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5 Days
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Max People : 10
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All Year Round
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Min Age : 10+
Description
Cameroon’s geographical position in the heart of Africa, combined with the variety of landscapes and habitats, gives rise to one of the largest varieties of birds in Africa. There are over 900 species recorded, some of which are rare and endangered species.
In northern Cameroon, you will find a good representation of the sub-Saharan birds, and you will find rare and endangered species in the highlands and in the southwest of the country.
Fortunately, most of northern birds may be apperçus in national parks and Benue Waza.
In the highlands, you will find: the Bannermans Turaco, the Bannermans Weaver, Banded Wattle-the Eye, the Mountain Robin-Chat, the Cameroon Greenbul, etc..
Korup Park
Korup National Park is one of the most gifted birding areas in Cameron with a list of more than 300 bird species recorded for only this part of the country. Bird watching in Korup park is recommended during the early morning hours as birds visit the river and water streams
Enter the park via a long hanging bridge over the Mana River, one of the few places in Cameroon where you see the Rock Pratincole, hornbills, Grey-necked Picathartes, Malachite Kingfishers nad many over water loving birds.
Greenbuls like Ictarine, Xaviers, Golden, Spotted, Redtailed and Honeyguide Greenbuls are a common sight in the riverine forests while other sights include the Cassin’s Spinetail , Rufous-sided Broadbill, Firecrested Alethers, African paradis fly catchers, red bellied flycatcher, Blue throated Roller, Square tailed Sawwing, Bare-cheeked Trogon and different species Drongo’s and Malimbes.
Overnight accommodation is available in basic huts in the Rengo Camp overlooking a clear river. Another option is available at a hotel in Mundemba
For the evening trips, sights of the Night Swallows and Owls are common around the Rengo Camp.
Benoue National Park
Birding in the savanna woodlands of Benoue National Park is one interesting trip for Cameroon Holidays. Regular bird sights in the park include the Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Lesser Blue-eared Starling, Senegal Parrot, and Black-bellied Firefinch. Other interesting sights around the park include Adamawa Turtle Dove, Gray Pratincole, the striking Egyptian Plover, Emin’s Shrike, White-crested and Violet Turacos, Bearded Barbet, Grasshopper Buzzard, Stone Partridge, Abyssinian and Blue-bellied Rollers, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Senegal Eremomela, and White-throated Francolin.
Accommodation is available in the Campement de Buffle Noir, which also doubles as one of the best birding areas in the park.
Highlights
A guide is required to experience the park. This is true whether you are on a driving safari or walking safari. The wildlife is the park’s highlight, with strong herds of elephant and healthy lion prides serving as the pinnacle sightings.
Waza National Park Trails:
This is a wildlife enriched national park that requires guided safari tours. There are no trails for hiking through the park. The only way to experience the park is with a professional guide and on a walking safari.
In addition to endemic-filled highland forests and grasslands, Cameroon encompasses a plethora of habitats. Stretching all the way from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Chad, dry Sahelian landscapes, Guinea Woodlands, forest-woodland/grassland mosaic of the Adamawa Plateau, and tropical lowland forest are squeezed into Cameroon’s borders. Cameroon’s combined uniqueness and diversity make it a top priority for African birders.
Some of the birds you will find in the north are: the African Swallow-Tailed the Black Scrub-Robin, the Chestnut-Bellied Starling, the Fox Kestrel, Herons, the Kite, the Lavender Waxbill, the Pygmy Sunbrid, the Red-Necked Buzzard, the Red-pate Cisticola, Prinia the River, the Sennar Penduline-Tit, the Sudan Golden Sparrow, Variety of the Doves, the Adamawa Turtle Dove, the Crocodile Bird, the Grey-Headed Olive-Back, the Red -Throated Bee-Eater, the Red-Winged Warbler Gray, the Stone Partridge, Violet Turaco the, the African Black Duck, the African Golden Oriole, the Bamenda Apalis, Blue-Breasted Kingfisher the, the Brown-Chested Lapwig, the Double- Toothed Barbet, the Gray Kestrel, the Marsh Widowbird, the Olive-Bellied, the Oriole Warbler, the Red-Headed Lovebird, the Schlegel’s Francolin, the Square-tailed Drongo, the Sun Lark, the Temminck’s Courser, the Thrush Babbler, the White Red-Breasted &-Shouldered Cuckoo-Shrikes, White-Collared the Starling, the Yellow-Crowned Bishop, etc..
Itinerary
Arrival at the Yaounde Nsimalen Airport and reception by Camtourventures agents.
This area has a variety of habitats, ranging from floodplains and ponds and deciduous woodland to dry, open Sahelian savanna. The landscape is punctuated by rocky outcrops that hold species such as Stone Partridge, Fox Kestrel, White-crowned Cliff Chat, and Rock-loving Cisticola. The best birding is outside of the National Park, along the main road about 10km south of Waza. Here many water birds congregate at the pools and the acacia shrub holds River Prinia and Sennar Penduline Tit, amongst others. Little Grey Woodpecker is also a possibility and Swallow-tailed kite is not uncommon along the roadside, especially at the end of the dry season. For a chance of seeing Arabian Bustard, you will have to enter the National Park (5000pp/day payable at the entrance gate where you can arrange for a compulsory guide; 3000/day) with its many dirt tracks; large raptors and vultures are also more numerous here. The National Park lies on a large floodplain and is closed during the rainy season. Our guide was quite good at spotting mammals (Patas Monkey, Kob, Red-fronted Gazelle, Golden Jackal, and Roan Antelope are some of the possibilities), although birding was not his forte. The more grassy areas north of Mora hold Cricket Longtail, Black Scrub-Robin, and, best of all, Quail Plover. Night drives are reported to be fantastic for nocturnal mammals although our driver was adamant that it was unsafe to drive around at night, so we cannot verify this.
This reserve is situated on the Benoue plains, a vast area of Guinea woodlands between Garoua and Ngaoundere. The general woodlands hold species such as White-fronted Black Chat and Heuglin¹s Wheatear and if you are very fortunate, Emin¹s Shrike. The best birding, however, is along the Benoue River. Here we found Red-winged Grey Warbler, Senegal Batis, Violet Turaco, White-crowned Robin-Chat, Adamawa Turtle Dove, Oriole Warbler, Egyptian Plover, and White-cheeked Olive back, and Bar-breasted and Black-bellied Firefinch in the campement¹s grounds. Mammals of interest include Red-flanked Duiker and Kob, and if you are very fortunate, Derby¹s Eland. As with all national parks, there is a CAF 5000pp/day entrance fee, payable at the office at Campement de Buffle Noir, where you will also have to collect your compulsory guide (3500/day). Our driver informed us that only the most direct route to the Campement, leaving the main road at Banda, was still negotiable and even this wasn¹t in the best of shape. Allow 1.5 hours to drive the 27km from the main road to the encampment.
Ngaoundaba is a privately owned cattle ranch, 1.5 hrs from Ngaoundere on a rather poor dry-season road, that protects some of the woodland and forested gullies that used to cover the whole Adamoua plateau. Birding here is fantastic with great species such as White-collared Starling, Standard-winged Nightjar, Brown and Dybowski¹s Twinspot, White-cheeked Olive back, Spotted Thrush Babbler, Blue-bellied Roller, Lady Ross¹s Turaco, Grey-winged Robin-Chat and Leaflove to whet your appetite. No entrance fee is applicable and no guides are available. All birding can be done on foot as long as you are reasonably fit.
Relaxation and shopping for souvenirs, off to Yaounde to Douala Airport, end of the tour.
Location
CFA580,000
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