Day 1: International arrivals into Luanda International Airport (LAD) early this morning, in time for an afternoon flight to Lubango (this domestic flight is included in the tour price). The easiest international arrival option is via Lisbon with TAP. We may have time for our first visit to the impressive cliffs at Tundavala, which tower 1400 m up above the coastal plain far below! Night near Tundavala.

Day 2: Among the stunted windswept vegetation of the escarpment, we will search for the handsome Angolan Cave Chat, Rockrunner, and Oustalet’s Sunbird. At the time of writing, there is a reliable group of the endemic Angolan form of White-headed Barbet (split by BirdLife as White-bellied Barbet) in a degraded valley, and we will make sure to target this highly threatened species. Tundavala is the first of several sites on the tour where we have a chance to see the tricky endemic Swierstra’s Francolin, while in some of the gullies and little gorges with some vegetation, we will look for the handsome Miombo and Short-toed Rock Thrushes, as well as the near-endemic Red-backed Mousebird and the endemic Angolan Waxbill. The brightly coloured local form of Jameson’s Firefinch can also be found mixing with beautiful Violet-eared Waxbill. On the rocky slopes, we are likely to encounter the cute Yellow-spotted Hyrax and maybe Rufous-cheeked Nightjar, Freckled Nightjar, or even Caracal at night. Night neawr Tundavala.

Day 3: Driving down over Leba Pass, we will work our way through progressively drier habitats as we approach the barren coastal plains of the Namib Desert. The amazing Ground Batis is common in small family parties bouncing around in the scrub, while we will also search out “Capricorn” Bennett’s Woodpecker and possibly “Benguela” Meves’s Starling. The scarce near-endemic Cinderella Waxbill is unpredictable, but we will spend as much time as we can at the drinking holes that are sometimes attended by this species. Other specialties we will hope to encounter include Ruppell’s Korhaan, Damara Red-billed Hornbill, Monteiro’s Hornbill, Ruppell’s Parrot, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Tractrac Chat, Cape Penduline Tit, “Benguela” Karoo Long-billed Lark, and Stark’s Lark. Night near Tundavala.

Day 4: After a final morning of birding around Tundavala to further our chances for Swierstra’s Francolin and White-headed Barbet, we will take a long drive towards Huambo, stopping at dusk in a small marsh where Bocage’s Sunbird and Bocage’s Weaver can sometimes be found, along with the range-restricted Chirping Cisticola. Night in Huambo.

Day 5: One of several very early starts on this tour, we will aim to be at some excellent remnant patches of Afromontane forest in the Namba Range by dawn. After a short climb, we will set to work on finding Laura’s Woodland Warbler and Margaret’s Batis, with another chance for Swierstra’s Spurfowl and also Finsch’s Francolin. There are many other great birds to be found here, including Bocage’s Akalat, “Angola” Western Tinkerbird, “Angola” Grey Apalis, Angola Slaty Flycatcher, “Angola” Bronze Sunbird, “Huambo” Rock-loving Cisticola, “Ludwig’s” Montane Double-collared Sunbird, Angola Waxbill, and “Angola” Dusky Twinspot. After we are done, we will drive back to Huambo via some areas of low-lying dambo where the scarce Brazza’s Martin will be searched out, along with Fülleborn’s Longclaw, Angola Lark, Marsh Widowbird, the disjunct population of Yellow-crowned Canary, with further chances for Bocage’s Sunbird, Bocage’s Weaver, and maybe Blue-breasted Bee-eater or Locustfinch. Night in Huambo.

Day 6: This morning, we will head to Mount Moco, which is the best site at which to find several species seen less regularly at Namba (and also a good backup for anything we may have missed!). The strange Black-collared Bulbul and range-restricted Black-chinned Weaver are likely, but we will also look for the elusive Evergreen Forest Warbler, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, African Hill Babbler, African Spotted Creeper, and maybe Thick-billed Seedeater. Two aerial species to look out for are the amazing Black-and-rufous Swallow, plus the endemic breeding form of Horus Swift. Night in Huambo.

Day 7: Our miombo day will be our first chance for some endemics of this special dry woodland belt, which runs from Angola across to Malawi. Many new birds will be seen, highlights potentially including Anchieta’s and Miombo Barbets, Souza’s Shrike, Rufous-bellied and Miombo Tits, Miombo Wren-warbler, Salvadori’s Eremomela, Miombo Scrub Robin, Anchiet’s and Western Miombo Sunbirds, and Wood Pipit. Night in Huambo.

Day 8: We will be able to check some more miombo and dambo areas today as we head north to Conda, our base for exploring the threatened Gabela forests. We may arrive in time for a quick session in the forest late this afternoon. Night in Conda.

Day 9: Kumbira Forest is an area of degraded habitat on the southern scarp that was selectively logged before the civil war. We will be exploring various forest patches in the area, in particular for three little-known and rare endemics: the unassuming Gabela Akalat, the unusual blue-eyed Pulitzer’s Longbill, and the attractive Gabela Bushshrike. With perseverance, we should find all three! Less difficult is the spectacular Red-crested Turaco, and we may also find the attractive endemic forms of Monteiro’s Bushshrike and Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye. The Naked-faced Barbets clinging on here are split by BirdLife as a new endemic, the Pale-throated Barbet, and other specialties we have our first chance for include Hartert’s Camaroptera, Pale-olive Greenbul, Forest Scrub Robin, and Gabon Coucal. Night in Conda.

Day 10: We have more time at Kumbira this morning if required, or can make an early start towards Kissama National Park. In the evening, some relaxed birding at a marsh near our our hotel should yield the range-restricted Bubbling Cisticola and Golden-backed Bishop (unfortunately not in breeding plumage at this time of year). Night in Conda.

Day 11: Full day in Kissama National Park, searching for the dapper endemic White-fronted Wattle-eye, secretive Grey-striped Francolin, exquisite Gabela Helmetshrike, plus the range-restricted Angola Batis and another chance for Monteiro’s Bushshrike. If we are fortunate, we will come across one or two of the scarcer species in the park, such as Crested Guineafowl or perhaps the stunning Egyptian Plover, which can sometimes be found here. Unusually for Angola, mammals - particularly primates - are quite conspicuous here, and species we may see include Blue Monkey, Malbrouck Monkey, and Southern Talapoin Monkey. Night in Conda.

Day 12-13: After a fairly long drive through the middle of Day 12, we will arrive at Calandula in the afternoon. We will see the magnificent Calandula Falls while searching nearby for nesting Red-throated Cliff Swallow, and we might also find “Anchieta’s” Marsh Tchagra or Blue-headed Coucal. One of the main reasons for visiting the Calandula region is to search for the little-known endemic White-headed Robin-Chat, first collected in 1966, but now known to be fairly common in the area. Grey-winged Robin-Chat and White-spotted Flufftail call from the thickets, while African Broadbill and Brown-headed Apalis loiter in the canopy. At the edge of the forests, we will also search for the localised and attractive Black-backed Barbet. Out in the miombo itself, we have more chances for Anchieta’s Barbet and Anchieta’s Sunbird, while Sharp-tailed Starling, Pale-billed Hornbill, Meyer’s Parrot, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Retz’s Helmetshrike, Thick-billed Cuckoo, Ross’s Turaco, Broad-billed Roller, Greater Honeyguide, and the scarce Red-capped Crombec are all possible. Night at Calandula.

Day 14-15: After another drive through the middle of Day 14, we will arrive in the attractive hills of the Uige region, where a tongue of evergreen and semi-deciduous Guinea Forest extends southwards. Our prime target here will be the brightly-coloured and rare endemic Braun’s Bushshrike, along with several near endemics like Gabon Coucal, the newly-split Angola White-eye, Yellow-throated Nicator, Falkenstein’s Greenbul, and “Angola” White-throated Greenbul. There is also the chance to see many classic West African species such as Guinea and Great Blue Turacos, African Emerald Cuckoo, Black-casqued Hornbill, Black Bee-eater, Blue-throated Roller, Bristle-nosed Barbet, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Bocage’s Bushshrike, Pink-footed Puffback, Simple Greenbul, Chestnut-winged and Narrow-tailed Starlings, Grey-headed, Chestnut-breasted, and White-breasted Nigritas, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Thick-billed Weaver, and Brown-backed Scrub Robin. More widespread species include Red-fronted Parrots, Naked-faced, Hairy-breasted, and Yellow-billed Barbets, Speckled Tinkerbird, Cassin’s Honeybird, the smart Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Black-winged Oriole, Little, Slender-billed, Plain, and Honeyguide Greenbuls, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Sooty Flycatcher, Splendid Starling, the smart Rufous-vented Paradise Flycatcher, and Little Green, Green-throated, and Blue-throated Brown Sunbirds, while canopy flocks may hold Red-headed and Crested Malimbes and the very smart Yellow-mantled Weaver. Night in Uige region.

Day 16: Depending on what birds we still need, the plan for today is fluid. We can either spend more time in the Uige forests or move closer to the coast for more chances of several species previously attempted at Kissama. Either way, we will definitely be stopping at the bridge where a seemingly new taxon was noticed by tour groups in 2022 – birds that resemble the extralimital Forest Swallow but with forked tails and much more orange on the throat. The tour ends this evening with drop-off at Luanda International Airport (LAD) in time for late departures. We can also assist anyone wishing to stay the night and catch a flight out in the morning.

Read our 2023 trip report here!