Itinerary

1. Day 1: Arrive in Accra, Ghana

   • Get transferred to a bird-friendly hotel after you arrive in Accra, Ghana.
   • Get a good night's rest at Erata Hotel and prepare for your 17-day excursion in Ghana.

2. Day 2: Shai Hills Reserve - Sakumono Lagoon - Winneba Plains

   • Visit 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 and more.

   • After an incredible morning at Shai Hills, you will scan Sakumono Lagoon to add Residential and Migratory Shore Birds to your list and pass the Wenniba Plain before you go to Cape Coast.

   Retire for the day. Stay overnight at Hans Cottage Botel, Cape Coast.

3. Day 3: Kakum National Park (canopy walkway)

   • After an early breakfast, set off to the world-famous Canopy Walkway at Kakum National Park, Ghana's leading destination for bird watching. You will see birds like Black Dwarf Hornbill, Violet Backed Hyliota, White Crested Hornbill, Congo Serpent Eagle and more.

   • Break in the hot afternoon for lunch.

   • During birdwatching in the evening, look for birds returning from their feeding grounds to roost and owls.

   Retire for the day. Stay overnight at Hans Cottage Botel.

4. Day 4: Antwikwaa forest - Twifo Praso and surroundings

   • You will continue birdwatching around Kakum National Park on the 4th Day to cover all the areas around Kakum National Park.

   • Species to cover at this site include Rock Pratincole, White Bibbed Swallow, White Headed Lapwing, Tambourine, Blue Headed Wood And Blue Spotted Wood Dov.

   • Break in the hot afternoon for lunch.

   • During evening birding, look for birds returning from their feeding grounds to roost and owls.

   Retire for the day. Stay overnight at Hans Cottage Botel.

5. Day 5: Abrafo forest

   • Continue birding around Kakum National Park to cover all the areas.

   • Afternoon birding will take place at Nsuta Reserved Forest to pick up some cool birds like Spot Breasted Ibis, Long Tailed Hawk, Congo Serpent Eagle, White Crested Hornbill, Akun Eagle Owl, African Wood Owl, Fraser's Eagle Owl, several Greenbuls, Sunbirds, Barbets and many more others.

   • Have lunch in the afternoon.

   • During birding in the evening, look for birds returning from their feeding grounds to roost and owls.

   Retire for the day. Stay overnight at D&A Lodge, Shama.

6. Day 6: Nsuta reserve forest

   • Drive from your guesthouse to this secondary semi-deciduous forest that protects many quality species. Species we hope to see and photograph here include Red Billed Helmetshrike, Dwarf Bittern, Bristle Nosed Barbet, White Crested Bittern, Spot Breasted Ibis, and Western Bronze Napped Pigeon, among others will be encountered here.

     Break in the hot afternoon for lunch.

   • During birding in the evening, look for birds returning from their feeding grounds to roost and owls.

   Retire for the day. Stay overnight at D & A Lodge, Shama.

7. Day 7: Nsuta Reserve Forest - Ankasa Reserve Forest

   • Continue birding around Nsuta Reserved Forest.

   • Afternoon birding will take place along the way to Ankasa to pick up some birds like Hartlaub's Duck, Pygmy Goose, Allen's Gallinule, Orange Weaver, Reichenbach's Sunbird, Brown Sunbird, Grey Kestrel, Red-Necked Buzzard, Pygmy Kingfisher, Splendid Starling, Little Grebe, Carmelite Sunbird, and many more others will be picked.

   • Eat lunch in the afternoon.

   • During birdwatching in the evening, look for birds returning from their feeding grounds to roost and owls.

   Retire for the day. Stay overnight at Hotel Frenchman’s Lodge, Ankasa NP

8. Day 8: Ankasa Rain Forest

   • Locate Nkulengu Rail, a rare species, in the early morning hours.
   • Search for many Upper Guinea endemics such as Hartlaub's Duck, White Breasted Guineafowl, Yellow Casqued Hornbill, African Finfoot, Shining Blue Kingfisher, White Bellied Kingfisher, Cassin's Flycatcher, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Olive Long Tailed and Dusky Long Tailed Cuckoo, including more incredible species will be spotted here.
   • Birdwatch all day. Break for lunch and continue to look for more exciting species before we retire for the day.

   Stay overnight at Hotel Frenchman’s Lodge, Ankasa

9. Day 9: Ankasa Rain Forest

   • Birding will continue around the Ankasa Rain Forest.
   • Species to cover at this site include Yellow-throated tinkerbird, Red-fronted Parrot, Little and Little Grey Greenbul, Cassin's and Sabine's Spinetail, White Spotted Flufftail, Marsh Tchagra, Red-Winged Prinia, African Pygmy, Chocolate Backed, White Bellied, African Dwarf and Giant Kingfishers will await 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, 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, White Rumped Swift, Didric and Klaas's Cuckoo will be seen well. 
   • Do birdwatching the whole day.
   • Break for lunch and continue to look for more interesting species before we retire for the day.

   Retire for the day. Stay overnight at Hotel Frenchman’s Lodge, Ankasa

10. Day 10: Picathartes Site

    • Visit the White Necked Rock-fowl nesting site.

    • Check out the hotel after an early breakfast and reach a remote village to target the pre-historic bird, Yellow-Headed Picathartes.

    • Continue the journey to Kumasi.

    Retire for the day and stay overnight at Excelsa Lodge, Kumasi.

11. Day 11: Opuro Forest – Egyptian Plover Site

    • Scan the Opuro Forest for species such as Superb Sunbird, Lesser Moorhen, Grey Headed Bristlebill, Fiery Breasted Bushshrike, Black Sparrow-hawk, Northern Puffback, and Hamerkop. 
    • Expect to find Wire Tailed Swallow, Red Chested Swallow, African Moustached Warbler, Rufous Cisticola, Grey Rumped Swallow, Chestnut Backed Sparrow Lark, Red-Billed Firefinch, White-Headed Lapwing, White Helmetshrike, African Golden Oriole, Purple And Blue Bellied Roller, Lesser Blue Eared Starling, Gabar and Dark Chanting Goshawk, Purple Starling, Abyssinian Roller, Black Faced Quailfinch, Mosque Swallow, Yellow Billed Kite and more at the Egyptian Plover site.

    Stay overnight at the Mole Motel. 

12. Day 12: Mole National Park

    • After an early breakfast, set off for an exciting forest in a transitional zone between the Southern wetter forest and the Northern drier woodland habitat, where you will find some quality species. Species that you might see and photograph here include the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Denham's Bustard, Forbes's Plover, Four Banded Sandgrouse, Banded Snake Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle, and many more will be seen and photographed.

    Retire for the day. Stay overnight at Mole Motel, Standard Hotel in Mole, NP. (Mole National Park)

13. Day 13: Mole National Park

    • Continue birding at Mole National Park to add more Savannah Birds to your list. See species such as Yellow Mantled Widowbird, White Breasted Cuckooshrike, Wilson's Indigobird, Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, Togo Paradise Whydah, Spur Winged Goose, Green Woodhoopoe, including others.

    Retire for the day and stay overnight at Mole Motel, Mole National Park.

14. Day 14: Mole National Park - Kumasi

    • Depart from Mole to Kumasi.

    • Stop along the way to add a couple of species to your list before getting to Kumasi. 

    • Visit Bobiri Forest (depending on the time).

    Retire for the day and stay overnight at Excelsa Lodge, Standard Hotel in Kumasi. 

15. Day 15: Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary

    • Visit Bobiri, well-known for its important forest species of birds like the Grey Parrot, Narina's Trogon, Long Tailed Hawk, Dusky Tit, Black Dwarf Hornbill, Forest Wood Hoopoe, Fraser’s Eagle and African Wood Owl, Black Sparrowhawk, Black Coucal, Violet Backed Hyliota, Little Grey Flycatcher, and Narrow Tailed Starling.
    • Simple, Plain and Ansorge's, White-Throated, Red-Tailed and Little Greenbul will entertain you.
    • Palm-nut Vulture, Hooded Vulture, African Harrier Hawk, Velvet Mantled Drongo, Grey Throated, Dusky Blue, Fraser`s Forest and Red-Bellied Paradise Flycatchers await you.
    • Barn and Ethiopian swallow, Green Headed Sunbird, African Cuckoo Hawk, Black-Throated Coucal, Little grey flycatcher, Also see Blue Cuckooshrike, Black Winged Oriole, Moustached Grass Warbler, Red Headed Quelea, and more will be ticked at this site, including a large number of butterflies.

    Retire for the day and stay overnight at Royal Bluemich Hotel Tafo.

16. Day 16 and 17: Atewa Range Forest Reserve – Accra – Airport

    • Head back to the Upper Guinea Rainforest habitat early in the morning, where so many of Ghana’s sought-after notable species are found. Hope to see Tit Hylia, Green Hylias, Magpie Mannikin, Narina’s Trogon, Red-billed Dwarf and Black Dwarf Hornbills, and African Grey and Red-fronted Parrots.
    • Also spot African Emerald Cuckoo, Klaas’s, Levaillants, and Didric Cuckoos, Red-Bellied Paradise Flycatcher, White-Throated Greenbul, Western Bluebill, and Tessmann’s Flycatcher.
    • Find yourself lucky if you can see lucky Baumann’s Greenbul, among others.
    • After an incredible birding day at Atewa, head to the hotel to relax and enjoy a nice meal.

    Depart for the Airport.