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Butterfly-watching
Holidays 2012
small groups, relaxed pace, perfect for photographers
India - Sikkim & Assam
-
departs 5th April 2013 -
ground cost £2295
TOUR FULL
Central Peru
- departs 31st July 2012 - ground cost £2795
TRIP REPORT
here
Southern Ghana
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departs 12th Sept 2012 - ground cost £1730
TRIP REPORT
coming soon
Previous trip
reports - Trinidad,
Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Borneo
Testimonials
- what people say about our tours
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Ghana
- rainforest butterflies of West Africa
Foresters, Gliders,
Swallowtails, Fairy Hairstreaks, Sailors and Liptenids
Bobiri
forest, Boabeng-Fiema, Atewa Hills, Bunso arboretum & Aburi
departs 12th September 2012
TRIP REPORT and SPECIES LIST to be published
soon
£ 1730 per person ground cost
only ( maximum group
size 6 participants )
Deposit £300 per person
payable by bank transfer - to book a place on this tour
please enquire by
e-mail and I will provide
the necessary bank details.
Cost includes twin share
accommodation, meals as indicated, and transportation within
Ghana, but does NOT include
air fares which are approx. £565 economy class
London-Accra return with British Airways.
Please do NOT book your
flights until your place has been
confirmed.
Fact sheets will be provided
regarding health requirements, visas, security, climate etc.
Tour leaders Adrian Hoskins,
Emily Halsey
and local guides. |
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Ghana has about 800 butterfly
species - not as many as Congo or Uganda, but in Ghana the
butterflies are much more accessible, travelling times between
sites are short, the local people are very welcoming, and the
cost of tours is much lower!
Our tour begins at the capital
Accra, where we will spend the first night in a comfortable
hotel on the edge of the city. Next morning we depart early and
drive to Bobiri, arriving around lunch time. The guesthouse at
Bobiri is perfectly placed within the rainforest, with a long
forest road and a variety of easy trails to explore direct from
our doorstep. For the next 4 days we explore
the trails and forest roads at Bobiri, where we will see several
of the glorious Euphaedra Forester
butterflies, marked on the upperside with bands of orange on
an iridescent blue / green ground colour, while the undersides of many
are bright yellow with red streaks and black spots. Among the
100's of other species at Bobiri are the green-banded
swallowtail Papilio phorcas,
stunning Pierids including Mylothris,
Eurema,
Belenois & Dixeia,
numerous orange or red Acraea
species, graceful white-banded Neptis
Sailors, the stunning Protogoniomorpha
Mother of Pearl, and many other very attractive Nymphalids
including the Mapwing Cyrestis camillus
and various Charaxes, Precis and
Bebearia species.
From Bobiri we drive to
Techiman which is our base for our 2 days at Boabeng-Fiema
monkey sanctuary - an excellent butterfly site with several
Euphaedra,
Cymothoe, Cyrestis and
Bebearia species, and a good
assortment of Liptenids.
Next we visit Bunso, a
mix of primary and secondary rainforest. Here we will see many of the
species found at Bobiri, and numerous additional species
including the Mocker swallowtail Papilio
dardanus, the Red Glider Cymothoe
mabillei, and several of the fascinating Liptenid species
- Tetrarhanis,
Telipna,
Liptena, Pentila and
Epitola, which live as larvae
in association with ants.
Finally we have a half-day at
Aburi botanical gardens, where we should see an excellent
variety of species typical of parks, gardens and disturbed
habitats. These include several Precis/Junonia
species, skippers such as the stunning
Celaenorrhinus galenus and various Pieridae & Acraeinae.
Please note that I reserve the
right to vary the itinerary below.
Itinerary ( amended )
12 Sept - evening arrival
at Accra,
transfer to city hotel.
13 Sept - minibus journey to
Bobiri Forest Reserve, arriving about
noon.
14 Sept - butterfly watching in
Bobiri Forest Reserve.
15 Sept - butterfly watching in
Bobiri Forest Reserve.
16 Sept - butterfly watching in
Bobiri Forest Reserve.
17 Sept -
morning at Bobiri, then transfer to Kumasi.
18 Sept
- transfer to Techiman, afternoon at Boabeng-Fiema forest reserve.
19 Sept
- butterfly-watching at Boabeng-Fiema forest reserve.
20 Sept
- transfer to Bunso, afternoon at Bunso Arboretum.
21 Sept
- butterfly watching at Bunso Arboretum.
22 Sept
- visit Aburi botanical gardens, afternoon transfer to Accra for return flight.
Accommodation - good quality
city hotel in Accra, simple but comfortable guesthouse at Bobiri,
and mid-range hotels at Bunso and Techiman.
Meals - all meals are included
throughout the tour. At Bobiri we eat at the forest guesthouse,
while at Bunso and Boabeng-Fiema there is no restaurant, so we will drive into the
nearby town and eat at roadside restaurants and cafes, or take
packed lunches as appropriate.
Transportation - minibus.
Fitness - the tour is suitable
or anyone in good health. Walking is generally easy, along quiet
roadsides and well maintained forest trails. The choice is up to
the individual - you can stay close to the lodges, or if you
prefer you can walk up to 5 miles each day exploring the habitats.
Flights - please note that
international flights are NOT included in the cost. You will need
to book and pay for your own flights. I will advise you of the
correct flights for the tour, but please do NOT book flights until
your place on the tour has been confirmed.
Collecting or netting of
butterflies is NOT permitted.
Climate - during September we
are likely to experience occasional light drizzle or short periods
of heavier rain, but generally days should be dry and warm, with
hazy sunshine or light cloud cover - ideal for butterfly
photography. Nights will be warm and humid.
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How to book your holiday
To reserve a place simply send me an
e-mail stating the following
details :
Name - your full name as it appears
in your passport
Passport
number
Passport
expiry date
Sex
Full
postal address
Date
of birth
Nationality
Tour - name of the tour you wish to
join
I will then
reserve your place on the tour pending arrival of your deposit which can be paid by cheque or direct to my bank
account of which I will provide details. The final
balance is due 90 days before departure. Please do
NOT book flights until your place has been confirmed. Prices are based on sharing twin
bedded rooms. Single supplements may be available, please
enquire.
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What to
expect
Adrian Hoskins, owner of this website, organises and
escorts private butterfly-watching tours
for individuals and small groups, to destinations
including Brazil, Costa Rica, Trinidad,
Peru, Ecuador, Malaysia, Borneo
and Ghana.
I use the best ground operators
available in the countries visited.
Typically these tours are of 10 - 20 days duration, and we spend
about 3 days at each
location,
allowing plenty of time to fully explore the habitats and get to know
the sites and their butterflies intimately. The sites are
thoroughly researched, all sites have been previously
visited by the tour leader, and all visits are timed to coincide with the peak
butterfly season and best weather.
Accommodation is chosen for
proximity to the butterfly habitats - sometimes we stay in
lodges, and at other times we use small hotels or guest houses.
On certain tours we camp on Amazonian riverbanks or stay
in forest huts. Food is varied and delicious, and we
are happy to cater for vegetarians. Beer, soft drinks and
bottled water are all generally available.
My tour style differs from that offered by
most wildlife tour operators - my approach is to take you
to places where butterflies are prolific and diverse, give you a
brief introduction to the trail system and habitats, and then to
leave you to explore the
trails at your own pace. You are free to wander alone or in pairs
on the trails.
I don't carry out on-the-spot identifications ( I'll be
busy photographing butterflies myself for the website ! ), but I will
gladly assist with IDs from digital images in the evenings.
Tour groups are kept small, never more than 6 persons,
so you can relax and photograph the butterflies without a queue of people behind
you. Participants must be aged 18 or over. There are no upper
age restrictions but I may require those aged over 65 to provide a
medical certificate of fitness. Singles, couples and groups of
friends are all welcome.
I do not permit
collecting, or the use of butterfly nets, but we usually run moth
lights at night and have a photo-and-release session in the
mornings. If you wish to participate in moth photography you
should bring your own pots and catch those specimens that you
wish to photograph.
For further details
please contact me by
e-mail.
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Euphaedra
janetta, male, Bobiri forest, Ghana ©
Adrian Hoskins
Cymothoe mabillei,
Bunso, Ghana ©
Adrian Hoskins
Hypolycaena antifaunus,
Ghana ©
Adrian Hoskins
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