What we do ?

Our bespoke tours throughout The Gambia and Senegal are designed to explore the wealth of wildlife and natural habitats that the region has to offer, ranging from day trips to the key birdwatching sites near the coast to extensive tours exploring the myriad of rarely-visited inland locations.

Why Choose Us ?

Our research team has grown significantly in the last few years attracting lots of other young birdwatchers and guides to join in with the trips. During their recent research expeditions, they have discovered rare species such as Forbes Plover, Capuchin Babbler, Little Rush Warbler and Golden-Breasted Bunting.

Our Process

We help coordinate an enthusiastic group of young African birders that meets up regularly through the year, and conducts exciting research trips in the off-season to discover new birdwatching sites and rarely seen species, often in less-often visited parts of the country.

Abuko Nature Reserve

Abuko is small nature reserve lying between Serrekunda and Lamin. It is a popular tourist attraction and was the country’s first designated wildlife reserve. The reserve is great for birdwatching, having three different habitats - gallery forest, open woodland and savannah areas - in close proximity. Species you can see include Giant Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Green Turaco, Violet Turaco, Yellowbill and Western Bluebill.

Lamin Rice Field

Only 30 minutes drive away from the Kololi and Senegambia hotels, this area of flooded pools, palm groves and vegetable-growing fields is a very productive spot and excellent introduction to the delights of birdwatching in The Gambia. Species regularly seen around the area include Greater Painted-snipe, Northern White-faced Owl, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Little Bee-eater, Levaillant’s Cuckoo and African Cuckoo.

Brufut Woods

Brufut Woods is a dense, dry and scrubby forest which has a good network of paths and is home to the legendary Dr Owl, a local ornithologist whose profession is to locate the nesting and roosting Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, White-faced Owl and resting spots of the Long-tailed Nightjar. With care, you can observe the Nightjars from only a few metres away without disturbing them.

Tanji Reserve

Down the coast from the main tourist areas, the dry scrubland and forest at Tanji has many sandy paths that lead to a series of beachside lagoons. A hotspot for sunbirds and many other species, including lots of migrant warblers. The coastal areas are great for waders, terns, gulls and Ospreys - a must-visit location in any season. Species which can be seen include White-shouldered Black Tit, Whistling Cisticola, Four-banded Sandgrouse, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Oriole Warbler and Northern Crombec.

Marakissa Rivercamp

The Marakissa Rivercamp is located in southern Gambia, close to the Senegalese border, and overlooks the River Allahein. The garden of the lodge is incredible and stocked full of birds - you will definitely want to come here. Shining-blue Kingfisher, Greater Honeyguide, Red-shoulder Cuckooshrike, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Allen’s Gallinule, Ovambo Sparrowhawk and African Goshawk are all seen in the area around the camp.

Morgan Kunda Lodge

Morgan Kunda provides exclusive bird watching accommodation in the north bank region of The Gambia, deep in the heart of the Baobolon Wetlands reserve. The area boasts a huge range of different habitats and specialises in dry-country species, such as Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-bellied Bustards and Northern Anteater Chat.

Kiang West National Park

Kiang West covers a huge area of dry woodland and mangrove-lined creeks, areas around Wurokang, Batelling and Tendaba are visited for dry-country specialists like Spotted Thick-knee, Temminck’s Courser, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black Scimitarbill, White –Shoulder Black Tit and Brown-rumped Bunting. Drinking pools provide excellent opportunities to get closer to the birds, including raptors such as African Hawk Eagle and Lizard Buzzard.

Tendaba Camp

Situated just two hours from the coast on the edge of Kiang West National Park, this famous upriver lodge is a must for any serious birdwatcher visiting The Gambia. The facilities are clean and basic and the staff are very friendly, serving excellent food and the welcome drinks after a successful boat trip across the river to the Baobolong reserve on the northern bank. Egret and kite roosts, many varieties of heron, African Darter and, if you are lucky, a glimpse of a Pel’s Fishing Owl, are some of the highlights. On the south bank, paths through the local woodland offer some great general birdwatching opportunities.

Kartong Wetlands & Beach

Kartong wetlands is a well-known coastal birdwatching hotspot with a diverse range of habitats, including freshwater ponds, reedbeds, sand dunes, open woodland and shoreline. The freshwater quarries attract a fantastic variety of waders and waterbirds, with species such as Knob-billed Duck, African Pygmy Goose, Great White Pelican, Allen’s Gallinule, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Northern Carmine Bee-eater and Mosque Swallow regularly recorded in the area.

Farasutu & Pirang Forests

About an hour inland from the Senegambia area lie the gallery forests near the villages of Farasutu and Pirang. In each of these forests there some local guides who will help us locate the hidden bird species found there. We will be in search of White-crowned Night Heron, Greyish and Verreaux’s Eagle Owls, African Wood Owl, Yellowbill, Standard-wing Nightjar, Spotted Honeyguide and Greater Honeyguide.

Kunkilling Forest

Kunkilling is a protected forest park which was established in 1954 and covers a large area of dense riverine forest near the village of Kerr Serekunda on the southern bank of the River Gambia just to the east of Janjanbureh in the centre of the country. Species to look for include the White-backed Vulture, African Green Pigeon, Adamawa Turtle Dove, Little Green Bee-eater and Green Hylia. Along the riverside, Finfoot, Red-necked Falcon and Shining-blue Kingfisher can be found.

Tanbi Wetlands

The large, uninhabited Tanbi Wetland Complex is found at the mouth of the River Gambia just south of the capital Banjul. Most of the area is made up of mangroves although there are open mudflats, grasslands and scrub too. Accessed best by boat from Denton Bridge or Lamin, species to be seen include Goliath Heron, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Caspian Tern and Sandwich Tern as well as wide range of waders.

Kaur Wetlands

Situated to the east of Farafenni, on the north bank of Gambia River, Kaur is a large seasonal wetland which is an excellent site for a wide variety of wildfowl and waders. The freshwater and brackish lakes are bordered with extensive swamps, mudflats and rice fields which supports a fantastic diversity of wetland birds, including flocks of several hundred Collared Pratincole as well as Ruff, Knob-billed Duck, Pink-backed Pelican, African Jacana, Purple Swamphen, Black Crake, White-headed Lapwing and, the site’s star attraction, the exquisitely beautiful Egyptian Plover, which is usually present in small numbers from mid-July until December.

Kuntaur Ricefields & Northbank Waterholes

On the north bank of the River Gambia, there are several spectacular birdwatching locations on the way to Janjanbureh: waterholes and wetlands hold most interest. At Wassu, there are species such as Red-throated Bee-eater at their breeding colony, Northern Carmine Bee-eater and at Kuntaur Ricefields species including Marabou Stork, Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Plover, Black Coucal, and Cut-throat Finch.

Janjanbureh & Surrounding Areas

The town of Janjanbureh is located 250 km from the coastal region, located on an island in the middle of the Gambia River. This location is a great base exploring surrounding birdwatching sites, including Jakhaly Ricefields, and a starting point for amazing boat trips on the river. Target species are Ruff, Collared Pratincole, African Fish-eagle, Purple Heron and Knob-billed Duck.

Tujereng Woods

Tujereng Woods is an open area of scrub woodland with dense bushes and grassland with specialities including like Black-headed Plover, Vieillot’s Barbet, White-fronted Black Chat, Chestnut-bellied Starling, Black-crowned Tchagra and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver.

Mustapha AM Ceesay

I am a young and enthusiastic Gambian who has benefitted from a strong western education at schools in Banjul. After completion of my schooling, nature has become my most dedicated passion and I have developed massively over the last few years learning from the most experienced bird guides in The Gambia. I spent a considerable amount of time closely watching birds in the field around my home in Tunjina and building a comprehensive understanding of their life-cycles and habits. I continued my training in Farasutu Forest Community Nature Reserve for nine years with intensive research on different species of birds and their characters. Working closely with some of the best guides in The Gambia has exposed me to many new birds and habitats across the whole country and beyond. With the experience I gained, I have guided many top birdwatchers and wildlife experts from all over the world, particularly when they have visited the Farasuto Forest Reserve and other local sites, showing them many Gambian specialties. “Mustapha is a keen birdwatcher who knows his species, and on top of that he is a social guy who makes an effort to show all his participants the best birds in the area. I met Mustapha in Farasuto Forest, where he carefully prepared our visit by searching all the good species in advance. Species like African Wood Owl, White-backed Night Heron, Green Crombec, Hylia, Yellow-billed Malkoha and many others came for the binoculars of my group through his efforts. I can certainly recommend his pleasant company!” – Klaas de Jong, Netherlands “Mustapha…impressed me with his knowledge of his home area and the birds of Farasuto. Mustapha has contributed to an ongoing project that aims to investigate the diet of White-faced and African Wood Owls. I wish him well with further research input at Farasuto which I hope can be protected from encroachment. With guidance it’s a great place to find a number of Gambia’s sedentary forest adapted birds” – Clive Barlow, The Gambia “I came to The Gambia about 15 times already to photograph birds. As a guide I recommend without a doubt Mustapha Ceesay. Mustapha it is very knowledgeable reliable person you can count on” – Marc Bruyndoncx, Belgium

Abdoulie Saine

I am a young Gambian bird guide with a keen interest in conservation and research. On completion of my academic schooling, I obtained a certificate in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the Gambia Technical Training Institute. At the same time, I was inspired by friends Moses and Heather to get involved in birdwatching and I started studying birds at the Abuko Nature Reserve over a two year period. After completing my training at Abuko, I joined the team at Farakunku Lodge as a bird guide, taking visitors out on trips all over The Gambia. During my time as a guide at Farakunku I guided numerous birdwatchers and clients on diverse tours. Since then, I have been very active with the research team, organising and taking part in many trips and tours around the region. “We first met Lie in December 2019 whilst we were staying at Farakunku Lodges. Lie was our birdwatching guide for the duration of our 3 week stay. Throughout our holiday Lie was always on time, was very considerate and patient and very easy to get along with. Lie went to extra lengths to ensure that my elderly parents were given options to rest and was always flexible in the way that we approached our birdwatching. It was always a pleasure to birdwatch with Lie, we visited various different locations and we feel that he always tried his best to get the most out of each trip. We would not hesitate to recommend Lie as a guide” – Craig & Dawn, UK “Lie was a great birding guide and made sure we spotted lots of amazing birds on our holiday” – Rose W, UK “Lie is an excellent birding guide, if we ever go back to Gambia he would be my first choice!” – Steve H, UK “Lie guided three of us for a week in January 2020 when we found him to be a talented and knowledgeable guide who showed us many of the local birds. He took us to a variety of habitats enabling us to see a wide range of species. He is friendly, easy to talk to and very enthusiastic about his birds - especially the species which are a little more difficult to track down” – Heather S, UK

Madi Faye

I began my birdwatching and guiding career as a park ranger at the Brufut Woods reserve, where I spent considerable time studying birds for over a period of 5 years. I then joined the West African Bird Study Association (WABSA), a conservation NGO which is based at the Abuko Nature Reserve, where I trained for a further two years. During both these periods of intensive birding and wildlife study I became familiar with the wide diversity of species in the Senegambian region. More recently, I have been posted at the Brufut Woods reserve as one of the resident guides, adding a new photohide at the site for photographers to come and enjoy. In the last ten years, I have had the pleasure of guiding many birdwatchers and visitors all over The Gambia and Senegal. I have more than 13 years experience of guiding people around the stunning wildlife sites in The Gambia and have seen over four hundred bird species during this time. “I have known Madi for 4 years and would highly recommend his services as a bird guide in The Gambia. Madi is always patient taking time to make sure everyone sees the birds, he is polite, well respected and always happy to help” – Richard H, UK “Madi is a very good guide who takes care of his clients and explains everything they want to know about each species, he is really a good guide who I can recommend for anyone” – Mustapha & Tiina, Finland “Exploring hidden gems of habitat in The Gambia packed with wonderful wildlife is always a massive pleasure when being guided by Madi. He knows the sites intimately and always is one step ahead in spotting unusual birds and other interesting fauna. Madi has a encyclopedic knowledge of Gambian wildlife and plans his tours meticulously” – Oliver F, UK