Escorted bird photography tour of The Gambia & Senegal 2026

Arrival in The Gambia. Our team will be on site at Banjul International Airport to meet you and transfer you directly to Palm Beach Hotel in Kotu (transfer approximately 30 minutes).

Breakfast at the Hotel 07.30 (included). We will be met by Fansu for an early morning start at 07.50. We travel to the southern edge of The Gambia with birding stops along the route (Kachumeh woods & around Kartong). After a riverside lunch (included) at Stala Lodge, we take a bird watching boat trip along the Alahine river. On the route back to the Hotel we will make a stop at Gunjur Forest hide, before returning back to our coastal base. Evening meal at Hotel or local restaurant (not included).

Following breakfast at the Hotel (included) we will meet with Fansu and depart for a short drive south to Tanji bird reserve. A walk around session with camera and tripod in the scrubland habitat behind the beach can be highly productive for numerous species. Following this we will call in at Brufut woods for a sit down photo shoot at the drinking bowls under the shade of the forest canopy. Here we can expect to see an abundance of activity with birds venturing out of the forest to drink. We will then head back to the Hotel and have a lunch (not included) and a break during the heat of the early afternoon period.

We will reconvene late afternoon and enjoy the truly spectacular canoe trip at Kotu creek, where star attractions like Black Heron (Umbrella bird), and up to 4 different species of Kingfisher can all be photographed at extreme close quarters as we meander up the stream by pirogue. On conclusion we will return to the Hotel for dinner & refreshments (not included).

We will take breakfast at 07.30 and then check out from the Hotel, load up the tour bus and begin our journey towards the interior. The first stop along the route will be at Farasutu forest where we can photograph day roosting owl species, turacos and quite possibly nightjars. A further stop at Bonto forest will give us the opportunity for more forest birds, including the African Pied Hornbill.

Following our morning activities we will continue inland, making a relaxing stop off at Bintang Bolong for a restaurant lunch (included) over looking the river. In the afternoon we will travel to Tendaba camp, arriving by mid/late afternoon. This will permit time for an evening photo session in the light woodland close to the camp, where we can also take advantage of the photo hide which over looks a drinking pool. Over night and buffet dinner (included) at Tendaba Camp (Rooms with A/C & hot water).

On day 5 of the trip we will take breakfast around 07.30 and then head out on a boat trip from Tendaba, exploring some of the small back channels of the Gambia river. This activity will last for a couple of hours, and on conclusion we will depart from Tendaba Camp heading further inland.

On our route we will make a stop at Njau ponds - a great site for the Egyptian Plover and take a sandwich lunch (included). We progress further inland and check in for an over night stay at Kairoh Gardens in Kuntaur. Our late afternoon / evening activity will be a boat trip to Baboon Island where we have a very good chance of seeing Chimpanzees, Hippos & of course, more birds! Evening meal will be at Kairoh Gardens (included)

Breakfast will be at Kairoh Gardens, and we will then check out from the Camp and travel the short distance to Wassu sand quarry - a reliable spot to observe and photograph the spectacular Red-throated  Bee-eater & other Bee-eater species at their breeding site. We will continue with some more birding locations nearby and also visit the Wassu stone circles, a historical burial site believed to have been constructed around 1200 years ago! 

Lunch will be taken back at Kairoh Gardens. Our afternoon activity will be a boat trip from George Town which is excellent for numerous birds, but particularly the elusive African Finfoot. On conclusion of this boat trip, we will make the short journey onwards to Bansang Riverside Lodge, where we will check in and have dinner (included). We may encounter both African Scops Owl and Pearl-spotted Owlet in the gardens here, and it may even be possible to achieve photos!

Following breakfast at Bansang Riverside Lodge we will make the most of the early morning light with a photography session around the property & entrance track which will be bustling with birdlife. We will check out from Bansang and journey further to the east, crossing the border into Senegal and arriving in time for a late lunch (included) at the Encampment de Wassadou.

Later in the afternoon we will take a boat trip from Wassadou with great photographic opportunities for Northern Carmine Bee-eater & Egyptian Plover. We could even be lucky at this location to see rare birds including Pels Fishing owl, African Blue Flycatcher, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Adamawa Turtle Dove. Over night at Wassadou Camp with evening meal (included).

We will take breakfast at Wassadou Camp and then journey to Niokolo Koba National Park where we will be taking a game drive . Along with birds we could be lucky with lions, Derby Eland (the world's largest antelope), Bush buck, African Wild Dog and warthog.

We will return to Wassadou Camp by late afternoon for dinner (included) and over night stay.

In the early part of the morning we will have our second boat trip at Wassadou, to ensure we maximise the photographic opportunities for the spectacular bird life along the river. Following this activity we will check out and make our way to back into The Gambia, with a picnic lunch along the route.

Our late afternoon / evening activity will be at the Bansang sand quarry which is an excellent site to photograph the stunning Red-throated Bee-eater along with other top birds like African Green Bee-eater and Gosling's Bunting. We will check in at Bansang Riverside Lodge for over night & dinner (included)

Primarily a transit day we are heading back along Gambia's South Bank Road ,but will have various roadside stops at some of Fansu's local hotspots. Picnic lunch in the bush. Before arriving back at Tendaba, we will stop at an excellent scrubland area for the exquisite White-crested Helmetshrike and others in the early evening light Over night stay & dinner (included) will be at Tendaba Camp.

Breakfast will be served at Tendaba Camp (included) and we will then depart and make our way back towards the coast. We have a number of birding stops on the route back including Kampanti raptor hotspot, Killy woods & Mr Bah's photo hide in Farasutu forest. Lunch will be taken at Bintang Bolong along the route (included). By late afternoon we will return to the coast and check in at Palm Beach. Dinner will be either at the Hotel or alternatively a beach restaurant (not included)

The final day of the tour. Following breakfast at the Hotel (included) we will take another canoe trip on Kotu Creek in the early part of the morning with spectacular bird observation & photography possibilities. The remainder of the day we will have time for an optional photo editing session with hints & tips on composition, cropping and photo editing in Adobe Lightroom with Topaz plug-ins. Alternatively you may choose to relax by the beach or at poolside. Lunch (not included) will be at the Hotel or a beach restaurant. We depart for the airport in the afternoon in good time for our return flights.