Mozambique wasn’t on our original itinerary but the chance to see some endemic birds that virtually no one else goes for, was too enticing for Ross to pass up. Along with being an absolutely stunning vista, the forests around Mount Namuli are home to Mozambique’s only current endemic bird, Namuli Apalis, along with three very localized subspecies, belecheri Green Barbet, Thyolo Alethe, and the nominate race of orostruthus Dapplethroat. Mount Namuli is rarely visited by birders but with those four targets in mind, along with the chance to explore one of quite possibly the least explored regions in Southern Africa, it was a no brainer to go, even if we would have to figure out the logistics ourselves.
From Zimbabwe we got caught at the border leaving and ran into some issues entering Mozambique. A computer error left us in limbo for FOUR HOURS as we waited for the power to come back on. But eventually it was into Mozambique then another border crossing into Malawi and then another border crossing back into Mozambique. We went the long way around so we could avoid a particularly dangerous area. It was a bit of extra time so our mothers could sleep better at night…if that’s possible. But here we were in south-central Mozambique excited about the prospect of hiking in a rather unexplored area.
We had attempted to contact the Legado Foundation, a conservation nonprofit working to save the mountain, ahead of time but e-mailing was very difficult as they would either respond quickly or not at all, the latter being where we were left. We figured we could come and do it ourselves because that’s the kind of thing we do. When we arrived in Gurue we went to the Pensao Gurue Hotel and the receptionist connected us with Coxane who said he was with the Legado Foundation. We agreed to take him as a guide, especially because he knows the mountain and the queen and what foreigners need to do to visit. Oh, did I mention the queen? At 2419m, Mt Namuli is Mozambique’s second-highest peak and is considered sacred ground by the local people and all foreigners who want to hike to the top (the main reason the few tourists visit) must first visit the queen and participate in a ceremony to appease the ancestors. The ceremony, along with a monetary donation and gifts in the form of sugar, flour, gin, and some fabric will grant entrance. We first stopped to buy a few things then packed our bags to set off first thing in the morning. We were planning a two night camping trip.
Every time I get on the back of a motorbike, I think it is the worst ride ever. It’s surprising then that I continue to hop on the back of a motorbike. But sometimes, a motorbike is the only option. The 40km (25mi) ride to the queen was particularly unpleasant as we had to transport our gear, ourselves, and our gifts to the queen. The road was steep and muddy and allegedly not passably by even 4WD so we didn’t take our Hilux, although Ross argues that he could have done it. Unfortunately a few slips in the mud and the motorbike I was riding on slid down. Thankfully a strained right hip and banged left knee were the only injuries I sustained on these two falls so I hopped back on and continued. That two-hour, bumpy and uncomfortable motorbike ride couldn’t be over soon enough!
We eventually did arrive to the queen after what felt like an endless journey and soon participated in a small ceremony where we knelt in the dirt in a corn field and sprinkled the gin and sorghum flour into the ground to bless the ancestors. We gave the queen the gifts we bought in town and were required to pay an entrance fee, surprise surprise. Surely the ancestors are pleased. Then we got back on those motorbikes and backtracked to the start of the forest, but not before giving the queen a BudgetBirders sticker which she agreed to have placed squarely on her front door.
So remember when I said there isn’t much in the form of logistical information for visiting Mount Namuli? Well we had a few detailed reports regarding the avifauna, but not much else to go on as far as logistics. We knew we needed to get to Ukalini Forest because that’s where the two surveys were done from 1999 and 2007 and Coxane agreed to take us there. Except he didn’t. Turns out what he thought was Ukalini Forest wasn’t and he was adamant to continue even when Ross questioned him from the start. But we didn’t know any better so we continued onward. It wasn’t until we ended up in a small fragmented patch of forest after trekking over some steep, terrain that we knew we weren’t in the right area. Ross was livid as you can imagine. It was late afternoon and we decided we would have to camp here and then relocate to the correct forest patch the following day. We lost out on an afternoon of birding, had to endure whipping winds all night long at the base of the Namuli Massif, and then had to forgo the morning of birding in order to make it to the correct forest. Ross, who the following morning wanted to backtrack, was told by our guide that we could cut down the ridge to save time. Except we couldn’t. We ended up hiking at least triple as far as necessary on nonexistent trails, over much steeper and dangerous terrain. Getting to Ukalini forest was an absolute disaster to put it nicely. We wanted to respect Coxane’s local knowledge, but eventually Ross just said we had to go back and start fresh and when we got back to the village, Coxane asked a local to assist us to the right forest. At 11am, after a grueling morning workout, we arrived in the correct forest patch. Coxane now knows the way and we told him that if anyone else comes and asks to see birds, he needs to take them here because this is the only patch of forest big enough to hold some of the specialties. He really is a nice guy and we enjoyed having him with us, even if it resulted in a bit more than we bargained for.
Ukalini Forest lies between 1400-1600m elevation and is the largest patch of undisturbed forest left in the area. We set up camp, and hit the trails. Oh, there’s trails?! We had hardly seen any of those up until this point! Unfortunately the trails exist due to selective logging and several chunks of the forest were burned and might soon become a corn field. (I say that because we saw at least 2 burned areas and one area already growing corn.)
Selective logging 
Plots cleared 
Corn growing
Despite these issues, we managed to connect with our main targets. It was already mid-day when we arrived but Namuli Apalis was common once you got to the area and we had many great views. Stripe-cheeked Greenbul, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Livingston’s Turaco, and Malawi Batis were common as well, but we only ever heard Green Barbet call once. (Technically I saw it as it flew out of the tree above us but Ross missed it!) And once darkness fell we hit the trails and found roosting birds all over the place with the highlights being Thyolo Alethe, a cuddling pair of Namuli Apalis, a pair of African Yellow White-eyes also cuddling, and multiple Malwai Batis. If only we hadn’t been up the whole night before, it would have been amazing to spend more time walking around in the dark! And the photo of Namuli Apalis at night is likely the very first photo in existence of this species roosting!
Namuli Apalis 
Roosting Batis’s do not move no matter how close you get 
Namuli Apalis 
Namuli Apalis Roosting 
Thyolo Alethe 
The following morning again resulted in more views of Namuli Apalis, White-tailed Crested-Flycatcher, Black-browed Mountain Greenbul, and Yellow-throated Woodland-Warbler. Perhaps it was the weather, which was slightly less than ideal with intermittent showers and overhead clouds, or perhaps it was the time of year, with adult pairs quietly raising young, or perhaps it was the habitat destruction where we noticed several plots burned, trees chopped, and areas of corn being planted instead, but the Dapplethroat required much more work and despite plenty of playback, we only had it twice, and neither time resulted in a picture. That said, Namuli is a beautiful place. The mountain rises up right before your eyes and at any given point we could look up and see multiple waterfalls. The air had a refreshing chill and the water might have been the best water I’ve ever drank. It is unexplored and I saw so many unique plants that I’ve never seen before. I stopped multiple times while staring at a particularly neat insect and wondered if it too might be unique to the mountain, so much seemed to be. It would have been ideal to spend at least two nights exploring this forest, but ominous weather was on the horizon and we really had only packed enough food for two nights, not three, although we SERIOUSLY considered rationing what we had and staying a third night.
But we did connect with our main targets and the weather had us worried so we packed up our camp and hit the trail back to the village in what was the only break in the rain. But once we hit the village the wind and rain started to come with even more force. The mountain became completely enveloped in clouds and the wind and rain continued. Our motorbikes were in the wrong village so Ross and I continued on foot while Coxane went to fetch our ride. Birding the fields was initially the game plan but that quickly went out the window and the only option was to seek shelter in a small hut with some very friendly locals. You don’t have to be able to speak the same language to make someone smile. The ladies in the village thoroughly enjoyed playing with my hair.
This is how we came down off the mountain 
Playing with my hair 
Dance party in the rain!
But we did eventually make it back to Gurue. We got on those motorbikes in the whipping wind and rain and by the end of the day arrived back at the hotel, not one inch of us even remotely dry. Truthfully, jumping in a swimming pool wouldn’t have made me any wetter. It would have been very easy to be upset with how much went wrong, but in the grand scheme it was alright. Laughter really is the best medicine. Laugh because it’s all going to be okay. It might seem that everything went wrong. But it didn’t. In the end we saw Mount Namuli in its glory, spent two nights in two different patches of forest, and saw some very rarely recorded species, all of which hadn’t been documented in over 10 years! These little excursions are what makes birding frustrating and fun all at the same time. And these little excursions I will remember for the rest of my life.
NOTE TO READER: If you don’t already follow @BUDGETBIRDERS on Instagram, might I suggest that you head over there to watch the video documentation of this whole ordeal. I took videos and compiled them all together. If a photo is worth a thousand words, surely a video is worth a thousand more.