This past January I spent six days in the southeastern region of Senegal bird hunting in an area called Mako Camp, operated by a French company by the name of Africa Safari. This company has a 2.5 million acre big-game area about two hours away on the Falémé River that forms part of the border between Senegal and Mali. I was not able to visit this area, but I did make some inquiries about it. More on that in a moment.
Mako bird camp is a collection of thatched-roof whitewashed chalets, plus an open, roofed eating area and bar. It even has a swimming pool. It is roughly comparable to permanent hunting camps in Zimbabwe or South Africa.
I will not go into great depths on my birdshooting activities except to say the species available include francolin, sandgrouse, dove and guinea fowl. Most of the shooting is done by walking up (francolin) or setting up on waterholes or along the Gambia River in the late afternoons and evenings for dove and sandgrouse. Our average daily bag was eight to 12 francolin per gun per morning walk. The dove and sandgrouse were somewhat spotty. Nonetheless, the birdshooting was good enough to make for interesting hunts and a reason to visit Senegal.
As for the big-game hunting area, it is my understanding that the facilities there are wall-tented, likely on a par with wall-tented camps in various parts of southern Africa. The hunt costs I was quoted are modest indeed around $700 per day for a five-day........(continued)
