Meet our two bird-watching guides
Gambia Birding, with two of its most respected guides. If you want to photograph birds like the ones below, contact us and reserve your bird-watching holiday today!
Soloman has been providing our guests with top-class birding trips for around 6 years. And is widely regarded as one of Gambia’s best birdwatching experts.
Are you a female birdwatcher who would also prefer a female bird guide? Meet Mariama Sanneh. Bespoke trips for ladybirders who want an all-female experience.
Prices for Daily guided bird-watching
Our bird-watching days are as follows: between 4 and 8 hours. And include your guide, transport and lunch.
Trips can be prepaid online when booking or arranged at the lodge.
- Single birder, the price per day is £90.
- 2 birders: the price per day is £60 each.
- 3 birders: the price per day is £50 each.
Or choose an all-inclusive birdwatching package
Book Direct and choose your package, or email David for more details!
1 weeks package per person £770.00
10 day package per person £1060.00
- Includes
- Accommodation
- 3 x birdwatching days
- Entry fees to birding sites
- Breakfast, packed lunch & 2 course evening meal
- Airport transfers
- Excludes
- Flights & drinks
See our group birdwatching package prices!
ONE WEEK
1-4 birders – £110 per night all inclusive
5 or more – £105 per night all inclusive
TEN NIGHTS
1-4 birders – £106 per night all inclusive
5 or more – £102 per night all inclusive
If you have any special requests or would like to tailor your own package please email David
or WhatsApp +447305651551.
See you in The Gambia!
Birdwatching holidays in The Gambia
Not only do we have over 100 species within our grounds, but equally important, we also have over 150 within walking distance.
This means whether you are an avid birder or a casual bird watcher, birding in Gambia is great!
Sit and relax by our unique, freshwater-filtered pool. Being the only eco-pool in The Gambia means it attracts lots of birds.
For example, not only the African Pygmy Kingfisher and Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher but also the Wire-tailed Swallow.
The area around our pool
You will see, for example, birds such as Bronze Mannikin, Red-billed Firefinches and Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu. And also Variable Sunbirds, Beautiful Sunbirds and this beauty, the Pygmy Kingfisher!
Take a stroll around the grounds and set up in one of the bird hides. You will be amazed by the number of beautiful birds making an appearance throughout the day. Hornbills, Turacos, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Senegal Coucal, Plantain-Eaters, Common Wattle-eye, and Yellow-crowned Gonolek.
Birds Local To footsteps
Birdwatching trips
Our bird-watching in Gambia trips are listed below. All come with a top-class bird guide of your choice. However, with around 100 bird species visiting us, you would be forgiven for simply making yourself comfortable and enjoying the best nature offers at the lodge. Enjoy a taste of a small fraction of the species we have local to us at Footsteps. All the photos were taken by our guests between November and June.
Lamin Lodge & Abuko Nature Reserve
Lamin Lodge & Abuko Nature Reserve
Leave Footsteps after a very early breakfast and travel by four wheel drive approximately 40 minutes to Lamin Lodge. You'll go on a short one hour boat trip on the river.
Here you will expect to see:
- Common Wattle-eye
- Paradise Flycatcher
- Royal Tern
- African Darter
- Long Tailed Cormorant
- Western Bluebill.
- Great Honeyguide
- Cut Throat Finch
- Singing Cisticola
By the rice fields you can see Buffalo Weavers. These birds represent only a small fraction of birds seen regularly at Lamin Lodge.
Picnic style lunch around 1 pm and on to Abuko Nature Reserve. This is the pride of Gambia and a must for all birders, here you will see:
- Pin-tailed Widow
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher
- Senegal Batis
- Grey-headed Gull
...and many more!
Abuko Nature Reserve
Abuko Nature Reserve
Abuko is currently being revitalised by two dedicated and inspiring young vets called Emily and Eva, who have founded The Gambia Wildlife Foundation with a focus on wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release.
Here you will see Giant Kingfisher, Pin-tailed Whydah, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, as well as Senegal Batis, and many other wildlife species currently under their protection, such as Hyena, Red Colobus Monkey and more!
Tanji Bird Reserve
Tanji Bird Reserve
Another early breakfast. Today we visit 3 separate venues. Tanji Bird Reserve is about 30 minutes away along the coast. Just 10 minutes further and you are in the next birding spots.
During a visit to these locations expect to see:
- Black Crowned Tchagra
- Osprey
- Yellow-crowned Gonolek
- Broad-billed Roller
- Abyssinian Roller
- Purple Glossy Starlings
- Violet-backed Starlings
...and many more!
If you have specific birds you want to see, contact us and we will tell you exactly where to find them.
Marakissa, Darsalami woods & Siffoe
Marakissa, Darsalami woods & Siffoe
Marakissa is approximately one hour away and our first venue. A morning is spent here. Darsalami Woods and Siffoe are on the way back.
You will see:
- Sulphur-breasted Bush Shrike
- Exclamatory Paradise Whydah
- Wilson Indigo
- African Blue Flycatcher
- Yellow-shouldered Widowbird
- Northern Puffback
- Woodchat Shrike
...and many more!
Mandinaba farm, Faraba rice fields
Mandinaba shrimp farm, Faraba rice fields
Up at the crack of dawn and off again with Lamin to Mandinaba Pirang Shrimp Farm, Faraba Bantang Rice Fields and Bush Track.
About 1½ hours drive away, you can expect sightings of:
- Quail Finch
- Village Indigo
- Pin-tailed Whydah
- Cut Throat Finch
...and many more!
Banjul, Kotu & Fajara golf course
Banjul, Kotu & Fajara golf course
Off early and an hour down the coast to visit Gambia's capital of Banjul.
Then back to Kotu and Fajara Golf Club. For those who want to have an 9 or 18 hole round, this can be arranged.
Some of the birds found here are:
- Grey Plover
- Senegal Thick-knee
- Wattle Plovers
- Wire Tailed Swallow
- Little Ring Plover
- Stone Partridge
- Sand Grouse
- European Hoopoe
- Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrike
- Woodland Kingfisher
...and many more!
An example of some of the birds you can see here is Grey Plover, Senegal Thick-knee, Wattle Plovers, Wire Tailed Swallow and Little Ring Plover.
Also, Stone Partridge, Sand Grouse, European Hoopoe with Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrike and Woodland Kingfisher.
Wetlands close to Footsteps
This Gambia birding trip is on our doorstep and is simply a fantastic day of birding.
In fact, it’s so good you will want to revisit it again and again.
An example of some of the birds you can see here is Osprey, the White-faced whistling duck, Pelicans, Storks, Grey-backed Camaroptera and Woodland Kingfisher.
Photos by Rob Garner, Rob Carr and Emyr Evans – Thank you!