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The One-Horned Rhinos of Kaziranga National Park.
This Unesco World Heritage Site is set in spectacular scenery and is professionally run, without any fuss. Please believe the hype and take an elephant safari. It's a humbling experience to ride these stoical and patient relics from prehistory. You'll see plenty of rhinos as you pass through the elephant grass swampland, and if you're very lucky you may see some of the fifteen species of India's most threatened mammals. We saw wild elephants, several dear species and fantastic birds, but you could see fish eagles, hornbills, King Cobras, tigers, bears, leopards, or more.
We stayed in pristine huts with new kids on the block, the Nature Hunt Eco Camp. Superb.
www.worldheritagekaziranga.com
naturehunttours.com
Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve
Bokakhat – 785 612
Golaghat
Assam, India
Telephone: +91-3776-268095
Google map: bit.ly/z8MT8D
We did this 3-hour tour with a naturalist guide in April 2010 and it was well worth it. Not only was he very informative, but he spotted animals and birds that we would not have had any hope of finding on our own. Even when he had pointed them out to us and trained his telescope on them we still sometimes had difficulty seeing them due to their excellent camouflage. We ended our visit with a swim on one of the lovely beaches there, accompanied by iguanas and hermit crabs.
Lake Kivu, a volcanic lake, lies on the border between Rwandan (east) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (West). The city of Gisenyi lies just on the border and from there you can get fantastic view Rwanda’s famous volcanoes and the DRC on the other side of the lake. This is also a great area for those who like water sports as you can rent small boats to go on the lake. For bird lovers, Lake Kivu is a treasure: you will see a very large variety of birds, including multicoloured humming birds, macaws, African Grey Crowned Cranes and the magnificent Rockefeller’s Sunbird. For the more adventures ones, go across the border into Goma (DRC) for a day. It is a very different sight - imagine UN peacekeepers, Red Cross trucks and ruins - compared to the peaceful atmosphere of Gisenyi but it is an inspiring experience nonetheless. Or you can just lie on the small beach and enjoy the sun.
One tip, if you want a fantastic view of the lake take a car, motorbike or small taxi-bus to Rubona, home of Bralirwa breweries and the main harbour to Gisenyi (it lies of a six kilometres away from Gisenyi town centre). First enjoy the scenic route then stop at the Brewery and walk around towards the water. This little bay area is much more peaceful then Gisenyi. You are away from the fancy hotels and gated houses around the lake (they sometimes make it difficult to go next to the water). Look at the small fishing pirogues, enjoy an African tea and caramelized pineapple at one of the few small hotel/cafes there (such as Paradis Malahide, B.P 535, Rubona, Gisenyi) and just contemplate the lake, the fauna and flora for a couple of hours. There are supposed to be hot springs in the area as well. Some tourists have managed to find them, others not. Locals had no idea what we were talking about.
three and half hours from Kigali by bus.
Google map: tinyurl.com/32nwbqj
Since its founding in 1968, the Southern African Foundation for the
Conservation of Coastal Birds is estimated to have helped rehabilitate more
than 85,000 seabirds in the Western Cape. The centre in Bloubergrandt just
north of Cape Town relies on volunteers to help the thousands of sick and
injured birds that arrive every year. Hands on experience is guaranteed if
you want to join in, but beware: for all their comedy waddling, penguins
stink. Seriously, they do.
St Abb’s Head is the best place to go whatever the time of year. With cliffs rising some 300 ft out of the sea you can see much further than if sitting at sea level, and as the headland juts out into the sea it also gives you a panoramic view. In the summer months there are also the sights, sounds and smells of a seabird colony in full swing.
Rathlin Island is wonderful at any time, but there aren't many seabirds nesting on Boxing Day. Better save your visit until May and spend Boxing Day walking the mile-long Ballycastle strand, or the paths around Fair head if more energetic.
If you are remotely interested in wildlife you will love both visits.
The albatross centre has fantastic displays and you can either take a tour ($30) or go to the cliff tops and watch these fantastic birds soaring through the skies.
At Penguin Place you will see yellow-eyed penguins on the tour ($33). This is the only mainland place in the world you will see them. They are shy creatures but do actually come out of the sea before dusk and so are very easy to spot.
Binoculars are recommended for both trips, but are not a must.
Hogganfield Loch is a local nature reserve. It's a shallow loch with a wooded island and there's an adjacent marshland reserve. There's free parking and a tarmac path around the loch allowing easy access. It's particularly interesting for bird-watchers as it has a large population of varied wildfowl often with rarities and all easily visible. It's popular with migrants and wintering birds including whooper swans.
Hogganfield Park
Cumbernauld Road
Robroyston
Glasgow
G33
The park lies 5km northeast of Glasgow city centre and is is bounded to the north and west by Cumbernauld Road (A80) and by Avenue End Road (B765) to the east. No railway station very close but lots of buses pass by.
www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Parks_Outdoors/Parks_gardens/hogganfieldpark.htm
Serra dos Tucanos is about 90 minutes from Rio de Janeiro. The lodge is set in its own grounds in the Atlantic rainforest. Primarily it has been set up to cater for bird watchers who wish to see the varied bird life of the Atlantic rainforest. You can watch the many birds from the comfort of the veranda, see the hummingbirds feed from the special feeders at close quarters, or watch the many birds attack the bunches of bananas hung up in the trees.
Take a walk around the grounds on the signposted trails. Or go out on one of the many varied trips they do to different sites to see the many diverse birds the area has to offer.
The food was superb with breakfast, lunch and dinner included in the price, they do packed lunches when going out on trips. Even if you were not particularly interested in the birds it would make a good place to chill-out and enjoy lazing by their outdoor pool. Andy and Cristina who own and run the lodge are two wonderful people who will make your stay very enjoyable.
Serra dos Tucanos
Caixa Postal 98125
Cachoeiras do Macacu
CEP 28.680-000
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
www.serradostucanos.com.br/index.htm
Parc de la Ciutadella lies to the north-east of the old city. It takes its name from the hated Bourbon citadel, which was torn down on the site. Ciutadella was modelled by the 1888 exhibition. The park is massively popular at weekends but despite the crowds, an interesting array of birds turns up. Check out the ornamental lake and the baroque cascade for seagulls and ducks. Robins, blackbirds, great tits, Cetti's warblers and pied and yellow wagtails are all common.
The park's north-eastern corner is taken up by the zoo. The zoo is home to a secret. Above the compounds and cages is the largest single heronry in Spain, and the biggest urban heronry in Europe, with some 70 nests. A single heron escaped from his cage in the 1970s and decided to stay. It was joined by a wild to-be mate, and so the colony was born, from which the then beleaguered Catalan population has expanded and grown. Cast your eyes upwards down Aragon, Parallel or Diagonal in the early evening and you've a chance of spotting a heron flying home to its zoo roost. They feed in the lagoons of the Delta de Llobregat and along the Llobregat and Besos rivers. Increased agricultural activity gives them permanent all-year food supplies.
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) with six nests are also present along with cattle egret and glossay ibis (up to 10 nests, depending on the year). The zoo masters have been careless over the years and a number of birds have escaped: particularly monk parakeet. From here they set up in the palm tress of the park and then beyond. They now reign over the whole city. Although they add a streak of colour and fun to the city's dull litany of pigeons, sparrows and seagulls, they can cause serious problems as they expand out into the country.
A natural history of Barcelona: www.iberianature.com/
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