BIRDING SAFARIS

ORNITHOLOGICAL TOURS IN KENYA

Mother Nature has richly endowed East Africa with diverse eco-systems that are superb habitats of a variety of birds not to mention winter and intra African migrants. Its ranges from mountain forests to tropical coast and habitats in open savannah grasslands, deserts, bush and scrubs, lakes and mudflats.
Kenya alone is home to a variety of species, over 1293 species standing above all else is Lake Nakuru commonly referred to as “the pink heart of Kenya” that has millions of greater and lesser flamingoes, a spectacle not found anywhere the worldover.

Welcome to the world best bird’s life paradise. Budget camping and birding safaris can be tailor-made, with mobile Tent and an accompanying experienced cook. Other safaris on bird-watching while enjoying hedge accommodation are also suggested but very flexible tours to suit your needs can be done for you.

Ornithological Tours in Kenya

10 Days/9 nights Magadi/Naivasha/Nakuru/Baringo/Samburu/Mt. Kenya

Day 1: Nairobi

Upon arrival at airport, be transferred to a Nairobi hotel. Lunch at the hotel.
In the afternoon visit the popular Nairobi National Museum birds gallery.
Late in the afternoon, a Nairobi city tour.
Dinner and overnight in a hotel in Nairobi.

Day 2: Nairobi – Lake Magadi

Early breakfast, depart Nairobi for Lake Magadi in the Southern Kenya, carrying packed lunch.
Lake Magadi located deep in the Maasai land, is a haven for wide variety of birds due to plenty of algae and crustacean in Lake Magadi, that birds feeds on. Time to see species like common sandpiper, chestnut banded plover and many more.
Return to Nairobi, dinner and overnight in a hotel in Nairobi.

Day 3: Nairobi – Naivasha

After breakfast, drive through the Great Rift Valley corridor, cruising in the most spectacular landscapes marked by fascinating constrasts. Brief stopover to view scenic sights on the floor of Great Rift Valley. The stunning beauty goes to Lake Naivasha, where you arrive at mid-morning.
Lunch at a lodge/campsite
In this vast fresh water lake, it’s the home of a wide variety of birds over 400 species.
Afternoon activities includes walk along the lakeshores, a boat-ride in the lake, giving a close contact with birds’ habitants or a short visit to Hell’s Gate National Park.
Dinner and overnight at lodge/campsite

Day 4: Lake Naivasha – Lake Nakuru National Park

Breakfast and depart for Lake Nakuru National Park, regarded as the world’s greatest ornithological spectacle. Millions of flamingoes congregate at the lake every year. Game drive enroute and bird-watching.
Check in, in lodge/campsite for lunch.
Afternoon game drive and time to see birds as they share the super eco-system with animals. Animals like Black and white Rhino, Rothschild Giraffe, impalas, Thomson’s gazelle. Birds we have species like Rock Thrush, Lesser and greater flamingoes, Rupp ells long tailed starling, green wood hoopoes, African intra African Migration.
Dinner and overnight at Lodge/campsite

Day 5: Lake Nakuru National Park

Entire day will be spent bird-watching under the giant acacia trees cover in Lake Nakuru National Park. Game drive to explore every corner of the park.
All meals at Lodge/campsite and overnight.

Day 6: Lake Nakuru – Lake Baringo

After breakfast, drive further North to Lake Baringo, arrive in time for lunch.
This lake has unique species of birds like Black-billed Barbet, white-browed and Greater Swamp Warbler and others that will fascinate your curiosity for birds. In this territory, there over 350 species of birds to grace your visit.
Dinner and overnight at Lake Baringo club.

Day 7: Lake Baringo

The whole day will be spent at Lake Baringo shores and immediate environment.
After a relaxed moment after lunch, descend cliffs hunting for White Faced Scopes Owls, Black Throated Barbet, Mouse Coloured Tit and others.
A boat ride, at additional small fee, to see water Dikkop and other noctural water birds like Black Crowned Night Heron.
Dinner and overnight in a club/campsite

Day 8: Lake Baringo – Samburu

After breakfast depart for Samburu with picnic lunch
Arrive late in the day. In Samburu, explore this habitant that home for; Somali and white –throated Bee – eaters, Golden Pipit, Vulturine Guinea fowl, Somali Ostrich, white-headed moosebird, koori and Buff-crested Bustards, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Violet Wood hoopoe and others.
Animals present are like Gerenuk, Grevy’s Zebra, Beisa Oryx, Reticulated Giraffe, Elephant, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard and others.
Dinner and overnight at Lodge/Campsite

Day 9: Samburu – Mt. Kenya

After breakfast depart for Mt. Kenya, arrive in time for lunch.
The bewitching beauty of thick highland forest, bamboo forest and Afro-alpine moorland is a marvel to all visitors.
Highland species which includes uncommon birds like crowned eagle, Jackson’s Francolin, Green Ibis, Bronze-raped pigeon, Red-Fronted parrot, scarce swift, silvery-checked Hornbill, moustache Green Tinker bird and others.
Dinner and overnight at lodge.

Day 10 Mt. Kenya National Park – Nairobi

Breakfast and depart for Nairobi
Arrive in time for lunch for a complimentary lunch at Carnivore Restaurant. A famous joint for game meat.
Later in the afternoon transfer to Airport for your next destination

10 DAYS BIRDING
10 Days Meru National Park, Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Lake Naivasha.

 Hope to see birds in the following habitats: forest, grassland, wetland,barren land. over 450 bird species.
Day 1. Meru National Park - Depart Nairobi past Central highlands i.e Embu/Meru towns to Meru National Park. Afternoon bird watching. Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 2. Meru National Park - Full day bird watching, all meals and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 3. Samburu National Reserve - Depart Meru National park for Samburu arriving in time for lunch. Afternoon Bird watching. Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 4. Samburu National Reserve - Full day bird watching. All meals and over night at a lodge or campsite.

Day 5. Lake Nakuru - Depart Samburu after breakfast for lake Nakuru National park. Lunch and afternoon bird watching.

Day 6. Lake Baringo - Early morning bird watching before departing for lake Baringo in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 7. Lake Baringo - Full day bird watching. All meals and overnight at a lodge or campsite.

Day 8. Breakfast at lake Baringo and depart for lake Naivasha to arrive in time for lunch. Afternoon bird watching . Dinner and overnight at a lodge or campsite.
Day 9. Lake Naivasha-Full day bird watching. All meals and overnight at a lodge or campsite
Day 10. Nairobi - After breakfast return to Nairobi. Dinner at carnivore restaurant .Overnight Nairobi hotel

10 Days Birding Safari

Day 1: Nairobi

Arrive at the JKI Airport to be met by your guide. Birding starts right away from the stairs off the plane as the Little, African Palm Swifts and the Superb Starling appears common while the Red-winged Starling whistles to remind you to have your binoculars ready. Transfer to the hotel for a rest, followed by a visit to the Nairobi National Museum birds, ethnography, geology, prehistory galleries (among others) as well as the Snake Park. This is the right place to learn and see many of the Kenya's multifacets of culture, pre-history and it's natural resources. Birding continues around the museum's botanical garden, this time allowing. Overnight in Nairobi.

Day 2: Olorgesaille

We'll drive down the escarpment towards this dry, arid, scrub country about 75 km south of Nairobi (towards Lake Magadi) that makes an excellent whole day birding. All the way down the rift valley, stops along the way shows a distinctive change of habitat and species. Recorded species includes the Cut Throat, Blue-capped Cordonbleu, Northen Crombec, Banded Parisoma, White-bellied Canary, Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Grey Wren Warbler, Taita Fiscal, Von der Decken's Hornbill, Fischer's Sparrow-Lark, Grey-headed Silverbill, Grey-capped Social-Weaver, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Straw-tailed Wydah, Tiny Cisticola etc.
We'll also spend some hours at the Olorgesaille prehistoric Site, a museum displaying many hand tools by man. Picnic lunch at the MuseumOvernight in Nairobi.

Day 3: Gatamaiyu, Manguo Ponds

Leave early for the Gatamaiyu forest, located about 50-km n.w. of Nairobi stretches through the Kieni forest (part of the central highlands) and boost many montane species includes the Chestnut-throated, Grey, Black-collared, Black-throated Apalis, Montane Oriole, Narina & Bar-tailed Trogon, Black-fronted Bush-shrike, Yellow-rumped, Mustached Green Tinkerbird, Scarce Swift, White-browed Crombec, while Abbott's Starling and the Sharpe's Starling have been recorded, among others.
While Manguo Ponds makes an excellent birding spot en-route to the forest. It boost a wide variety of waterfowls such as the Yellow-billed Ducks, Little Grebe, Red-billed Teal, Red-knobbed Coot, while Maccoa Ducks are regularly recorded, Grey, Black-headed Heron, African Spoonbill, White-faced Whistling Duck, Hottentot Teal, while sometimes waders occur in large numbers such as the Greenshanks, Sandpipers, Plovers etc.Leave late afternoon for Lake Nakuru. On the way pass by the Kinangop plateau in search of Sharpe's Longclaw, one of the Kenya's endemic.Overnight at Lake Nakuru.

Day 4: Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National Park is referred to as the "the greatest ornithological spectacle in the world" with both Lesser and the Greater Flamingoes sometimes exceeding 1.5 million individuals. The alkaline habitat supports thousands of resident and migratory waterfowl. The alkaline lake, acacia woodland, grassland, rivers and inlets with marshes hold over the 450 species. Some of the common birds are the Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed, Whiskered Tern, Grey-headed Gull, Cape and Red-billed Teal, Southern Pochard, Long-crested, and African Crowned Eagle, White-fronted Bee-eater, Arrow-Marked Babbler, Little Rock Thrush, Wailing Cisticola, Ruppell's Long-tailed Starling, Lilac-breasted Roller, Cliff Chat and many species of waders.In addition, the park is rich in big games that includes the Giraffe, Buffalo, Waterbuck, Eland, Hippo, both Black and White Rhino, Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyena among many small mammals.Overnight at Lake Nakuru.

Day 5: Lake Baringo

We take a morning game and bird-drive in the park before we leave for the Lake Baringo Conservation Area, another of Kenya's birding hotspots. Afternoon, visit the cliffs not far from the lake, a good site for Hemprich’s & Jackson’s Hornbills, White-faced Scops Owl, Bristle-crowned Starling, Brown-tailed Rock Chat, Green-winged Pytilia, and Red & Yellow Barbet, Bat Hawk, Three Banded Courser, Slender-tailed Nightjar (among many others). Birding along the camp site and the hotel could yield the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, African Pigmy kingfisher, Black-headed Plover.Overnight at Lake Baringo Club.

Day 6: Kitale

Today we take an early morning boat ride before going back to the cliff and the bush around hoping to see the Goliath, Grey Heron, Great White Pelicans among many waterbirds. After lunch we leave for Kitale where we spend the night looking forward for tomorrow birding down the Kongelai Escarpment.Overnight in Kitale.

Day 7: Kongelai Escarpment

We drive down the Kongelai escarpment on the west of Makutano (Kitale - Turkana Road). This is yet another excellent birding area where we expect localized birds such as the Yellow-billed Shrike, Lesser Blue-eared Starling, White Crested Turaco, Chestnut Crowned Sparrow-weaver, Dark Chanting Goshawk among many other interesting species.Late afternoon we leave heading for the Kakamega Forest.Overnight in Kakamega.

Day 8: Kakamega Forest

Day long around the forest trails in the northern circiut. The Kakamega Forest, the only rain forest remaining in Kenya, was once a continuation of the Guinea-Congolian rainforest, rich in species nowhere else to be seen in Kenya. Spending a few days here we hope to see a good number of these forest species that could include the Blue-headed Bee-Eater, Red-headed Malimbe, Green Sunbird, Grey-winged Robin, Yellow Spotted, Yellow-bellied Barbets, African Blue Flycatcher, African Shrike-Flycatcher, Snowy-headed Robin, Common, Jamesson's, Chestnut and with much luck the Yellow-bellied Wattle Eyes and may be the Blue-shouldered Robin Chat among many others.Overnight in Kakamega

Day 9: Kakamega forest

Birding in the forest trail and later in the afternoon leave for Kisumu City just-by the second largest fresh-water lake in the world. Visit Impala Sanctuary and the Sewerage Works that could yield a Southern Black Bishop, Black-billed Barbet.Overnight at Kisumu

Day 10: Kisumu

Today we take an early morning boat ride along the Papyrus vegetation at the Dunga Beach (an old fishing village/jet) with expectation to see some the specialties like the Papyrus Canary, Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Jackson's Yellow-backed Weavers, Greater Swamp Warbler e.t.c.
Return to Nairobi where our tour ends with a dinner before the transfer to the airport.