Naturetrek Newsletter

INDIA
India to set up Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
Arunchal Pradesh & Assam – reduced by £300!!!
Forthcoming India tours

Mali, one of Africa’s least known but most exciting countries takes its name from an ancient empire and stretches from Ghana in the south to Algeria in the north. It is home to a wide variety of ethnic peoples including the Tuareg, the Fulani, the Bambara and the Dogon. Although materially poor, Mali has a rich and diverse culture and its people produce some of the finest artefacts to be found anywhere in Africa.

It is also a country of great geographical contrasts. The south is Guinean forest and savannah and visitors are often surprised at how well wooded this region is. In the north lies a huge area of the Sahara desert whilst in between sits the arid scrub and grassland of the Sahel. The mighty river Niger carves a great arc through the southern half of the country and adds a further dimension. At the river’s northern most point lies Timbuktu, once a great trading centre and important university and still a fascinating and enigmatic place to visit. Our voyage on the Niger recalls the journeys of the early explorers and we will see few western visitors during our time on the river.

Additionally Mali offers us the chance to see a wide cross section of West African birds and other wildlife, from colourful Senegal Parrots, Violet Turacos and Abyssinian Rollers to Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Yellow-crowned Gonolek and the emblematic Egyptian Plover. The inland delta of the Niger is one of the most important wetland sites in Africa and supports a density and diversity of birds sufficient to whet any birder’s appetite alongside healthy populations of Hippopotamus and Nile Crocodile.

From the capital Bamako we travel north to Segou the old French colonial capital through a well-wooded landscape dotted with small villages and quaint mud mosques. Roadside birds are likely to include Grasshopper Buzzard, Brown Snake Eagle, Fox Kestrel, both Grey and Red-billed Hornbills and the bizarre little Piapiac, which often rides on the backs of cattle. At Djenne with its winding medieval streets we will visit the spectacular Grand Mosque, reputedly the largest mud building in the world and at Mopti, a busy trading town at the confluence of the Bani and Niger rivers, we will have the opportunity to explore the extraordinarily colourful and bustling market and harbour area.

From Mopti we head east to “Pays Dogon” and the dramatic Bandiagara escarpment. As we approach Dogon Country we will see fewer and fewer mosques as these remarkable people have retained their traditional animist/fetishist religion, rituals and culture despite hundreds of years of Muslim and colonialist intrusion. We will visit several Dogon villages in the talus slopes at the foot of the cliffs and learn about their customs and traditions. A wide range of exciting birds associated with the escarpment and the surrounding savannah include Stone Partridge, Bearded Barbet, Green Wood-hoopoe, Fine-spotted woodpecker, Cliff Chat, Neumann’s Starling and the restricted Kulikouro Firefinch, a virtual Malian endemic.

Leaving Dogon Country we continue our journey northwards through increasingly arid landscapes towards Douentza and Timbuktu. These wide-open acacia studded grasslands are home to the Fulani, nomadic herdsmen, and provide us with an opportunity to see Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Northern Ant-eater Chat, various wheatears and larks and perhaps, most excitingly, the small population of Elephants that migrate through this region each year. Finally we reach Timbuktu, the fabled city, where we will visit the famous Jinguereber Mosque and the houses used by the early European explorers Laing, Caille and Barth. In the market we may see the slabs of salt brought down from Northern Mali by some of the last working camel trains in the world.

From Timbuktu we embark on a three-day voyage up the Niger chugging sedately through an endless wide-open tapestry of water, sky, marshland and desert punctuated by neat mud-brick villages and mosques. The human activity along the river is constantly fascinating and the bird life is both rich and varied. Pied Kingfishers are numerous, African Fish Eagles soar overhead and Senegal Coucals bubble atmospherically from the reedbeds. Senegal Thick-knees and Egyptian Plovers are a regular sight along the riverbank and colourful Yellow-crowned Bishops buzz over the marshes against a backdrop of huge wheeling flocks of Red-billed Queleas. Add to this vast flocks of wintering waders and wildfowl, a host of herons and egrets and that ever ever-present possibility of a Hippopotamus or a Crocodile and you have a rich feast indeed!

Finally we arrive back in Mopti with our extraordinary Malian odyssey drawing to a close. As we make our way back to Bamako we can reflect on what will surely be one of the most memorable trips of our lives.

The tropical blend of endemic birds, splendid scenery, mammals and butterflies, always guarantee that Sri Lanka is a very special holiday destination but as Naturetrek Operations Manager Paul Dukes reports, the visit by our February 2006 tour group was even more successful than usual. One year on from the horrific tsunami it was gratifying to find hotels back to normal capacity and 'business as usual' but it was also a tour memorable for outstanding wildlife encounters such as the oh-so tired Leopard snoozing on a branch in Yala National Park or the Serendib Scops Owl posing for daylight views in Sinharaja Forest less than a decade after first being described for science. Every tour member will have taken away their own favourite memories but for sheer charm it was hard to match the frolics of a tiny Elephant in Yala, getting up to all sorts of mischief whilst sharing a forest bathing pool with some very tolerant elders. Thanks to the hard work and expertise of our local agents we now have a tour that produces more variety of wildlife than ever before and look forward to our next visits over Christmas and in February 2007.

The success of the Ukraine football team in the World Cup has given this former Soviet Republic a slightly higher international profile but for many it remains a somewhat enigmatic country defined by cold war propaganda or memories of the Chernobyl disaster. British ornithologist Paul Goriup has been concerned for many years with conservation activities in Ukraine and a meeting with Paul at the 2005 Rutland Water Bird Fair convinced Naturetrek that a spring birdwatching tour would be extremely rewarding and in addition would demonstrate to the Ukranian authorities that there are financial benefits to be achieved from preserving wildlife and habitats. Working in conjunction with Salix Nature Tours in Ukraine, the inaugural Naturetrek tour took place between May 6-15 and was led by Roy Taylor with local assistance provided by Paul and his Salix ground team. During the nine day tour the group covered a great deal of ground in this huge country visiting Askania Nova Biosphere Reserve, Sivash National Nature Reserve, Crimea Forest Reserve, Kinburg Peninsula Nature Reserve, Kugurlui Ramsar Site and the Danube Biosphere Reserve. The hospitality from our hosts was almost overwhelming including many gastronomic highlights such as a champagne picnic in the midst of a vast reedbed, and a trip list of over 200 species was a very respectable total for just over a week in the field. Incorporating logistical lessons from this first tour we are now planning a return visit in spring 2007 and look forward to repeating the outstanding success of the 2006 tour.

We are running two very different tours to Canada this autumn, which still have some places available. Our Great Whales & Fall Migration in Eastern Canada tour runs from Friday 15th September to Sunday 1st October 2006. Last year we enjoyed excellent whale watching with close-up views of the magnificent Northern Right Whales, even coming alongside a mating circle! In addition we did extremely well for land mammals and birds. The spectacular fall colours and renowned culinary delights also lived up to expectations! To read TomÕs detailed report click here.

Last October an intrepid group of travellers set out to brave the icy conditions of Churchill in northern Canada, where the frozen scenery made a spectacular backdrop for an extremely varied and action-packed programme. The highlights were undoubtedly the Polar Bears we saw on our Tundra Buggy outings. However, the back-up cast of Arctic Fox, Arctic Hare, Caribou, Snowy Owl and a good number of other bird species just added to our high spirits. Click here to read Tom's report of the tour. Why not do something completely different this autumn and join him on our next Just Polar Bears Arctic adventure on Friday 27th October - Saturday 4th November 2006.

India will set up of a wildlife crime control bureau to protect wild animals and the smuggling of their skins and body parts. India has decided to amend the Wildlife Protection Act and form a wildlife crime control bureau to protect wild animals and bring an end to the smuggling of animal skins and body parts. The board, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has been discussing setting up of a wildlife crime control bureau since last year. He said the bureau would work on the lines of the Narcotics Control Bureau and have powers to investigate crime related to wildlife. It would be a centralised authority and several other law enforcing agencies would assist it in investigations.

This tour is a pioneering birdwatching and natural history expedition into the remote north-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, lying at the very eastern end of the great Himalaya, and the least known area of the entire subcontinent. This area has been closed to tourists since independence in 1947, and we will be one of few British tour groups to enter the area (the first being our 1998 group!). This trip also goes to Kaziranga National Park in Assam, the best place on earth to watch the very rare Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros.

Dates for 2007
Sunday 21st January Ð Sunday 4th February 2007
New Cost: £2,495 (London/London); £2,095 (Kolkata/Kolkata)

India has so much to offer; from wildlife watching - birds to tigers; National Parks and Wildlife sanctuaries; hotels, lodges and houseboat overnight cruises and not forgetting the fabulous cuisine.

We still have places on a number of our tours to India this year. To find out more about a specific tour please click on the title.

Saturday 21 October Ð Sunday 29th October 2006
PLUS... A Free Bradt guide with every booking!

Wild India - In Style!
Friday 10th November - Tuesday 21st November 2006
Extensions: to Saturday 25th November 2006

India - Goa (Bargain Birdwatching Tour)
Friday 17th November - Saturday 25th November 2006

India - A Wildlife Photography Tour to Panna Tiger Reserve
Wednesday 20th December - Friday 29th December 2006
Bandhavgarh Extension to Wednesday 3rd January 2007

India - North (Bargain Mammal Tour)
friday 10th November - Saturday 18th November 2006
Friday 17th November - Saturday 25th November 2006
Friday 8th December - Saturday 16th December 2006
Tuesday 26th December - Wednesday 3rd January 2007

India – Bharatpur & Chambal (Bargain Birdwatching Tour)
Saturday 21st October – Sunday 29th October 2006
Tuesday 26th December – Wednesday 3rd January 2007

India – Wildlife & Cuisine (Bargain Birdwatching Tour)
Saturday 11th November – Sunday 19th November 2006 *
Saturday 2nd December – Sunday 10th December 2006
*Combine with “India – Kerala” and save £400 from the joint price.

India – Kerala (Bargain Birdwatching Tour)
Saturday 18th November – Sunday 26th November 2006

India – South (Bargain Birdwatching Tour)
Thursday, 22nd December 2005 – Monday, 2nd January 2006

ANTARCTICA, FALKLANDS & SOUTH GEORGIA – PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL
Tuesday 2nd January – Tuesday 23rd January 2007

Gentoo Penguin (Paul Stanbury)

We only have 1 cabin left to fill on this ultimate 19-day cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Led by renowned wildlife photographer, Chris Gomersall, and based on the ice-strengthened, 46-passenger Grigoriy Mikheev, our itinerary departs Ushuaia in Argentina and then takes in some of the most spectacular wildlife and scenery of the south polar region; for example, the vast King Penguin rookery at Salisbury Plain (South Georgia), the 100,000 Adélie Penguins at Paulet Island, the Southern Elephant Seals in the South Shetlands, and the Wandering Albatross colony at Prion Island (South Georgia). We will encounter icebergs, glaciers and thermal springs, huge numbers of seabirds, and most probably a few cetaceans such as Minke Whale, Humpback Whale and Orca. The small but comfortable ship maximises our opportunities for time ashore and in the height of the Austral summer our main problem is going to be finding enough time to sleep!

This years British Birdwatching Fair will take place on Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August at the usual venue (Rutland Water). Every year the fair organisers choose an international conservation issue to support from projects suggested and managed by BirdLife International. In 2005 £200,000 was raised to help save Gurney’s Pitta in Myanmar and Thailand.

This year’s chosen project is ‘Saving the Pacific’s Parrots’. The extinction rate of birds in the Pacific Islands is higher than anywhere else in the world. One of the biggest threats to native birds is the introduction of alien species, notably Black Rats and domestic cats. The fair will help support a programme of translocation for threatened species and the removal of alien species from some islands.

Naturetrek will be amongst the hundreds of exhibitors who will be present over the weekend. If you would like to talk about wildlife holidays past, present or future or simply want to say hello then make sure you come and find us in marquee 2, stands 42 & 43. If you planning to be at the fair on Saturday (time be announced at the stand during the day) then we would like to invite you to join us for drinks in the evening to launch our new brochure and website.

So why not come along to the biggest birdwatching fair in the world and help support a worthy cause.

For those of you who like to plan ahead please be aware that we are taking provisional and confirmed bookings for 2007. Although some tours do not have finalised dates it is a good idea to phone us and at least book a provisional place on your preferred holiday to avoid disappointment. Our bargain birdwatching tour to Ecuador departing January 2007 only has two remaining places and both our Galapagos and Costa Rica tours are already half full!

To view a list of the late availability for Naturetrek tours departing over the next couple of months, please click here. However, as things are constantly changing, we advise you to call our Cheriton Mill office on 01962 733051 to check for any amendments.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this edition of the Naturetrek e-news. If you would like some help planning a future wildlife holiday, please call or e-mail us on info@naturetrek.co.uk and we will be happy to assist you.

We are continually striving to improve our e-newsletter – any comments and feedback would be gratefully appreciated!

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For more information on any of our holidays please call us on 01962 733051