Destination country: Ghana. Start and finish in Accra.
Next
schedule: TBA
Duration:
16 days.
Guide:
Szabolcs Safian (aka Safi). Safi visited and guided
more than 20 butterfly expeditions to Ghana and discovered
10+ species for the country, incl. even some new for the
science (namely Iridana agneshorvathae and Euriphele
taigona... several other new taxa awaiting formal descriptions).
He also travelled widely in other West African countries,
incl. off-the-beaten corners of war-thorned Liberia, Sierra
Leone, and he also did fieldworks in Nigeria, Kenya and
Uganda as well. He is the founder of the Butterfly Conservation
Society of Ghana and co-led our Ethiopia
butterfly expedition as well.
Recommended
literature: Torben B. Larsen’s two volume
epos, "The Butterflies of West Africa".
Price:
- ... GBP (... GBP for five or less people). Single
supplement: ... GBP. Price includes:
accommodations and meals (lunch is typically picnic!), drinking
water, vehicle hire with fuel and driver guide, park entrance
fees and ranger guides. The price exclude: bank
transfer loss, international flight, visa, tips, drinks,
personal travel insurance and any other activities of personal
request e.g. laundry, toalet fees, phone calls, etc.
Please note, this is a fundraising tour, 100% of the profit
is donated to Hungarian Heritage Trust, to buying lands
for the benefit of butterflies, under the auspices of Butterfly
Conservation, UK, European Interest Group.
Accommodation:
Three-star hotels with all rooms en suite. Air-conditioned
rooms will be provided wherever available.
Numbers:
Min. 5, max. 15 pax + 1 guide.
Description:
"...Ghana
has about 950 species of butterflies. In this two weeks
butterfly tour, we are aimed to see as many as possible,
but the butterfly activity always depends on the season,
weather and other circumstances. The tour is designed also
to see beautiful landscapes, natural habitats from savannah
to primary rainforests, other wildlife such as birds, some
primates and big games of Africa. The walks are normally
gentle, although the tropical climate might be a challenge
for some. Protection against direct sun and carrying enough
water are always important. Ghana has a wide range of cultural
and ethnical attractions; we will meet them throughout our
tour, as well as the warmest welcome by one of the friendliest
nation in the world..."
Transport:
Transport
is by fully air-conditioned minivan or 4x4s, depends on
the group size.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
day. Overnight: Accra.
Day 2: Travel
to the Volta Region (Amedzofe, Mount Gemi).
On the way to Hohoe we will stop in Amedzofe, a village
in the Togo Mountains, which was an old German settlement
during German Togoland. Wet rainforests once covered the
area, in the 1970s even the Giant African Swallowtail (Papilio
antimachus) was collected here. It is now mostly fallow
farmland with some patches of secondary forest, but it is
worth to visit Mount Gemi for dry grassland species like
the Western Giant Cupid (Lepidochrysops parsimon) and hilltopping
butterflies including a few Charaxes species and even Painted
Lady (Vanessa cardui). Some old trees in the village Amedzofe
host mistletoe foodplant of the beautiful Sapphires (Iolaus
ssp.) Overnight:
Hohoe.
Day 3: Likpe
Mountain. In the morning we drive to Likpe
Todome a nice village on the Togolese border. Here we will
head for the heights of the Likpe Mountain. It might be
a bit tough hiking, but we have the whole day to achieve
and on the top the view is beautiful and on the way we can
stop whenever we see butterflies along the trail. Likpe
Mtn. is the home of the endemic Volta Protea Playboy (Capys
vorgasi). The rare Blue-Patch Charaxes (Charaxes lactecintus)
is a regular hilltopper here, more common species like Western
Red Charaxes (C. cynthia), White-barred Charaxes (C. brutus),
Cream-bordered Charaxes (C. epijasius) were also seen here.
Overnight: Hohoe.
Day
4: Wli Waterfalls and Nature Reserve.
Wli is a lovely waterfalls which is told to be the highest
in West Africa. It might be true, since the cliffs are really
high, although nobody has ever measured the height of the
waterfalls. The forest around is really full of butterflies,
studies revealed that more than 500 species occur here,
including rarities such as Volta Swallowtail (Papilio nobicea),
Friendly Nymph (Euriphene amicia), Elegant Paradise Skipper
(Abantis elegantula). Overnight: Hohoe.
Day 5-6:
Kyabobo National Park.
Kyabobo is a mosaic of savannah and forest habitats. The
forest is mainly restricted to the valleys while the hilltops
are covered by drier woodlands or grasslands. Lots of butterflies
are attracted by the streams, where mubpuddling assemblages
are often seen. One of the main attractions of the park
is the Laboum Falls
and the beautiful forest around. Lots of interesting butterflies
can be found here, including the recently described Kyabobo
Green Sapphire (Etesiolaus kyabobo) or the fast flying Fox’s
Euptera (Euptera zowa). Overnight: Nkwanta.
Day 7: Full
day travelling to Mole National
Park. The way to Mole from Nkwanta is long
and might be tiring but we will interrupt when we see a
suitable patch of riverine forest or nice savannah grassland
for butterflies. Overnight: Mole NP.
Day 8-9: Mole
National Park. Mole is more famous for large
mammals and bird than for butterflies, and therefore we
hire a local guide who will take us to the elephant watching
spots. Still interesting savannah species might occur, including
a few species of Orange Tips (Colotis spp.). Moth trapping
is also possible in Mole. Overnight: Mole NP.
Day
10: Driving down to Bobiri
Butterfly Sanctuary (stopover at Kintampo
waterfalls). Kintampo Falls
is the only locality where the Crocker’s Forester
(Euphaedra crockery akani) was recently seen, but it is
exceedingly rare. We will try to find it. In the evening
we will arrive to Bobiri where the accommodation is basic,
but the food is excellent and the number of butterflies
is outstandingly high. Overnight: Bobiri.
Day 11-12:
Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary.
Butterfly watching in Bobiri, moth trapping in the evenings.
600+ species of butterflies occur in Bobiri, mainly rainforest
genera such as Euphaedra, Euriphene, Bebearia, Cymothoe.
Overnight: Bobiri.
Day 13-14:
Kakum National Park.
Morning travel to Kakum National Park, where we spend the
afternoon, and the following day. Beside butterflies we
will also visit the famous Canopy
Walkway, a series of rope bridges in the
canopy level of the rainforest. A number of butterflies
were named after Kakum Forest e.g. Kakum Fairy Hairstreak
(Hypolycaena kakumi), Western Kakumia (Kakumia otlauga).
Overnight: Hans Cottage Botel
Day 15: Travelling
back to Accra, morning stop at the infamous
Cape Coast Castle (slavery museum) souvenir shopping in
the handicraft village, lunch at the famous Tantemarie African
Restaurant (some BA flights leave in the evening). Overnight:
.
Day
16: Departure day.
