Ghana - Birds, Rare Mammals & Butterflies

Today is allocated to more wildlife viewing at Antikwaa and Kakum National Park.

After an early start, visit the Antikwaa section of Kakum National Park, hoping to add some striking birds to your growing list – possible gems include rosy and black bee-eaters; piping hornbill; white-spotted flufftail; Cassin’s spinetail; Vieillot’s black and black-necked weavers; Kemp's and grey longbills; western nicator; western bluebill; olive-bellied, superb and Johanna’s sunbirds; and some more difficult species, like yellow-billed barbet, Ayre’s hawk-eagle and Ahanta francolin.

Commonly seen butterflies include the mocker swallowtail and the citrus swallowtail, as well as the common forester. The Giant African skipper is common here, and you might see the western blue policeman, which has a very narrow range along the Western Coast, from Ghana to Liberia.

High on your guides' list of priorities will be a sighting of the very scarce black-bellied pangolin, nocturnal primates such as West African potto and Demidoff's galago, and the vocal but seldom seen western tree hyrax. You might see Pel's anomalure after dark, too.

This morning, spend time exploring farmland scrub, forest edge and forest trails at the Abrafo near Kakum National Park. Ever alert and working to help notch up species, your guide will help locate birds such as sooty boubou; Puvel’s illadopsis; red-faced and whistling cisticolas; Fanti saw-wing; chestnut wattle-eye; Fraser's and little-green sunbirds; swamp palm and red-tailed greenbuls; and the wonderful white-crested hornbill. There are also some trickier species, including long-tailed hawk, rufous-sided broadbill, chocolate-backed kingfisher, Congo serpent eagle and red-billed and black dwarf hornbills.

Check out of your lodge and head westwards on a fairly long drive for what may prove to be a highlight of your time in Ghana – Ankasa Reserve, Ghana’s only moist evergreen rainforest that's in near pristine condition. An exceptional forest in a remote location, Ankasa protects many rare and sought-after bird, butterfly and mammal species.

There's a lodge along the river on the boundary of the rainforest, giving the perfect location to be based at. Butterflies at the eastern edge of their range that can be sought here include Veronica nymph and Crowley’s forest sylph. Others are associated with the more humid rainforest, such as the cinnamon scarce spirit and the magnificent Hadrian’s white charaxes. One of Africa’s most delicate butterflies also occurs here – the ghost, which flies extremely slowly through the dense undergrowth and is found around Ankasa gate.

As you arrive in the late afternoon, check into your lodge before heading out in the early evening. This outing might reveal both Fraser's and akun eagle-owls. Your guide will also be looking for the legendary Nkulengu rail, with its very distinctive calls.

An evening walk in this beautiful rainforest may also reveal Demidoff's galago, African palm civet and the spectacular hammer-headed bat with its loud calls.

Your evening will be spent at the lodge, enjoying good food, cold drinks and the atmosphere immersed in nature.

Enjoy exploration of remote Ankasa for the next two days.

This evergreen forest merits a three-night stay. Your guide will be up before first light, listening for the unmistakable calls of the Nkulengu rail. If they locate this species, they'll alert the group before breakfast. Staying so close to a birding location is always a bonus, as time isn't wasted travelling.

After breakfast, set off venturing deeper into the lush forest, with targets being Upper Guinea endemics like rufous-winged illadopsis and green-tailed bristlebill; Ansorge’s, icterine, yellow-bearded, red-tailed and western-bearded greenbuls; forest robin; white-tailed ant-thrush; white-tailed alethe; the lovely blue-headed wood dove; western bronze-naped pigeon, yellow-billed and great blue turacos; black-capped apalis and more.

As the mornings progress, butterflies become more active and offer excellent photographic opportunities.

Your guide knows where the speciality species are found inside Ankasa. Four-by-four Land Rover vehicles are provided to enable the negotiation of the most challenging forest roads to reach target sites. Other targets on these days will include shining blue, white-bellied, blue-breasted and dwarf kingfishers. Forest raptors present include the long-tailed hawk and the Congo serpent eagle. There are hornbills aplenty, such as red-billed dwarf and piping hornbills. Some rare speciality species recorded from Ankasa include the ultra-elusive grey-throated rail, dusky long-tailed cuckoo, blue-moustached bee-eater and red-chested owlet.

On the mammal front, keep an eye out for the remarkable hammer-headed bat, West African potto and Pel's anomalure, which your guides will work hard to notch up. The rare dwarf crocodile (which really are that diminutive!) is a regular at the 'waterholes', as two large forest ponds are referred to.

Over 650 butterfly species have been recorded in Ankasa, and time is usually dedicated to enjoying these. There'll be an option for mothing in the evenings, as Ankasa has some exceptional moths.

Today, enjoy more birding and butterfly-watching in Ankasa Reserve and Brenu Akyinim.

During your final morning at this wonderful location, walk along forest trails in different parts of the rainforest, enjoying the biodiversity. Afterwards, head back for lunch and to freshen up before your departure back towards Kakum National Park. During the journey, you'll be targeting several species such as Reichenbach’s and brown sunbirds, white-browed forest flycatcher and orange weaver. A visit to Brenu Akyinim and the coastal savannah plains can deliver some new species such as marsh tchagra, compact weaver, double-spurred francolin, the remarkable oriole warbler and, if you're lucky, yellow-winged pytillia and bar-breasted firefinch.

Possible mammal sightings today include slender mongoose and ground striped squirrel. Continue back to Jukwa and overnight at the rustic Rainforest Hotel, with all meals included.

Travel to Bonkro and stay overnight at Picathartes Guest House.

First, check out of your hotel after an early breakfast and set off for Abrafo Forest, where you can catch up on species previously missed. After an excellent morning birding session, set off northwards, stopping for lunch before arriving at a remote village close to a small Upper Guinea rainforest in the Ashanti Region.

On arrival, check into Picathartes Guest House, which was built by our exemplary Ghanaian agents and donated to the communities surrounding Picathartes Forest, along with a restaurant and school which now offers access to education for over 300 children. All proceeds generated by the accommodation, restaurant and forest entrance fees go to the community fund, thus demonstrating to residents the immediate benefit of conserving their environment on a sustainable basis.

The success of this project means this rainforest can continue to exist. As the only local tour company committed to conservation projects in Ghana, our agents have taken on a huge responsibility to ensure the programme's success and preserve it for future generations. Your trip, therefore, contributes directly to the preservation of this forest and all the wonderful wildlife that's protected there. The project has created employment for residents and also sponsors 24 Community Forest Committee members from the surrounding villages to patrol the area and prevent illegal hunting and logging. The long-term goal is to upgrade the site's status from one currently classified as accessible for timber concessions to a site protected as a sustainable eco-tourism project.

In the later afternoon, you'll head into the Nyamebe Bepo Forest to see the mythical picathartes at their nesting site. When watching the birds, it's easy to understand why the experience is often rated as a lifetime Africa birding highlight.

Today, there are 12 active nest sites in this forest (in caves or overhangs inside the forest). Set off on the 30-45-minute walk through the beautiful tropical forest at your own pace. As you approach one of the nesting sites, you'll need to be silent as you take your seat on the bamboo bench. The overhanging rock face and small cave with mud nests set the atmosphere as you wait for the birds to return from foraging for snails, frogs and insects. It'll be hard to contain your excitement as these legendary and prehistoric-looking birds lope and jump on the rocks while preening themselves just metres away. Once you've enjoyed good views, leave the site and walk back through the forest to your accommodation for a well-deserved cold drink and dinner.

Your hosts will have prepared a delicious meal, and you'll enjoy the evening, reflecting on one of the most remarkable birding experiences to be had on the continent. Staying in this remote local community is a highlight.

Please note that if you wish to try for a sighting of the endangered white-bellied (tree) pangolin, this is likely the best place for it in Ghana. So, your guide and trackers can take you back into the forest after dinner (Bear in mind that pangolin sightings are very unpredictable, as their numbers continue to decline sharply across Africa and Asia due to relentless persecution for their scales).

Your last full day in Ghana will be taken up with more observations of the wonderful birds and butterflies, as you visit Kwabena Sam Forest before returning to Accra.

Your guide will determine which of the trails is best to take, based on the trip's sightings and what's still needed. In this productive area, speciality species you might see include white-crested and black-dwarf hornbills; grey-headed and red-tailed bristlebills; fire-bellied woodpeckers; yellow-throated and thick-billed cuckoos; forest woodhoopoe; blue cuckoo-shrike; Sharpe’s apalis; black-and-white shrike-flycatcher; and more. It's here that the mythical western wattled cuckooshrike has been seen on occasion.

Some of the butterfly species which might be encountered today include Ashanti forester; brilliant nymph; Grose-Smith's nymph; Atossa nymph; Sophus forester; Laetitia's forester; Gambia nymph; western blue-banded forester; western emperor swallowtail; dainty spirit; Paul's pentila; Peter's pearly; narrow-margined yellow; little epitola; royal sapphire; large fairy hairstreak; shining red charaxes; lesser blue-spotted charaxes; giant charaxes; and white-barred charaxes, among many other species.

After lunch, depart back to Accra, where you'll be taken to a restaurant for dinner.

An alternative, depending on what you're most keen to see, is to depart Bonkro earlier and, instead of visiting Kwabena Sam Forest, go to Achimota Forest in Accra. This is also a phenomenal location for birds, with key species including stone partridge, violet turaco and many others.

Then you'll be transferred to the airport for your departure. We recommend the BA flight, which leaves at 11:30 pm and on which this itinerary is based on.