BIRDWATCHING AT TUMANI TENDA, THE PERFECT SPOT!

Tumani Tenda is one of the best places in The Gambia for birdwatching. The fully qualified guides will take you to the best spots on the river on a dug-out canoe or walk in the forest. Tumani Tenda is the only place in The Gambia where it's possible to spot the Brown Neck Parrot together with other species including: Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Long-Crested Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Black Shoulded Kite, Stone Partridge, Barn Owl, Long-Tailed Nightjar, Giant Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Woodland Kingfisher, Blue-Brested Kingfisher, African Pygmy Kingfisher, African Golden Oriole, Green-Backed Eremomela, Beautiful Sunbird, Grey-Headed Bush Shrike, Yellow-Gowned Gonolek, Helmet Shrike, Yellow-Billed Oxpecker, Grey Kestrel, Long-Tailed Cormorant, African Darter, Straited Heron, Goliath Heron, Red-Billed Tropical Bird, Whimbrel, and many other.
Without a doubt though, the speciality of the Camp are the Brown-Necked Parrots that regularly visit in the mornings or evenings. This is the largest parrot in The Gambia and also the rarest. It is thought that they spend the night roosting either in the mangroves that line the Kafuta Bolon or perhaps in another community forest that lies eastwards across the river. In the morning around 8-9 AM, they can be seen flying in ones or twos across the Bolon and into the forest or even the gardens to feed. In the early evening (between 4 and 6 PM) they can also be seen flying back from their feeding grounds to their roosts. There are only a few places in The Gambia that are frequented by Brown-Necked Parrots, and Tumani Tenda rates as the best place in which to see them at close quarters. It's surely worth a visit if you are a keen birdwatcher just to see these magnificent birds.


Tumani Tenda, eco-tourism camp | The Gambia, Africa | tumanitenda@hotmail.com | tel. 00 220 9845823