Short confirmed Peru departures with vacancies
March-May.
Have a look at the Kolibri Expeditions calendar. You can customize the perfect extended trip for yourself and your partner at a reasonable cost. For example, you can choose
one or two confirmed segments and build your additional birding (or non-birding activities) around these. The result will make the perfect trip for you.
Just answer this email or send me a Whatsapp at +51 988 555 938 to discuss your requirements.
Easter - Egypt.
We have made plans for
Egypt for a long time, but it seems to have a chance to run this time. It is the perfect bucket list destination where birding and history go hand in hand. Early April additionally is migration time, so we should get excellent coverage of raptors and storks following the Nile towards the north.
The best archeology, a cruise on the Nile, adding birding and snorkeling at the Red Sea, makes Egypt the perfect "birding and culture" tour.
Departure April 1, 2023.
Uganda July 2023.
There is finally a date for the new updated 7-day Uganda
tour in July 2023.
The hardcore birding extension is five additional days.
Ian Reid, a participant in the pilot trip in July 2022, has now finished his trip report.
Part 1. Shoebill.
Part 2. Gorilla.
Part 3. Chimpanzees and Green-breasted Pitta.
Many of the suggested improvements have been implemented in the 2023 itinerary.
You need to book as soon as possible when signing up for the 7-day program because both the Gorilla permits and the small aircraft-seats often become scarce quite early.
Borneo Oct 9-13, 2023.
Let's do a repeat trip to Borneo. Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey, and the endemic monotypic bird family - Borneo Bristlehead, as well as a large number of Hornbills and Broadbills, are all waiting for you.
We did a successful 7WB tour with the Mt Kinabalu extension to Borneo in 2019. Time to do it again.
This time we include one of the best birding lodges in the world - Borneo Rainforest Lodge, which has a canopy walkway.
The local
guides have walkie-talkies to be in contact with each other when they spot wildlife or special birds. This way, we ensure we can get as many of our targets as possible.
Last time we could not get rooms at the Rainforest Lodge. We had to stay at the research center in Danum Valley. It was also good, but considering our limited available time, staying at the Rainforest Lodge will be much more effective, albeit more expensive.
This tour runs just before the Asian Bird Fair, Oct 13-16, in Kota Kinabalu, where I recommend participating. The ABF package is always outstanding value, as it includes an excursion on Monday, October 16, likely to Mt Kinabalu.
We shall offer our regular Mt Kinabalu pre-trip as separate day trips this time, depending on your preferences.
For example, on Sunday, October 8, we could make a day trip to Crocker Range. On October 17, after the Asian Bird Fair, and perhaps the morning of October 18, we could look for missed endemics on Mt Kinabalu.
Tanzania and Kilimanjaro. October-November
It looks like we finally have enough interest to get this rolling. Birding and summiting Kilimanjaro runs Oct 29-Nov 4.
The pretrip for a week to Usambaras could be a standalone trip for any birder looking for unique restricted range species.
You don't have to summit Kilimanjaro, but just bird along the way to morally support your partner who wants to summit. Alternatively, we could also set up a week at a beach and/or a visit to Zanzibar for a spouse who wants to relax.
The week after Kilimanjaro, you may finish with a mind-blowing Safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater. Big 5 is practically guaranteed. Wildebeest migration, and of course, lots of birds.
The exact programs for Usambaras and the Serengeti Safari are in production.
Madagascar November
The pre-interest for our pioneering Madagascar tour looks very promising. As usual, we want to offer a core trip that gives the absolute best of Madagascar in just a week.
You could effectively fly from anywhere in the US on Friday night to start the tour on Sunday morning in Madagascar, yet be back home the following Sunday.
Monday morning at work, your workmates will ask
you: "I didn't see you last week. Where were you?". Casually, you answer: "I was in Madagascar petting lemurs and Chameleons and did some birding last week." Jaws drop.
The core tour runs Nov 19-25. We also run extensions for birders with more time and a quest for some of the rarest birds in Madagascar during the final week.
The most important thing is to decide if you are coming on the core trip and to let me know if you intend to take part in any of the extensions before or after. Check the link above for details.
Finally
There are a bunch of trips on the 7WB and Kolibri websites that I have not mentioned. For instance, Bhutan over Christmas or Cambodia for February 2024. Both
trips are tentative, so let me know if the dates don't suit you.
China is opening up, and could run if we get requests. I would also
like to run a repeat of Spain this year. In Peru, we have short tours that we can run any time. We have also scheduled the complete tours to Northern Peru, Central Peru, and Manu road. We are also interested in getting your requests for 2024 to get departures up on the calendars.
Those who receive this newsletter regularly know that I always talk a bit about my running/training and my band Guran Guran, so here comes an
update.
The sub-3H Marathon.
I still chase this dream of running the Marathon in less than 3 hours. I have continued training with my coach John Goldthorp. John also coaches Gene Dykes, the world champion of the 70-74 age group, and has a sub-3h world record for a 70-year-old. So I'm in good
hands.
I'm 62, and I am not planning to give up on this goal yet. Instead, I have decided to minimize guiding myself until April to give the next
race all I've got.
I'll guide Australia and Japan if these short tours run (we only need two to three more people signing up). The Egypt
tour is right during my tapering weeks for the Marathon, so I don't need to run that much at this point in the training.
I have done about
six weeks of training so far, and I am seeing great results in a short time. OK, the Garmin Marathon predictor only gives me a time of 3:55 right now, but I have not started the speed training or long runs yet.
The goal marathon this year is Boston Marathon on April 17. So if anyone in the Boston area wants to house me for a few days and perhaps pick my brain on birding destinations, or marathon training for that matter, I'd gladly accept. 😃
Guran Guran
As I mentioned in the last email, I was accepted among thousands of contestants to participate in Sweden's Got Talent. Only some 80 entries were selected, and I was one of them. I did well, I think. So in February or so, it will be televised in Sweden.
When I was in Sweden, I had great fun TikTok live-streaming myself, singing with playback music in both the Subway in Stockholm and the street-cars in Stockholm.
There were over 10 000 viewers tuned in during an hour of streaming, and as many as 1000 people at one time.
It was also a lot of fun interacting with people directly on TikTok via comments or other live streams.
Who said
TikTok was only for young people?
We have gotten more streams and followers on our Spotify channel. Still less than 300, but it is moving in
the right direction. We have two more songs recorded last year that will be released before long.
While in Sweden in October, we took the
opportunity to do a Live concert with the whole band. Our bassist put up a go-pro camera to record everything. It felt like a great gig. Especially the energy of the first two songs came out very well.
Check out the Youtube link.
As I write this, I am on my way to Sweden for a week to see my Mom, who is not
doing well and needs a bit of loving support. I am spending the turn to the new year in mid-air on a flight to Amsterdam. I will likely do a short Live stream again from the subway while I am there.
I am dreading the Swedish winter, though. Fortunately, it is only a week. But it reminds me of a song I made years ago about the "long johns" one had to put on chilly days. The Guran Guran video has English captions that can be activated if you don't speak Swedish. I hope you like it!