Marakissa woods is situated about 5km south of Brikama and It is one of the most productive coastal birding sites with varied habitats including rice fields, scrubs, open savanna, reed beds and the allahein river which together produce an astonishing array of species including White crowned robin chat, Giant Kingfisher, White breasted cuckoo shrike, Yellow Bellied Hyliota, Black Crake, Yellow Throated Leaf love, Greater Honey Guide, African Scops Owl, White Faced Scops Owl, Dwarf Bittern, Greater painted snipe, Purple glossy starling, Swallow tailed bee-eater, White crested Helmet shrike, Long crested eagle, African Scops owl and lots more.

The area is serviced by two lodges both lies on the Banks of the Allehein Creek, and offers Basic rooms with excellent local food and a Canoe trip into the Creek s of shallow freshwater ponds with reed beds, coastal dunes, mudflats, sandy beaches, patches of woodland and scrub. The focal point is the rich, shallow freshwater ponds which provide refuges for a wide range of waterfowls and waders. But there is also a good range of woodland birds and raptors while the beach attracts a host of seabirds, Osprey and waders, many of which are seasonal migrants but some, such as the White Fronted Plover, nest on the dune fringe.

The Kartong Bird Observatory and its bird ringing activities have claimed an enviable list of very rare and elusive birds including Baillon’s Crake, Lesser Crake, Yellow Browned Warbler, and Dwarf Bittern to name a few, while vagrant Hudsonian Whimbrel, Northern Carmine Bee eater, African Pygmy Goose, Knob Billed Duck, and the declining Black Crowned Crane are among the regular visitor to the area.