Since Lamin worked at the Novatel, he has known Malik the bird watching guide. Malik would meet tourists for half day trips around the Kotu area, which are creeks around the Bungalow Beach / Novatel Hotel areas between Fajara and Kololi. This area, (at the back of the Fajara golf course) attracts as many as 80 different varieties of birds.

Many of the guides and would be guides hang around at Kotu Bridge, which is just past the Badala Park Hotel and before you reach the Bungalow Beach Hotel - The road to get here is called the BB highway and any of the taxis will know it.

GTS uses Malik for all bird watching enquiries. He is the best in this part of The Gambia and has very wide experiences of running walking tours around Kotu as well as longer over night trips to Tendaba and two night trips to George town. Not only does he know his birds really well, he knows where to find them and when.

Not being an enthusiast I asked Malik to give me some examples of the birds people would be likely to see, the following list is not complete but is to give a flavour of the treat to come.

GTS Card holders will get discount when booking Malik, but you really need to book him before your visit as he gets booked up well in advance. However Malik can also recommend up and coming guides - I am sure real ornithologists would not be taken in by the guides with books and glasses for long - BUT it can be a difficult situation , best avoided.

During some part of the journey to Tendaba or back, Malik expects to see Brown snake eagles - Short toe eagles - Wool backed eagles - Gark chanting goose hawks -Long crested hawk eagles - African goshawk - Battila - Garba goshawk - Lizard bustards - Shikra - European beeeaters - Blue chick bee eater - White pelican Black winged bishop - broad tailed paradise wader - yellow fronted canary - White rumped seed eater - Red winded warbler - Melodious warbler - Olivacious warbler - Black backed camoroptra.

Once at Tendaba, there are even more delights - Spur winged goose - Goliath heron - Blue breasted kingfisher - Woolly necked stork - Moss brown sunbird - Great white egret - Montigees harrier - Western banded snake eagle - Brown snake eagle -Bonelish warbler - White backed night heron - Yellow billed stork - Sqawarker heron - Malachite kingfisher.

Tendaba is used as the base for meals - you are asked to wear, dark green or grey clothes.

Three day trips with the second night at George Town are 1000D per person plus extras accommodation is a little cheaper at 125D a night.

For further information - specify an interest in one of these trips when Joining as a GTS member.