to pass with a car like this when muddy. As it was fairly dry, we could drive a long way into the park, but the car suffered a bit. Most, if not all sites can be easily reached with public transport, but this will be more time-consuming and will thus require some more patience. If applicable, driving times are indicated and some info is given for each site about how easy it should be to reach with public transport.

Accommodation & food

Robert arranged all accommodation on beforehand. Hotels were either basic (think about a bed, a fan, a table and a bit of water in the bathroom + non-flushing toilets, sometimes a bit deteriorating) or good standard (airco, nice tiles, water, working toilet), but we choose the hotels more with birding in mind than comfort. That is why e.g. we stayed at the basic rainforest lodge within Kakum NP, instead of the rainforest lodge preferred by most tour groups. The latter is half an hour driving from the entrance (thus less convenient). The hotel in Ankasa was of good standard, and conveniently located to buy some food to be self sufficient for full days of birding. Robert was not too shy to change some pre-booked hotels, e.g. one day less near Nsuta in the D&A guesthouse (good standard) and one night more around the Picathartes forest (basic). The hotel in Bobiri was very conveniently located and had a cozy dining room. The hotel near Atewa was a bit more basic but still OK.

Hotels:
- Kakum: Kakum NP accommodation - 5.34723496, -1.38305299
- Azuleti: Nzulezu Lodge - 5.08969696, -2.56781296
- Shama: D&A Guesthouse - 5.0096150, -1.6341930
- Aburaso: Tina's Holiday Inn, but we stayed not here as it was fully booked - 6.05518500, -1.38767503
- Bobiri BR: Bobiri Reserve accommodation - 6.68736096, -1.34409802
- Asiakwa: Alexco Hotel - 6.25935601, -0.506703983
- Ho: Kekeli Hotel - 6.60266501, 0.476350011

Food:
As we were all vegetarians (or sympathizing with vegetarians, for the trip), we mainly ate fried rice with vegetables and egg. During the day, we ate some bread and butter, and some expertly selected fruits (mango, banana, pineapple). While most birdwatchers are taken to the more fancy restaurants (more expensive), we like the local restaurants and cuisine as well (redred, fufu, ...).

Money

In the larger cities ATM's were found fairly easily, although VISA cards are more widely accepted than MASTER cards. Before starting our trip we withdrew and exchanged some Ghanaian Cedi (GHS) at the airport in Accra. Changing EUR or USD is possible at the airport and in all banks or even larger hotels. Credit cards are not widely accepted - at least in the places we visited.

For the currency rate read more at the XE Currency Converter site.

Weather

The climate was invariably hot and humid, even at night. An A/C or fan is certainly welcome for sleeping. We only lost half a day in Kakum and half a day in Atewa due to pouring rain. April is only just before the start if the raining season. Most tours go a bit earlier in the year. We found bird activity somewhat low as well as the responsiveness to playback. This might be better in an other period... Read more at the Weather And Climate site.

Health and safety

We encountered neither health problems nor safety problems at all. We often ate out in local restaurants and on the street and barely suffered any travellers' diseases. We only drank bottled water and made sure that we always had enough bottles in the car as the stock declined rapidly due to the hot weather. As Malaria is present in Ghana we took prophylaxis for the whole time. On beforehand we all made sure to have a valid Yellow Fever vaccination (reference: Institute of Tropical Medicine).

Visa

It is possible to get your tourist visa upon arrival, but we felt it was safer to have it arranged on beforehand. It needed some patience and visiting the embassey in Brussels twice to get the job done. Read more at the Ghanaian Embassy website.

Electricity

Most plugs encountered were type G, which require an adapter for the standard European plug. Blackouts were encountered only a few times. But it's still best to bring enough rechargeable batteries and a power bank for smartphone, iPod, etc. Read more at the Worldstandards website.

© Lieven De Temmerman

VISITED SITES

Below is a list of the sites we birded. There is no real site guide or online all-in-one resource covering the birding sites in Ghana. Therefore most information came from various trip reports on www.cloudbirders.com. These were the most useful reports:

• Merrill, 2010
• Jacob, 2012
• Burne, 2011

Kakum NP

The boardwalk at Kakum is undoubtedly the main attraction of the park. Many W-African specialty birds firmly stick to the canopy, so they can be easily seen from one of the sturdy platforms approx. 30 meters above ground level. The park is about 30 km north of Cape Coast towards Twifo Praso.

We spent our first full morning on the first platform (5.35322399, -1.383965034), in the hope that we would avoid stiff necks for the rest of the journey. Birds kept coming and going and we never had a dull moment. In the afternoon, we birded the forest trails (Akwaaba Trail) below the canopy walk. Many good target birds were found from these trails. Our first night was very successful as both Akun and Fraser's Eagle Owl were found around our accommodation and the restaurant (5.347234960, -1.383052999).

Our second day we birded the bush farm just South of the forest, starting at 5.342231970, -1.376612009 We found many different species, but a second try on the (rather expensive) boardwalk in the afternoon was much slower, and birding was hampered a bit by a period of heavy rain. At night, we still managed to find Brown Nightjar below the boardwalk.

On our last morning, we birded a section of the Abrufo forest to the South-west of the main park entrance, before undertaking our long drive towards Ankasa. The dirt track starts at (5.328855961, -1.378932958) and we continued for a few kilometres.

Highlights: Akun Eagle-Owl (1 near the cabanas), Brown Nightjar (1 seen and 1 heard inside the forest under the canopy walk 5.35441209,-1.38262714), Brown-cheeked Hornbill (up to 7 birds seen in total), Little Green Woodpecker (a single bird, the only for the trip at 5.35347528,-1.38375086), Melancholy Woodpecker (1 heard only), Fire-bellied Woodpecker (2 birds), West African Wattle-eye (4 birds most in secondary growth), Red-cheeked Wattle-eye (2 in the scrub of Abrufo area 5.34755625,-1.37234847), Sabine's Puffback (4 seen near Akwaaba), Western Bearded Greenbul (5+ seen in one occasion only), Sharpe's Apalis (daily small numbers seen or heard), Violet-backed Hyliota (a pair seen from the canopy walk), Finsch's Rufous Thrush (daily seen or heard), White-tailed Alethe (a single bird inside the forest), Ussher's Flycatcher (2 birds), Buff-throated Sunbird (a few seen), Long-tailed Hawk (1 bird), Black-throated Coucal (2 birds heard at the forest edge), Black Cuckoo (1 heard), Fraser's Eagle-Owl (1 near the cabanas), Rosy Bee-eater (2 flocks overhead totalling 7 birds), Red-fronted Parrot (8), Simple Greenbul (5+ in the secondary growth of Akwaaba), Fraser's Forest Flycatcher (2 birds), Little Grey Flycatcher (2 single birds 5.35348024,-1.38374586), Johanna's Sunbird (only 1 bird here), Maxwell's Black Weaver (a few encounters of flocks).

Ankobra River & Ebi River

We stopped on the way to Ankasa at the Amanzule River (4.94753602892, -2.37449602224) where we readily saw Mangrove Sunbird but not much else in the heat of the late morning. Another stop at the Ebi river (4.96280198917, -2.4079129938) produced two good birds: our only couple of Reichenbach's Sunbird and a single Hartlaub's Duck. We did not stay for long as we were still trying to reach Half Assini before dark...

On the way back from Ankasa, a stop at the scenic Ankobra river mouth (4.90318796597, -2.26933197118) resulted in great views of White-throated blue swallow.

Highlights: Mangrove Sunbird (3 birds), Reichenbach's Sunbird (3 birds).

Half Assini

Half Assini is approx. 40 minutes driving from the turn-off to the main Agona-Elubo road. Until shortly, tour groups spent the night here when visiting Ankasa NP, but as there are good options to sleep and eat closer to the park nowadays (see below), the only reason to visit Half Assini is a reliable stake-out for Carmelite Sunbird.

The sunbird is quickly found throughout the year, even when the tree is not flowering. We had a quick late evening stop at (5.04895697348, -2.87611202337) and later on we walked to the beach. We only found some common species and about no birds at sea.

Highlights: Carmelite Sunbird (up to 10 birds in a flowering tree next to the road).

Ankasa Reserve (Nini Suhien NP)

Nsutu Forest

While Nsutu forest is probably as good as many other forests in Ghana, it was degraded around the (very wide) road that went through. Many big trees are logged, resulting in broken canopy. The plus side is that views on the (few) big trees are good, facilitating scanning of potentially good canopy species. We were based in de D&A Guesthouse in Shama (5.0096150022, -1.6341930069).

Basically, we birded along the main road about 5km beyond the small village of Sekyere Krobo - around here 5.27696401812, -1.63813501596.

Highlights: Latham's Francolin (1 seen on it's night roost, another heard), Akun Eagle-Owl (1 bird at 5.28959765,-1.64449813), Brown-cheeked Hornbill (a single bird), Fire-bellied Woodpecker (at least 3 bird seen), Sabine's Puffback (1 bird), Sharpe's Apalis (only a few heard), Copper-tailed Starling (1), Ussher's Flycatcher (1), Buff-throated Sunbird (4 birds in total), Congo Serpent Eagle (1 bird perched near the road on our way out), Long-tailed Hawk (1), Black-throated Coucal (1 seen and a few heard in the vines along the road), Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo (1 bird, the only for the trip 5.28751377,-1.64317578), Red-fronted Parrot (good numbers), Johanna's Sunbird (at least 3 in total), Maxwell's Black Weaver (a few flocks encountered).

Nyamibe Forest

Like most visitors, we didn't really do justice to the forest surrounding the Picathartes stake out. We arrived at the tiny village of Bonkro around 3PM, so we walked straight to the Picathartes knoll. The walk to the site was not really hard, but it was one of the sweatiest places we have ever been in! The Picathartes (2 birds) duly made an appearance around 5PM. We should have been based in Aburaso, but all hotels were fully booked due to a huge funeral ceremony. We ended up quite a bit further south along the road, somewhere in a small roadside hotel...

To get to the Picathartes, take the turnoff in Aburaso at 6.06016200967, -1.39464098029 towards Tonkoase. Here (6.12408930847, -1.32739355606) keep left towards Bonkro. At Bonkro the road stops in the middle of the settlement (6.1474300269, -1.34522203356) and one must park the car and arrange obligatory local guides to take you to the spot.

The southern part of the same forest is one of the few (or even only) sites where Western Wattled Cuckoo-shrike has been sighted in Ghana. So we decided to give this part of the Nyamibe forest a somewhat decent try by spending the best part of the morning on a wide two-track forest dirt trail (6.10000396147, -1.34765303694). We found this place to hold an excellent set of most-wanted birds, but unfortunately did not get a sniff of the enigmatic Cuckoo-shrike.

Highlights: White-necked Rockfowl (2 birds came late afternoon to their nesting knoll 6.1617658,-1.34940139), Forest Penduline Tit (a flock of 4 birds were the only for the trip, 6.10588499,-1.34900959), Kemp's Longbill (2 seen and 1 heard in stunted forest areas, for e.g. at 6.10667626,-1.34918877), Sharpe's Apalis (a few seen and heard), Violet-backed Hyliota (a pair seen at the same spot as the penduline tits), Finsch's Rufous Thrush (a few seen and heard), Tessmann's Flycatcher (a vocal pair seen 6.11059735,-1.35325396), Ahanta Francolin (1 heard), Congo Serpent Eagle (1 heard), Long-tailed Hawk (1 seen), Black-throated Coucal (1 seen and a few heard), Green-tailed Bristlebill (2 birds heard), Little Grey Flycatcher (a single bird), Maxwell's Black Weaver (a small flock seen), Afep Pigeon (2 birds heard only).

Bobiri Butterfly Reserve

Bobiri is a convenient stop between Kumasi and Atewa/Accra. From the main road, turn left (driving towards Accra) at 6.67112597264, -1.37296898291 and keep right at 6.68299198151, -1.36432296596. The accommodation is a bit basic but right in the middle of the reserve (6.68736096472, -1.34409802034).

While we already had seen most of the target species in previous forests, Bobiri was still very rewarding, through the combination of good lodging inside the reserve, a wide trail with good viewpoints and a few good birds that were new for the trip. We sought long and hard for Afep Pigeon and finally found one high up in a tree. In between, we found birds like Black Cuckoo, African Cuckoo-hawk, the western subspecies of Narina Trogon, Tessmann's Flycatcher, 100ths of Magpie Mannakins feeding on the seeding bamboo, and, of course, loads of beautiful butterflies. Our search for Red-chested Owlet was, once again, unfruitful.

Highlights: Latham's Francolin (daily several birds heard), Fire-bellied Woodpecker (1 bird), Red-billed Helmetshrike (daily a flock seen), Sharpe's Apalis (a few heard), Finsch's Rufous Thrush (1 heard), Tessmann's Flycatcher (1 bird seen 6.68865693,-1.34040792), Buff-throated Sunbird (daily small numbers), Long-tailed Hawk (2 birds seen), Afep Pigeon (4 birds heard and eventually 1 seen at 6.6914045,-1.32849285), Black-throated Coucal (daily a few heard), Black Cuckoo (1 bird seen), Brown-necked Parrot (daily small numbers observed), White-throated Greenbul (2 birds in a mixed understory flock), Chestnut-winged Starling (3), Fraser's Forest Flycatcher (2 seen), Johanna's Sunbird (up to 4 seen), Maxwell's Black Weaver (a small flock seen).

Atewa Forest

Located only two hours driving from Accra, the Atewa hills are often the first or last stop on any Ghanaian bird trip. We were conveniently based in Alexco Hotel (6.25935601071, -0.506703983992) in Asiakwa. To reach the Atewa Range, head south and take the dirt track to the right at 6.23123698868, -0.521616982296. A bit further on along this road, take the trail up at the right at 6.22992002405, -0.527129005641.

The lower parts of the trail up the ridge can be good for bush farm species and e.g. Puvell's Illadopsis, while the real key birds are to be found on the ridge. We started the first day by quickly walking up to the ridge in order to bird the good parts of the ridge in the early morning. The better birding starts from 6.23052502982, -0.557580962777. Blue-moustached Bee-eater was readily found (see below), while birds like Four-colored Bush-shrike and Forest Scrub-robin gave us a run for our money. We also had our best views here of White-tailed Alethe, but birding in general was a bit slow. Birding on day two was largely hampered by heavy rain.

Highlights: Blue-moustached Bee-eater (a pair seen on the ridge at 6.23044569,-0.54543269), West African Wattle-eye (up to 4 seen), Western Bearded Greenbul (2 seen), Kemp's Longbill (2 singles heard), Sharpe's Apalis (2 seen and more heard), Copper-tailed Starling (daily small numbers), White-tailed Alethe (in total up to 5 seen), Forest Scrub Robin (1 seen and 2 heard, 6.24219526,-0.55666449), Ussher's Flycatcher (1 seen), Red-fronted Parrot (1), White-throated Greenbul (1 seen), Green-tailed Bristlebill (1 heard), Chestnut-winged Starling (4), Maxwell's Black Weaver (daily good numbers).

Kalakpa NP

We visited this less known park in the east of the country to find some local specialties. We had our accommodation in Ho in Hotel Kekeli (6.60266501829, 0.476350011304). From there it is about 20km SW towards the turnoff for the reserve at :6.48292902857, 0.346585996449. At the end of the dirt road there are some basic HQ (6.46272403188, 0.368358995765) where you have to pay an entrance fee and find a ranger to accompany you.

The birding is done in small gallery forest patches within a savannah area. Both the greenbul and the babbler proved to be very shy and it took quite some time before we had views of them, at exactly the same spot at 6.4525892353, 0.380397336382. The surrounding savannah was very hot and birdless during midday. Both early morning and late evening we did some night driving along the entrance road to get some nightjars.

Highlights: West African Wattle-eye (2 birds seen), Red-cheeked Wattle-eye (1 seen), Baumann's Olive Greenbul (1 seen at 6.45236539,0.38284761 and 2 heard), Black-shouldered Nightjar (3 seen and 1 heard), White-throated Greenbul (a few heard), Capuchin Babbler (1 seen at 6.45249311,0.38109027 and a few heard).

Shai Hills NP

At day trip distance from Accra, the Shai Hills are often the start of a typical bird tour. We included this at the very end - just in case as a back up if we lost time en route. The savannah reserve doesn't hold any highly wanted targets but it makes up for a good introduction to drier Africa. Entrance fees were rather quite high to our opinion...

The entrance is along the main road Accra-Kpong at 5.8840646382, 0.0384559558277. We birded all along the main loop with regular stops and time for exploring by foot. The dry savannah with scattered bushes gets hot fast! A small rocky forest patch at 5.92886796221, 0.0743290409446 was quite productive.

Highlights: Simple Greenbul (1).

Volta River

Having finished birding Shai Hills, we made a small detour on our way back to Accra. We had a brief stop at a marshy area of the River Volta (6.15704298019, 0.0643539894372). No real specialties here but some new water birds for the list... A bit further South we had a nice group of Preuss' Swallows at 6.14804400131, 0.0564159918576

Highlights: none.