Last year, Wanderlust announced Malick Suso as the winning 'Wildlife & Safari' guide at the 2023 World Guide Awards. Leading tours around The Gambia, Malick was praised for not only being the 'best birder' Chris Packham had ever met, but also for his intoxicating enthusiasm when leading tours and for always sensitively responding to guests' needs.
Here, we catch up with Malick and learn where it all started, his favourite birds, and his most memorable moments as a guide.
When did you start to think you could channel the birdwatching knowledge you had built up into a career as a guide?
I was interested in birdwatching from a very young age. I was inspired by my uncle, Lamin Sidibeh, who was the first birdwatching guide in The Gambia and knows everything about birds. He later trained me in how to be a guide; now I enjoy encouraging others to follow in this profession.
It’s always heartening when people are able to turn their passions into their career.
What I like about my job is simply getting to wander among the beauty of nature. It’s not just the landscape, either; we have so many colourful birds in this country – The Gambia has over 600 recorded species – and it is always a joy to see one in the wild.
When is the best time to visit The Gambia for birdwatching?
It’s great all year round for spotting birds, but it is especially good between July and November, when they achieve their breeding dress (plumage) and the grasses are not very tall, so it’s easier to spot them. January to early March is also good.