CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE
Day 1: Fly into Beira, land around lunchtime. Proceed to hotel and thereafter bird the area known as Rio Maria. Targets include Lesser Jacana, Pygmy Goose, Collared Pratincole, various waders. Overnight Beira
Day 2: Birding in Rio Savane – targets include Locustfinch, Lesser Seedcracker, Blue Quail, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Wattled Crane, Temminck’s Courser, Senegal Lapwing, Palm Nut Vulture, Plain-backed Sunbird, Mangrove Kingfisher, Black-throated Wattle-eye. Overnight Beira
Day 3: Drive to Montebelo Camp in Gorongosa National Park. We meet our transfer and travel to the base of Mt. Gorongosa where we will overnight at Gorongosa Fly Camp.
Day 4: This morning we do the exciting walk up Mount Gorongosa. We venture into the fabulous forest on the slopes of the Gorongosa massif. The main target here of course is the Green-headed Oriole of the speculifer race which is only found on this mountain. Other birds that can be found here include Eastern Bronze-naped Pigeon, Augur Buzzard, Pallid Honeyguide, Pale Batis, Black-fronted Bushshrike, White-tailed Crested Flycatcher, Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, Moustached Grass Warbler, Singing Cisticola, Chirinda Apalis, Orange Ground Thrush, Swynnerton’s Robin, Variable Sunbird, Black-winged Red Bishop, Red-throated Twinspot & Mountain Wagtail. After lunch we return to the park and overnight at Montebelo Camp.
Day 5: We leave the park after breakfast and bird the entrance road once again, this can be good for Orange-winged Pytilia, with it’s brood parasite Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah, which should still be retaining some breeding plumage at this time of year, Red-winged Warbler & Zambezi Indigobird. Böhm’s Bee-eater has even been encountered here! We then make our way slowly up the terribly potholed road towards Caia. We’ll stop off at Zangue River, which often produces Moustached Grass Warbler, Short-winged Cisticola and Collared Palm Thrush, with a host of other species. Overnight Mphingwe Camp
Day 6: Bird the renowned patches of forest in Coutada 12 and surrounds. Prime targets here will be the elusive White-chested Alethe, East Coast Akalat, Lowland Tiny Greenbul & Chestnut-fronted Helmetshrike. Other birds we’ll be on the lookout for include Livingstone’s Flycatcher, Green Malkoha, African Broadbill, Red-throated Twinspot and a host of sunbirds. Overnight Mphingwe.
Day 7: After breakfast, we take the lengthy drive to Sena – our target here is Böhm’s Bee-eater, reliably found here since 2014. The drive up has some stops for various species. Roadside birds can include Western Banded Snake-Eagle, Dickinson’s Kestrel, Rufous-winged Cisticola, various Indigobirds, etc. Overnight Mphingwe.
Day 8: We return to the Coutadas – venturing deeper into the wild area, where large herds of game roam. The tall trees here are host to various sunbirds feeding on the flowering trees or the mistletoe that some trees are host to. Western Violet-backed Sunbird is one of our targets in these more open areas, as is Plain-backed. Red-winged Warbler is relatively common, with all three species of Helmetshrike occurring too. White-breasted Cuckooshrike also joins in mixed flocks. Overnight Mphingwe.
Day 9: Today we drive south on the road known to birders as “The Dondo Road”. There are various logging concessions along this road, some managed better than others, these remaining patches of miombo woodland produce brilliant birding, so we will stop at intervals to see what is around. Overnight Beira.
Day 10: A relaxing morning at the hotel before proceeding to the airport for your afternoon flight.
Cost per person sharing is from R54,850pps
Includes:
- Accommodation & meals
- Car hire
- Entrance fees
- Mountain excursion
Excludes:
- Flights
- Personal expenses
- Drinks apart from mineral water in vehicle
- Insurances
- Visas (Mozambique is visa free for SA passport holders)
- COVID related costs (testing etc)
- Additional activities such as a game drive in Gorongosa National Park.