02 October 2009 - The Gambia Experience - Press Office
Chris Packham, celebrity ornithologist, currently co-hosting BBC2's Autumnwatch [starting this eve at 9pm], is set to host another Bird Watching Tour to The Gambia in February 2010. Specialist tour operator, The Gambia Experience - responsible for organizing the trip - is pleased to announce that there are still spaces available, courtesy of their increasing the number of places on the first part of the activities.
The Bird Watching Tour will now (please note that dates have changed) run between 05 - 08 February 2009 and costs £299 per person, which can be added to the cost of a holiday at any hotel within the Kotu region. The tour includes welcome drinks with Chris, a trip to the Abuko Nature Reserve, an evening walk around Kotu stream, as well as a half-day excursion to the Tanji Bird reserve and Tanji village. This section of the tour can now accommodate up to 20 places.
A three-night add-on - commencing 09 February and costing £450pp - can also be booked, whereby 10 guests can enjoy half-board accommodation with Chris at the award-winning Mandina Lodges at Makasutu. Here, the local bush can be meandered on foot, and the River Gambia explored by pirogue whilst taking in the extensive bird life of the area.
Chris has travelled to The Gambia on numerous occasions and says of the country: "It's a haven for birding, it's so full of accessible sites and species and it still retains its charm and allure for me after many visits."
Please note that holidays can be booked at the Mandina Lodges at Makasutu throughout the year, exclusively through The Gambia Experience. The eight lodges are set on a tributary of the River Gambia within a 1000-acre forest, owned and operated by two Englishmen, who work closely with local villagers. The lodges' main appeal is that guests are able to enjoy rural Africa, yet still only be 30 minutes from the airport and 45 minutes from the coast.
Bird watching in The Gambia is not just limited to the Chris Packham tour.
The Gambia, (as well as neighbouring Senegal, offered through sister company The Senegal Experience), offers some of the world's best birding and is an ideal destination for both the novice and expert birdwatcher. To reflect this, The Gambia Experience offers bird watching themed holidays, such as 'Plover' and 'Tanji', as well as day excursions such as 'Birds & Breakfast'. In addition to its own tours, The Gambia Experience also works closely with specialists offering fully escorted bird watching safaris in The Gambia; these include Birdfinders, Ornitholidays and Limosa Holidays.
For more information on bird watching in The Gambia, including the Chris Packham tour, or on the Mandina Lodges at Makasutu, please visit www.gambia.co.uk or call The Gambia Experience Reservations Dept on 0845 330 2087.
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