17 Days Kenya Birdwatching Safari Tour Package

We visit Nairobi NP before beginning our exploration of the Great Rift Valley lakes. Highlights may include Von der Decken’s Hornbill and the multicolored Red-and-yellow Barbet, or our first flamingos among many wintering Palearctic shorebirds on Lake Magadi.

With over 500 bird species recorded, Nairobi NP probably gives Kenya’s capital the longest bird list of all cities in the world. The park’s substantial area of undisturbed grassland is of great importance for species such as the restricted-range Jackson’s widowbird, which breeds here regularly after good rains.

Nairobi National Park birdwatching tour is one of those safaris that have something for everyone, it is certainly a birder’s paradise. The birding tour can get you close-up and personal with the breath-taking African Crowned Eagle and Kori Bustard, Secretary Bird, Martial Eagle, Siffling Cisticola, African Fish Eagle, Black Rhinos, Lions, Leopards, and Cheetahs among many (many) others. Ornithologists, birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts, bird photographers, or nature lovers with a few hours to spare. Nairobi National Park has more than 520 bird species recorded, making it an astounding destination for day birding tours in Kenya.

Dinner and overnight at Sarova Panafric Hotel booked on bed and breakfast.

Heading for the country’s highest summit, our journey to Mt. Kenya could yield Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Rueppell’s Robin-Chat, Mountain Yellow Warbler, and Yellow-crowned Canary. The lodge’s waterhole attracts many mammals including African Buffalo. We’ll spend the early mornings searching for White-starred Robin, Abyssinian Crimson-wing, African Crowned Eagle, African Emerald Cuckoo, and Moustached Green Tinkerbird. A shaded riverside trail may reveal Crowned Hornbill, Mountain Wagtail, and up to eight species of sunbirds, including the stunning Tacazze Sunbird. Two nights will be spent just outside the park. Dinner and overnight at Bantu Lodge boon full board.

In the morning, we bird the Solio Plains, where we hope to find Temminck’s Courser, Jackson’s Widowbird, Black-bellied Bustard, and various other grassland species. In the afternoon, we head for the Aberdares Mountains lodge for our overnight stay. Booked on full board.

Birding in Aberdare National Park – Kenya

Birding in Aberdare national park is one of the major tourist attraction done with in the park and best encountered in bamboo forests and moorlands home that attracts various beautiful bird species. The most spotted and attractive bird here is the hartlaub’s turaco which can be seen at the feeding platform at the tree hotels as well as Aberdare cist cola an endemic which can be viewed at the higher altitudes.

Other notable sun birds to encounter in the park include the rare scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird which can easily be spotted on the mountain peaks of Ol Donyo Lesatima that raises 3,999 meter to the North and Kinangop raises 3,906 meters to the south divided by a long saddle of the land raising over 3,000 meter. More so,  the park is also comprised of small peak of Kipipiri at 3,349 meter flanks with is the main range to the west connecting to the formerly forested valley rising up to 2,700 meter above the sea level .Although the forested eastern and western flanks gives clear streams and waterfalls  where various bird species can be sighted .

Dinner and overnight at Aberdares Mountains lodge

Today we explore the alpine moorland above the treeline, perhaps encountering Jackson’s Francolins as we climb up into the highest accessible Lobelia-covered plains in Kenya. Our targets here include Alpine Chat and, with luck, we’ll find the specialized and beautiful Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird. In the afternoon we drop down into the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park arriving in the evening at Lake Nakuru Woodlands Lodge. Meal plan full board.

Lake Nakuru is a great birding destination with more than 500 species recorded. The soda lake is a birding hotspot and supports a lot of birdlife, including large flocks of pelicans. Unfortunately, flamingos are no longer the drawcard here as unfavorable conditions have driven many of them to other Rift Valley lakes. Nakuru is also one of the best places in Kenya to see the striking, long-tailed widowbird. There is a good variety of raptors including Verreaux’s and long-crested eagle.

Lake Nakuru national park hosts various kinds of birds such as endemic, near endemic species, critically endangered, endangered species and globally threatened species. Endangered species include Gray Crowned-Crane, White-backed Vulture and Rueppell’s Griffon. Vulnerable species include Abyssinian Thrush, White-headed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture, Greater Spotted Eagle and Imperial Eagle. Near threatened species include Maccoa Duck, Lesser Flamingo, Black-tailed Godwit, Great Snipe, Bateleur, Crowned Eagle, Pallid Harrier, European Roller, Sooty Falcon and Gray-crested Helmetshrike.

Dinner and overnight at Lake Nakuru Woodlands Lodge

We will awaken to vast flocks of flamingos, pelicans, and other waterbirds. The surrounding woodland holds Narina Trogon, Red-throated Wryneck, Arrow-marked Babbler, and African Firefinch. After lunch we venture to Naivasha, another of the Rift Valley gems.

Birds in Lake Naivasha National Park

Birds in Lake Naivasha National Park : Lake Naivasha national park is a great scenic national park situated in the Great Rift Valley in a distance of 90 kilometers northwest of Nairobi, Lake Naivasha is a great birding situated in Kenya with over 400 bird species which habit in the park most especially on the shores of the beautiful lake Naivasha. Recorded bird species in Lake Naivasha national park include globally threatened species, rare species, endangered species, migratory species, near threatened, endangered and critically endangered which are listed as below. Ducks, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, White-backed Duck, Egyptian Goose, Garganey, Hottentot Teal, Northern Shoveler, Yellow-billed Duck, Red-billed Duck, Northern Pintail, Southern Pochard, Tufted Duck, Maccoa Duck

We will spend the early morning at Lake Naivasha, sifting through vast flocks of waterbirds, and birding productive lakeside woodland. Later we drive to Lake Baringo, rich in arid-zone birds, where we search for Hunter’s Sunbird, Heuglin’s Courser, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, and Northern White-faced Scops-Owl. At dusk, we should see Slender-tailed Nightjars gliding along the hippo-covered shore. We overnight at Lake Baringo soy lodge.

Lake Baringo is a real birding heaven that never fails to impress birders for its easily seen birds. Around the compounds of the Lake Baringo Club and Robert’s Camp one can easily pocket around 120 species within a period 12 hours. Lake Baringo has approximately 480 species on its list and it was once home to the renown Field Guide Lead ornithologist and author of BIRDS OF EAST AFRICA guide book Terry Stevenson.

Lake Baringo is a real birding heaven that never fails to impress birders for its easily seen birds. Around the compounds of the Lake Baringo Club and Robert’s Camp one can easily pocket around 120 species within a period 12 hours. Lake Baringo has approximately 480 species on its list and it was once home to the renown Field Guide Lead ornithologist and author of BIRDS OF EAST AFRICA guide book Terry Stevenson. We overnight at Lake Baringo soy lodge.

Today exemplifies birding in Kenya. We begin in the sub-desert and end up in the most eastern tract of lowland equatorial rainforest in Africa. First we visit the cliffs near Baringo, scanning for Fan-tailed Raven, Hemprich’s Hornbill, Mocking Cliff-Chat, and Bristle-crowned Starling. Later we explore the Kerio Valley, where we search rocky, scrubby hillsides for Green-backed Eremomela, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver, Brown Parrot, White-crested Turaco, Pearl-spotted Owlet, and Black-headed Gonolek. Late in the day we arrive at Kakamega for a three-night stay.

Great Blue Turaco is wonderfully common in Kakamega Forest. Its loud hoots set the tone when walking in the forest. Great Blue Turaco is wonderfully common in Kakamega Forest. Its loud hoots set the tone when walking in the forest (Ken Behrens). Dinner and overnight at Rondo Retreat Lodge booked on full board.

Kakamega is full of birds and is justly famous as one of Kenya’s birding meccas. Many of Kenya’s fantastic forest birds are available only here. These include dapper Equatorial Akalats, comical Great Blue Turacos, and sensational Blue-headed Bee-eaters among other beauties like White-chinned and Banded Prinias, Jameson’s and Yellow-bellied Wattle-eyes, Bocage’s and Luehder’s Bushshrikes, Black-billed and Vieillot’s Weavers, Gray-headed Negrofinch, Red-headed Malimbe, and Red-headed Bluebill.

Today we head to Lake Victoria, searching for swamp specialties such as Blue-headed Coucal, Swamp Flycatcher, and the striking Papyrus Gonolek. Rice paddies may produce African Openbill, Southern Red Bishop, and Zebra Waxbill. In the afternoon, we head south to the Masai Mara National Reserve for a three-night stay. Dinner and overnight at Mara Base Camp Lodge. Meal plan full board.

The Mara, the northern portion of the magnificent Serengeti system, offers spectacular vistas over flat-topped acacia and grassy plains riddled with ungulates and other animals. We’ll spend the days in the western part of the reserve looking for East Africa’s famous Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, African Elephants, gazelles, and other wildlife. However, birding does not take a back seat, and we should be rewarded with views of many large raptors and vultures that gather at the kills, as well as storks, Kori Bustard, Southern Ground-Hornbill, and other species that suffer from disturbance outside these large protected areas. Other highlights may include Rufous-bellied Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Temminck’s Courser, Sooty Chat, and Schalow’s Turaco.

Today we return to Nairobi for a final night, searching for the endangered Sharpe’s Longclaw and other grassland specialties en route.

Today we fly out on our international departures.