Gebel Elba: The remotes part of the Western Palearctic

Schedule

29 October - 07 November 2011 (8 nights, 9 days)

Price

2250 Euro/person

Deposit 500 Euro/person. The whole amount should be transferred 14 days prior to the departure.

Numbers

Max. 12+1 tour participants

Accomodation

2 nights 4* Hotel (Shams Alam Hotel) 7 nights camping (tents)

Transport

From Wadi Gamal national Park (Shams Alam Hotel) by 4WD Toyota Landcruiser cars to Wadi Adeib (Gebel Elba massif)

How to get there?

Shams Alam Hotel (Lat. 24.691182° Long. 35.083257°) lies at the entrance of Wadi Gamal National Park, 125 km south of Marsa Alam International Airport. There are available taxi cabs from the airport to Shams Alam Hotel. Transfer can be prearranged on individual request.

Summary and recommendation

Eight days nomadic bird-expedition to one of the remotest, unexplored and most exciting spot of the Western Palearctic. It is wise the book the flight tickets from Egypt Air as it is simple and cheaper to book the international and domestic flights from the same company. Check the availabilities of the domestic flights to Marsa Alam, which is the closest airport to Shams Alam Hotel.

Do not forget to take with you a first aid kit, and all your personal medication. Every attendant is responsible for his own health condition.

Description

The trip is unique, organized for the second time in the XXI century. It is an exploration trip (survey and monitoring) as the region is underexplored, due to the traveling restrictions in the region. Gebel Elba is a single mountain in the extreme SE of Egypt in the Sudan government Administrative Area, also known as Halaib Triangle. The masiff itself it was called and mist oasis (Kassas and Zahran, 1971) as clouds often soak the mountain, which allows a higher biodiversity than in any other region of Egypt. Kassas and Zahran (1971) describes 458 plants from the area, among them the superb Ombet tree (Dracaena ombet); 23 mammals has been reported from the region, including Aardwolf, Striped Hyena, Leopard, Wild Ass, Nubian Ibex, Dorcass Gazelle, Ethiopian Hedgehog, Zorilla and Spotted Genet; 24 reptiles and amphibians some of them been endemic species (Sharif Baha el Din,2006): Dodson`s Toad (Bufo dodsoni),Speckled Snad Snake (Psammophis punctulatus), Theban Sand Boa (Eryx colubrinus colubrinus),Saharan Ocellated Skink (Chalcides cf. humilis),Anseba Lizard (Acanthodactylus mucronatus), Mount Elba Snake–eyed Lizard (Ophisops elbanensis), Long-tailed Lizard (Lacerta longicaudata).

Targeted species

Ostrich (Struthio camelus), Lammergeyer (Gypaetus barbatus), Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus), Lapped-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron precnopterus), Verreaux’s Eagle (Aquila verreauxi), Pink-headed Dove (Streptopelia riseiogrisea), Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis), Blackstart (Cercomela melanura), Rosy-patched Shrike (Rodophoenus cruentus), Black-bush Robin (Cercotrichas podobe), Long-billed Pipit (Anthus similis), Shining Sunbird (Nectarinia habesinica), Sudanese Golden Sparrow (Passer luteus), Arabian Warbler (Sylvia leucomelanea), Fan-tailed Raven (Corvus riphydurus), Fulvous Bubbler (Turdoides fulvus), Black-crowned Finch Lark (Eremopterix nigriceps), House Bunting (Emberiza striolata).

Previous surveys

For the species accounted in the first survey from April 2010, go to the "Trip Report" section.

Applying for the trip

The trip is open for ornithologists who wish to join the trip and be a part of the team, with the reserved rights to be the coauthors of the subsequently published paper on the survey.

All applicants must send a motivation letter in order to participate at the survey. Represent an advantage to be a mammal specialist, botanist, lepidopterologist or anthropologist.

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrival. Check in to Shams Alam Hotel (Wadi Gamal National Park). Reservations will be made by name, so the check in to the hotel is individual.

Dinner is from 19:30, meeting at the lobby. After dinner, discussions on the details of the survey.

Day 2

Departure to Gebel Elba. Camping at Wadi Adeib, in a randomly selected place. Setting up the camp and scout the surroundings.

Day 3

At dawn, we have a light breakfast and a coffee, than we begin the systematic survey upstream on the wadi floor, as high as we can. The midday will be spent in shadow. Lunch an when the heat is not so intense, we proceed to another survey in the parts which were not covered, or repeat the survey.

Day 4

Surveying the 2 secondary valleys of Wadi Adeib.

Day 5

Packing and driving to Wadi Serimtai. If rains has felt and we find a promising place, we set up the camp and survey the surroundings.

Day 6

Departure to Wadi Akwamatra. Survey of the two main streams, up as high as possible to the level of the Ombet trees.

Day 7

At down, survey of Wadi Kansisorb, and in the afternoon the eastern valley of Wadi Akaw.

Day 8

Departure to Shams Alam Hotel. Farewell dinner.

Day 9

Departure to the airport.

The price includes

Not included

Flight ticket, medical insurance and tips for the drivers, cook & the desert guide.

Terms and Conditions

Your reservation is completed after the entire price of the trip is transferred. Deposit is required (500 Euro/person) and it is non refundable in case of cancelation.

Practical information’s

The vehicles (Toyota Landcruiser) will be loaded close to their maximum limit, and volume will also be a problem. This requires personal gear to be kept to the necessary minimum. The following is a list of necessities. Sleeping bag and foam mattress, all others should fit into a bag not exceeding airline carry on size limits. It is possible to leave unneeded items in Shams Alam Hotel, until we return. Please mind that there is no mobile network coverage, south of Bir Shalatin.

Bellow we provide a list of items which are practical in the desert:

Light sleeping bag as the nights are warm, but the dawn can be cold.

Foam mattress

Small backpack (for daytime items)

Metal mug and metal plate (metal easier to clean with sand)

Metal cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)

Torch (with fresh batteries, plus one set spare)

One pair of good walking shoes, and one slipper with hard soles (boots not required, but do not take "Crocs" ! The acacia thorns are penetrating trough the light material, and causing serious injuries) A warm pullover for evenings or a light wind coat.

One pair of long trousers

1 T-shirt for every 2 days

Plenty of wet wipes for cleaning, as we can not waste the water for corporal hygiene

Spare batteries for any electronically operated equipment (GPS, cameras, etc.)

Don`t forget to take your own provided battery charger which fits into the car lighter socket.

Insect repellent (we did not account any mosquitoes in the first trip, despite the fact that we slept under the starry sky, without using the tents at all)

Alcohol should be avoided during the trip as a real danger in the hot climate (stroke, dehydration). A bottle of Hungarian "palinka" (50% alc.) will be available free of charge in case of emergency. In case of recording new specie for the region, birthday or any other ad-hoc invented reason extra bottles will be available....

Food and Drink

The food carried is for compactness, durability and ease of preparation. This does impose some limitation on the possible variety.

Hot meals will be in the evening, and include all possible combinations that can be made from rice, spaghetti, mashed potato (powder), canned vegetables and canned meat. Meat will be canned beef meat (the drivers and most of the staff are Muslim, so no pork products), canned beans, rice & spaghetti, vegetables, cheese, honey, fig jam, bread.