19 Days Birding in Angola
Day One: Arrival in Luanda
Upon your arrival at the airport in Luanda, the guide from Afrikan Wildlife Safaris will welcome you and then transfer you to the hotel. Dinner and overnight Hotel Ilha Mar or similar.
Day Two: Luanda to Kwanza
After breakfast, we will drive south to the Kwanza area, right on the boundary of Kissama National Park. This location hosts Orange Weaver, the rusty-necked variety of Village Weaver, the noisy Bubbling Cisticola, Mouse-brown Sunbird, Angolan Swallow, Long-legged Pipit, the stunning Blue-breasted Kingfisher, and Palm-nut Vulture. There are many shorebirds and terns on the beaches of the Kwanza River and we will look for Caspian, Royal and Sandwich Terns, and loads of shorebirds including Curlew Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover and White-fronted Plover. We might also locate the swifts which remain a bit of a taxonomic enigma. Dinner and overnight in Kwanza.
Day Three: Kwanza to Uige
Today after morning birding around Kwanza we drive to Uige climbing the northern scarp to where the tongues of Guinea-Congo lowlands forest project to their southernmost limits. En-route we may encounter Blue-throated Roller, Great Blue Turaco, Black Bee-eater, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, the local form of Black-backed Barbet, Moustached Grass-warbler, Whistling Cisticola, Pale Wren-warbler, Salvadori’s Eremomela or Brown Twinspot. However, our main quarry here will be the rare endemic Braun’s Bush-shrike. If we arrive in time, we will make an attempt this afternoon. We have a two-night stay in Uige.
Day Four: Uige
Today in the scarp, we will focus on the Braun’s Bush-Shrike, and we will listen carefully for their telltale croaking vocalizations. But we also check out for Afep and Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Gabon Coucal, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, Great Blue Turaco, Black-casqued Wattled Hornbills, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Black Bee-eater, Blue-throated Roller, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Bristle-nosed Barbet, several species of tinker birds, Bocage’s Bushshrike, Simple Greenbul, Banded Prinia, Masked Apalis, the strange Tit-Hylia, hefty Red-headed Bluebill, Pink-footed Puff back, and several species of weavers, flycatchers and sunbirds.
Day Five: Uige to Calandula
We will have a final morning at the scarp forests before traversing the miombo en route to Calandula. We will check bridges for Red-throated Cliff Swallows. Arriving in Calandula we should have time to bird the gallery forest and miombo this afternoon. We have a two-night stay at Calandula. En-route we will bird the small patches of gallery forest and search for Grey-winged Robin-chat, Black-backed Barbet and other forest birds. This stretch has also delivered Congo Moor Chat in the past and we will keep a sharp eye out for these.
Day Six: Calandula
Calandula holds arguably the most sought-after bird in Angola. The stunning White-headed Robin-chat, a large and bold songster, but a skulker. Occasionally the scarce Brazza’s Martin can be found in this area too, and we shall keep our eyes peeled, although we would need exceptional luck to find it. Look out also for Schalow’s Turaco, Gray-winged Robin-Chat, African Broadbill, Brown-headed Apalis, Ross’s Turaco, Blue-headed Coucal, Narina Trogon, White-chinned Prinia, Brown Illadopsis and more. Adjacent the gallery forest is mature Brachystegia (Miombo) woodland, with many excellent species that are restricted to this habitat within Angola. Specifically, we search for Black-backed and Anchieta’s Barbets and Anchieta’s Sunbird. Other Miombo-specialist birds we can find here include Pale-billed Hornbill, Sharp-tailed Starling, Miombo Wren-Warbler, Miombo Scrub-Robin, Green-capped Eremomela, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Rufous-bellied Tit, and White-winged Black Tit.
Day Seven: Calandula to Ndalatando
For this day. We will visit the amazing Calandula Falls. These span over 1300 feet (400 m) and drop over 300 feet (100 m), making them the second largest (by volume) falls in Africa after Victoria Falls. Eventually we reach the Ndalatando area and bird the remarkable Tombingo Forest. Look out localized Red-fronted Parrot in fruiting trees, Great Blue Turaco, Piping, African Pied and Black-casqued Wattled Hornbills, Blue Malkoha, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Barbet, Brown-eared and Yellow-crested Woodpeckers, Bocage’s Bushshrike, Red-tailed Bristlebill, Honeyguide Greenbul, Yellow Longbill, African Shrike-Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Red-necked Buzzard, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Green Crombec, Yellow-throated Nicator, Splendid Glossy and Chestnut-winged Starling, Little, Plain, Falkenstein’s and Slender-billed Greenbul, Black Bee-eater, Brown Twinspot, Yellow-throated Leaflove, and Red-backed Mousebird and many many more. We spend only one night in Ndalatando.
Day Eight: Ndalatando to Muxima
We have another morning in the scarp forest at Ndalatando before we head to Muxima and the drier thorn scrub of the coast for a two-night stay. Our journey today takes us through some of the most stunning Baobab-Euphorbia dry deciduous forests in Africa.
Day Nine: Muxima
This morning after breakfast, we head into habitat amongst the odd cactus-like Candelabra trees we will target three special birds, the dapper White-fronted Wattle-eye and the skulking Grey-striped Francolin which will hopefully not play too hard-to-get. The toughest will be the Gabala (Angola) Helmet-shrike. Although this is not the only place to catch up with this great species, we need to try every opportunity to meet success. Other good localized species may include Montiero’s Bush-shrike, Angola Swallow, Narina Trogon, Pale-olive Greenbul or the unusual black-rumped Horus Swifts that seem oddly localized around Luanda.
Day Ten: Muxima to Kumbira Forest
Go for the morning birding for another opportunity for any of the local specialties we may have missed before we head for Kumbira.
Days Eleven and Twelve: Kumbira or forest near Gabela and Namba
This site holds the core of the range of the majority of Angola’s most special bird. Our main targets will include the dowdy but very local Gabela Akalat, strange Pulitzer’s Longbill, common Hartert’s Camaroptera, and Monteiro’s and Gabela Bushshrikes. Early in the morning we should hear the calls of Red-crested Turaco, Crowned Hornbill and Grey-striped Francolin, Falkenstein’s Greenbul, Forest Scrub-Robin and African Broadbill. Other very interesting and globally local birds of Kumbira include Pale-olive Greenbul, Angolan Batis, and isolated and potential splits of Dusky Tit, Brown-chested Alethe, and Naked-faced Barbet. We will also keep our eyes peeled for Elliot’s and Buff-spotted Woodpeckers, Petit’s Cuckooshrike, Black-throated and Buff-throated Apalises, Gorgeous (Perrin’s), Bush-shrike, Mackinnon’s Shrike, Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye, Brown-capped Weaver, Red-headed Malimbe, Green Twinspot, Red-faced Crimsonwing, Black-tailed Waxbill, and Black-faced Canary. We will also visit the Namba area and check out for the Bocage’s trio, akalat, sunbird and weaver, Carmelite Sunbird, Black-backed and Anchieta’s Barbets, Black-collared Bulbul, Margaret’s Batis, Finsch’s and the rare and delightful Sweirstra’s Francolin, Bar-tailed Trogon, Angola Slaty-Flycatcher, Ludwig’s Double-collared and Oustalet’s sunbirds, Dusky Twinspot, scarce Laura’s Woodland Warbler and Black-collared Eremomela. Red-necked Buzzards and Crowned Eagles also occur here. On our return from Namba we will visit some prime Miombo where we have the opportunity for Black-backed Barbet, Moustached Grass-warbler, Whistling Cisticola, Pale Wren-warbler, Salvadori’s and Black-necked Eremomelas, Spotted Creeper, an odd race of Arrow-marked babbler, Anchieta’s Sunbird and other Miombo specials. The area is good for “Huambo” and Short-winged Cisticolas as well as Moustached and Broad-tailed Warblers, and Anchieta’s Tchagra.
Day Thirteen: Kumbira to Alto Hama
After morning birding in the Kumbira area, we will head south to Alto Hama. There will be stopping en-route when we see new birds. The road has several bridges along the way where Red-rumped Swallow, Brazza’s Martin and other good birds can be found.
Day Fourteen and Fifteen: Alto Hama
Alto Hama is a small town, where a basic but comfortable hotel will be our base for accessing one of Angola’s most famous birding sites: Morro de Moco. Here we will visit lower-elevation wetlands, scrubby areas, and miombo woodland for species like Salvadori’s and Black-necked Eremomelas, Bocage’s Weaver Sunbird, and Black-and-rufous Swallow. We may also venture to higher-elevation grasslands and montane forest patches, though reaching these requires some strenuous hiking. Targets in these higher habitats are similar to those at Namba, and include Swiestra’s Francolin and Margaret’s Batis.
Day Sixteen: Alto Hama to Lubango
After breakfast, we will drive to the southern scarp at Lubango. However, there will be birding en-route and as we get to Lubango can expect some different and interesting birds.
Day Seventeen: Tundavala Escarpment
In the escarpment, we will look out for the snazzy Angola Cave-Chat, a smart bird in a stunning landscape. Also Swierstra’s and Finsch’s Francolins remain here (but rare), Fülleborn’s Longclaw, Ludwig’s Double-collared Sunbird, Angolan Slaty-Flycatcher, Freckled Nightjar, Bradfield’s and Alpine Swifts, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Miombo Rock-Thrush, Salvadori’s Eremomela, Pale-billed Firefinch and the stunning Angolan Waxbill.
Day Eighteen: Namibe
From Lubango it’s about a two-hour drive down into the barren flats of the Namib Desert, where we will go birding on the fringes of the Namibe National Park. Our first stop however will be the Leba Escarpment, which is not only gorgeous, but also holds the very localized Cinderella Waxbill and Rock runner. Further towards the coast we hit the true Namib and can expect many of the specialty birds more associated with Namibia, including Ludwig’s Bustard, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Monteiro’s and Damara Red-billed Hornbills, Stark’s, Benguela Long-billed, and Sabota Larks, Karoo and Tractrac Chats, Kalahari Scrub-Robin, Chat Flycatcher, Ground Batis (White-tailed Shrike), Carp’s Tit, Pale-winged and Meves’s Starlings (sometimes split as Kunene Long-tailed Starling), Dusky Sunbird, and Lark-like Bunting. After a long day in the field we return to Lubango to overnight.
Day Ninteen: Departure
After breakfast we head to Lubango airport to connect to your international flight back home.