Tour Price (Per person): USD2,400 (GBP1,836 * EUR2,101 * AUD3,466)
Flight costs: USD590 (GBP451 * EUR516 * AUD852)
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated based on 5 paying guests
Simply put, Djibouti is one of Africa’s least visited birding tours destinations. This trip is aimed at finding Djibouti’s only endemic, Djibouti Spurfowl, along with several other species that can be difficult to locate elsewhere. These include Somali Starling, beautiful Arabian Golden Sparrow, Sombre Rock Chat, White-eyed Gull, Crab-plover, and Somali Sparrow. This tour takes us to places where very few birders have ever been, which, along with some superb birding, witnessing spectacular scenery and diverse and interesting cultures, makes this Djibouti extension a must for the intrepid birder.
Djibouti Francolin; Somali Starling; White-eyed, Slender-billed & Sooty Gulls; Crab-plover; Arabian Golden & Somali Sparrows; Graceful Prinia; Somali Bulbul; Nile Valley Sunbird; Rosy-patched Bushshrike; Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark; Gambaga Flycatcher; Green-winged Pytilia (potential split Yellow-tailed Pytilia); Sombre Rock Chat; Yellow-rumped Seedeater; Black Redstart.
Speke's Pectinator; Dorcas Gazelle; Unstriped Ground Squirrel; Hamadryas Baboon.
arid savanna, lava plains, dry mixed woodland, coastline, rocky hillsides, coastal scrub
warm to hot
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader
DIFFICULT: This is a high-intensity “mega” tour designed for passionate listers and serious birders who enjoy a fast-paced schedule. Due to its demanding nature, it’s not recommended for avid photographers, inexperienced birders, or anyone with mobility or health limitations.
Difficult to moderate. This a Mega style tour designed for the dedicated lister & serious birder. Not suitable for dedicated or avid photographers; inexperienced birders; or anyone with mobility or health challenges.
Variable. Comfortable in large towns, otherwise basic camping.
Moderate. Whilst most birding is in open conditions, several species are low density or very localised.
120
interesting scenery and cultural attractions, Lake Assal (lowest point in Africa)
Good to worthwhile. No dedicated hides. Habitat & lighting are often conducive.
Our trip to Madagascar was wonderful! Rockjumper did a great job with tour logistics, lodging, etc. Best of all was our guide! Lev Frid is an amazing birding/nature guide. He is incredibly good at not only hearing, identifying and finding the birds, but Lev is also able to quickly (and patiently) help all the tour participants get on the birds. In addition, he is just a really fun guy to be with. His sense of humor kept us laughing and his wealth of birding stories kept everyone interested and engaged during the trip. It was amazing to see the wildlife of Madagascar and having Lev as a guide made our experience that much better.
Despite the heat and humidity, Guyana is a magical place with gorgeous rainforests and savannahs and lots of beautiful birds and the wonderful giant anteater. Lev Frid was a wonderful guide full of great enthusiasm. I especially appreciated his patience in helping everyone get a good view of the birds. He is a joy to travel with. Our local guide was also great and a lot of fun to be around and so helpful as well in identifying the different birds. Also a special shout out to Leroy, who helped us on the last full day of birding; he was great. The drivers Renford and Devon were awesome as well.
What a great experience! Everything was as you told us in the pre-departure literature, so we were well-prepared. Rob was an excellent tour leader. His vast experience in conservation, core knowledge of birds and bird behavior, and his enthusiasm was generously shared with the group. He modeled proper trail behavior and made sure that everyone “saw the bird”. The local guides were top-notch and took good care of the group. I also learned so much from the better birders in the group. Highly recommended!
Both Andre and Uthai were remarkably tireless and effective in finding and identifying birds, including some of the most elusive species in Thailand. They also did a great job of organizing the logistics of the trip. Our meals were already prepared when we arrived at restaurants and all of the hotel arrangements were handled smoothly. We probably will not consider going on another standard Rockjumper trip. Birding steadily from dawn to after dark was a bit much, especially for 22 uninterrupted days. This pace is appropriate for most serious birders so I don’t fault the guides, but we plan to shift to a style of traveling in which we can set our own schedule. We might consider one of Rockjumper's relaxed tours, but we're not concerned about long hikes and muddy trails as long as the schedule allows for a little down time to read, reflect and recover.
The guides continued their superb and tireless efforts to find bird species during the extension to the main tour.