Well Japan will have to wait for a bit, so onwards with the plan for 2024. It's just over 3 weeks until i'm off to Saudi Arabia for my 3rd trip there. Then it's just over 2 weeks until I do Turkey and Mongolia back-to-back - all great trips and very exciting. I will come back to them in another post. And I really need to lose a bit of weight after the recent Cape Horn cruise first!!
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| The ever-angry Yemen Warbler from Saudi Arabia... |
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| A gorgeous Oriental Plover from Mongolia |
So today i'm a little preoccupied with my trip to Tanzania in July. I've been seeing plenty of great photos posted on Facebook from my guide over there, and it's really whetting the appetite. This isn't going to be the usual safari thing but what people call the Eastern Arc Mountains Tour, a region choc full of endemics and really rare stuff. Well, actually, i'm super-excited about this one and having visited Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, northern Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and a bit of South Africa in the past, there's still a whole bunch of lifers possible. But why does it tantalise the tastebuds so much? Hmmmm....
Firstly, it's just an area that's not really one of those places high on birders wish lists of places to visit - and that always draws me for some reason. Secondly, there's a feast of new birds for everyone. Thirdly (and possibly most importantly) it's going to be a bit of an adventure. Ahh yes, adventure in the safest possible terms but it also means the dreaded camping! After doing a Snow Leopard trip in Ladakh years ago I swore I wouldn't be camping ever again! But the lure of some great birds and the passage of time has swept that hatred of camping away. And it's only 6 or 7 nights, we'll be in the mountains so it won't be hot 'n' sweaty, which would drive me mad and we will have a ground crew looking after us. The rest of the time will be spent in much better accommodation. The camping aspect has already put several guys off joining the 4 of us already committed to the trip and it's obviously not everyone's cup of tea. But you gotta suffer for your birds right?!
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| Bohm's Bee-eater is a big deal... |
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| Chapin's Apalis |
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| Rubeho Akalat |
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| Rubeho Warbler |
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| Uluguru Bushshrike |
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| Usambara Thrush |
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| Usambara Weaver |
And there really are plenty of cracking birds to look forward to. The photos above show a small sample of what is ahead. Oh, and we've booked a couple of nights on Pemba Island for a few more endemics as well. Our flights are booked, and the East Africa field guide is dusted off and ready. There's still 2 spaces available for anyone who fancies a shed load of lifers, a bit of an adventure and a few laughs along the way. The full itinerary can be viewed here - Eastern Arc Birding Adventure
In the meantime, Saudi Arabia beckons....
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