NORTHERN NAMIBIAN ITINERARY
Day 1.
Arrive at Windhoek International Airport during the afternoon and transfer, at your own expense, to the foyer of Kalahari Sands Hotel where you will be met at 16:00 by Prof. Phil Hockey and the Felix Unite Guide Team. From here we will transfer to our campsite for the evening, after getting Bradfield's swifts right outside the HOTEL !!!
Day 2.
We will spend the morning birding in the hill country around Windhoek to familiarise ourselves with some of Namibia’s more common birds. But there are plenty of classy birds in store. Among these, we will look for Red-billed Spurfowl, Rockrunner, Monteiro’s Hornbill, Purple Roller, Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Short-toed Rock-Thrush, Black-faced Waxbill, Barred Wren-Warbler, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Green-winged Pytilia, Great Sparrow and Bradfield’s Swift. Among the migrant species, there is always a chance of Great Spotted, Jacobin and Black Cuckoos, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Red-backed Shrike, House Martin and Spotted Flycatcher. For the mammal afficionado, we may be lucky enough to see the near-endemic Dassie Rat. In the afternoon, we travel northwest via the villages of Okahandja, Karibib and Usakos to Spitzkop (ca 180 km), a series of red granite inselbergs rising out of the desert plains – the Ayres’ Rock of Namibia. En route we will try and locate the near-endemic Rüppell’s Korhaan, and roadside birds may well include Chestnut Weaver, Wattled Starling, Lesser Grey Shrike and Kori Bustard, as well as a cross-section of raptors. Spitzkop is home to the localised and near-endemic Herero Chat, but there are plenty of other good birds here, including Gray’s, Sabota, Karoo Long-billed and Monotonous Larks (the latter after rains, which have been good in recent years), Rosy-faced Lovebird, White-tailed Shrike, Pririt Batis, Dusky Sunbird, Chestnut Weaver, Bradfield’s Swift, Pale-winged Starling and Carp’s Tit. For the mammal spotters, there is an outside chance here of seeing the recently described Black Mongoose. We will spend the night camped at Spitzkop, almost always with crystal-clear, star-filled skies above us.
Day 3.
After birding around Spitzkop in the early morning (it heats up rapidly on the fringes of the Namib!), we travel west across the middle of the Namib Desert to Henties Bay and then south along the coast to Swakopmund (ca 110 km). On the journey, we will search for Southern Pale Chanting-Goshawk, Greater Kestrel, Temminck’s and Double-banded Coursers, Namaqua Sandgrouse, Stark’s Lark, Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark and, if we are lucky, Ludwig’s Bustard. On our way into Swakopmund, we will make a detour into the arid coastal scrublands in search of the near-endemic Gray’s Lark, as well as Red-capped Lark and the white desert race of Tractrac Chat. An afternoon visit to the Swakopmund salt works can always produce the unexpected – Red-necked Phalarope and Common Redshank have been regular sightings in recent years, and there is a good chance of seeing Chestnut-banded Plover, a species for which Namibia holds the majority of the world population. Huge numbers of Cape Cormorants breed on an artificial platform in the pans, and close views can usually be had of both species of flamingos, as well as Swift Terns and several species of Palearctic-breeding waders. In the town of Swakopmund, we will look for the recently split Orange River White-eye. We overnight at the very comfortable Drifter’s Inn at Swakopmund.
Day 4.
Early in the morning we will head south to the dry bed of the Kuiseb River. Here, among the sparsely vegetated dunes, we will search for one of Namibia’s specials, Dune Lark. From the Kuiseb, we head back to the coast to spend the day in the very extensive wetlands around Walvis Bay. Apart from having extensive intertidal mudflats, Walvis Bay is also the site of a massive salt works. The sheer numbers of waterbirds here is enough to excite any birder – tens of thousands of flamingos and dozens of Eastern White Pelicans set the backdrop for an exciting day’s birding. Waders, gulls and terns are the order of the day, and we will make a special effort to see Chestnut-banded Plover, African Black Oystercatcher and Black and Damara Terns. We should also see the regionally endemic Crowned Cormorant. Walvis Bay has an extensive list of rarities and, for the hardened twitcher, this is the most likely day of the trip to bump into vagrant birds. In recent years these have included Eurasian Oystercatcher, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Redshank, Black-headed and Franklin’s Gulls and Gull-billed Tern (the latter being the first Namibian record!). Other species regularly seen on the ‘Walvis Bay day’ include Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers, Peregrine Falcon, Black Heron, and Terek and Marsh Sandpipers. Once again we overnight at Drifters’s Inn.
Day 5.
We leave Swakopmund after breakfast, heading inland towards Karibib and our eventual destination of Omaruru (ca 170 km). This is a different route through the Namib, and on the way to Karibib, we will make a short detour in search of the increasingly rare Burchell’s Courser. En route north from Karibib, we will also try to search out one of the most northerly populations of Rufous-eared Warbler, which co-occurs at this site with Northern Black Korhaan and Spike-heeled Larks. Approaching Omaruru, we will stop for lunch in the bed of the Khan River. This riverbed forms a strip of tall woodland in an otherwise dry and shrubby countryside. On a walk down the riverbed we will look for Violet Wood Hoopoe, Burchell’s Starling, Southern Pied Babbler, the recently described Damara Hornbill, Carp’s and Ashy Tits, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Violet-eared Waxbill, Burchell’s Starling, Rüppell’s Parrot, Pearl-spotted Owlet and perhaps Ovambo Sparrowhawk. Arriving in the village of Omaruru (having detoured to search for Hartlaub’s Francolin en route), we should be greeted by Bradfield’s and African Palm-Swifts, and the campsite should yield Bearded Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide and Groundscraper Thrush, among others. As the sunsets, and with a little encouragement, African Scops-Owls and Pearl-spotted Owlets should be to hand.
Day 6.
We spend the early morning birding around Omaruru, and then travel northwest to (ca 350 km) to a campsite near western Etosha, en route to the Kunene River.
Days 7,8,9.
Leaving after breakfast, we head north to the small village of Ruacana, perched on the escarpment above the Cunene River. Around the village and on the surrounding plateau, we have a good chance of seeing Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark, Temminck’s Courser, Ant-eating Chat, Desert Cisticola, Dusky, Rufous-naped and Monotonous Larks, Yellow-billed Oxpecker and Red-breasted Swallow. During our time at the Cunene River, five special birds we will be looking for are Grey Kestrel, Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush, Madagascar Bee-eater, Chestnut Weaver and the enigmatic Cinderella Waxbill, a species that eludes many birders. Bare-cheeked Babblers are reasonably common along the river, and Hartlaub’s Babbler occurs in the reed beds. The riverside vegetation also holds Golden Weaver, Swamp Boubou and a locally endemic and very distinctive race of Red-billed Spurfowl. We also have another chance at Carp’s Tit, White-tailed Shrike and Rüppell’s Parrot should we have missed these elsewhere. Birds of the riverine woodland include Meves’s Starling, Retz’s Helmet-Shrike, Green Wood-hoopoe, Ashy Flycatcher, Rosy-faced Lovebird, African Golden Oriole, Barred Owlet and a locally endemic race of Bennett’s Woodpecker that may warrant full species status. There is always a possibility of unusual birds in this area - Angola Swallow has been recorded there recently, and one previous tour was lucky enough to see Bat Hawk. Not far from the village of Ruacana is the Ulusuti Dam. This is a fairly reliable locality for Pink-billed Lark, Grey-rumped Swallow and African Quailfinch, and is good for reed-bed species including Black, Purple and Rufous-bellied Herons, Little Bittern, Lesser Moorhen, African Marsh-Harrier and the recently described Luapula Cisticola.
Days 10, 11,12.
We leave Ruacana and drive south to the bird- and mammal-rich Etosha National Park (ca 380 km), where we will spend three nights. In the woodlands around Namutoni we will search for the elusive Black-faced Babbler, and, for mammal watchers, the diminutive Damara Dikdik. Etosha is the only place in Namibia where Blue Cranes occur, and other large and visible birds include Kori Bustard, a locally endemic race of Northern Black Korhaan and small numbers of Southern Ground-Hornbill. If there is water in Fisher’s Pan (which is likely), Greater Painted-snipe can be seen adjacent to the road, and there is a chance of seeing migratory Black-winged Pratincoles. The savanna areas around the pan hold Magpie Shrike, Kalahari Scrub-Robin, White-crested Helmet-Shrike, Southern White-crowned Shrike and several raptor species. Moving west through the park there is a good chance of seeing the migratory, thrush-like Dusky Lark, as well as Red-necked Falcon. Around Halali, Southern White-faced Scops-Owls can be found in the campsite, sometimes alongside Violet Wood-hoopoes and Bare-cheeked Babblers. The floodlit waterhole at Okaukuejo is a must in the evening and at night, the drinking Double-banded Sandgrouse and hunting Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl may well be eclipsed (for the patient watcher) by a sighting of Black Rhino. Mammals abound in the Park, although many do move to the inaccessible western areas if there has been good rain. Among those regularly seen on the tour are African Elephant, Black and White Rhinos, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Spotted Hyena, Blue Wildebeest, Red Hartebeest, Southern Oryx (Gemsbok), Black-faced Impala (a localised subspecies), Springbok, Giraffe, Burchell’s Zebra, Greater Kudu, Black-backed Jackal, Banded Mongoose, Bushy-tailed Meerkat, Suricate and Southern Ground-Squirrel. Less frequently spotted are Sable Antelope, Caracal (Lynx), Aardwolf, Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra and Honey Badger.
Day 13.
We drive south from Etosha to spend our last night at the Waterberg Plateau Park (ca 250 km). This is one of the best places in Namibia to see Rüppell’s Parrot, and the only place we may be lucky enough to see Cape Vulture. Several of the Namibian endemics are also found here, giving us a chance at anything we may have missed elsewhere. For the mammal specialists, Black Dwarf Mongoose (endemic to the area) is found here, as is Lesser Bushbaby.
Day 14.
Return to Windhoek for transfer to the airport. If time allows, we may make a brief stop at Avis Dam to look for Zitting and Grey-backed Cisticolas (the latter quite possibly a distinct species from the bird in South Africa).