14 Days Birdwatching Safari in Kenya

Today we head southwest using the Mau-Narok Road to the famous Maasai Mara, Kenya’s richest wildlife reserve which at any time of year offers a wonderful wildlife spectacle. Maasai Mara is a vast scenic expanse of gently rolling African savannah plains measuring 1510 km2 in area and borders the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the south. Masaai Mara comprises a number of conservancies and group ranches bordering the main reserve and is home to some of the most diverse species of African wildlife and is also the site of the annual wildebeest migration, simply called the Great Migration. Large numbers of Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinos, Giraffes, Zebras, Wildbeests and many more animals are found in this reserve in their natural habitat, unconfined and free to roam the vast wilderness stretching for miles on end. Some special birds we hope to see include the majestic Maasai Ostrich, Marabou Stork, Saddle-billed Stork, Southern Ground Hornbill, Secretary Bird, Grey Kestrel, Martial Eagle, Lappet-faced Vulture, White-headed Vulture, Red-necked Spurfowl, Hammerkop, Hildebrandt’s Starling, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Stout Cisticola, Yellow-crowned Bishop, Woodland Kingfisher, Brown Parrot, Spot-flanked Barbet, Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike, White-browed Robin-chat, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Harlequin Quail and Magpie Shrike.

Today we drive down to the floor of the Rift Valley heading eastwards to Lake Naivasha. It is a beautiful fresh-water lake fringed by thick papyrus, situated at an elevation of 1884m ASL. The lake is home to a variety of types of wildlife including over 400 different species of bird and a sizeable population of hippos. This is an ideal place for watching birds and wildlife both on foot and from the comfort of your boat. Some birds we expect to see include the African Fish Eagle swooping down for fish, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Great White Pelicans, Pink-banked Pelicans, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Diederik Cuckoo, African Jacana, Hybrid Lovebird, African Snipe, Purple Gallinule, Abyssinian and Common Scimitarbill, Giant Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher and White-fronted Bee-eater.

Today we drive down to the southern part of Kenya, the land of giants – the famous Amboseli National Park. Amboseli national park is a home to a large concentration of wildlife estimated to be 80 different species including African Elephant, African Buffalo, Impalas, Lion, Zebra, and Wildebeest among other African animals, among the animals the park is more famous for habiting a large population of elephants. Amboseli park is also a home to a number of birds estimated to be 400 species which include Steel-blue Whydah, Taveta Golden Weaver, Rufous Chatterer, Rufous-crowned Roller, Red-rumped Swallow, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Little Bee-eater, Lesser Swamp Warbler, White-browed Coucal, Gabon Nightjar, Pratincole, Heuglin’s Courser and Spotted Thick-knee.

Tsavo West National Park is located in southeastern Kenya and a little southeast of the sister Tsavo East National Park. The national park encompasses an area of 9,065 km2 making it smaller than its sister park. covering a huge variety of landscapes from swamps, natural springs and rocky peaks to extinct volcanic cones, rolling plains and sharp outcrops dusted with greenery. Tsavo West offers some of the most magnificent game viewing in the world and attractions include Elephant, Rhino, Hippos, Lions, Cheetah, Leopards, Buffalos, diverse plant and bird species include Long-crested Eagle, African Hawk Eagle, Pearl-spotted Owlet, White-necked Raven, Button Quail, African Golden Oriole, White-throated Robin, Tree Pipit, Thrush Nightingale, Red-backed and Red-tailed Shrike, Plain Nightjar, Yellow-bellied Eremomela, White-headed Buffalo-weaver, Red-billed Hornbill, Broad-billed Roller and Purple-banded Sunbird.

Tsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya at 13,747 km2. Situated in a semi-arid area previously known as the Taru Desert it opened in April 1948, and is located near the town of Voi in the Taita-Taveta County of the former Coast Province. Inside Tsavo East National Park, the Athi and Tsavo rivers converge to form the Galana River. Most of the park consists of semi-arid grasslands and savanna. It is considered one of the world’s biodiversity strongholds, and its popularity is mostly due to the vast amounts of diverse wildlife that can be seen, including the famous ’big five’ consisting of lion, black rhino, cape buffalo, elephant and leopard. The park is also home to a great variety of bird life such as the the Somali Ostrich, Orange-bellied Parrot, Hunter’s, Amethyst and Eastern Violet-backed Sunbirds, Golden-breasted Bunting, Somali Bee-eater, Golden Pipit, Paradise Whydah, Cut-throat Finch, Fawn-colored Lark, Northern White-crowned Shrike and Golden-breasted Starling.

After enjoying our breakfast in the morning, we pick up from where we had left, birding on our way to Watamu, Malindi. Watamu is a beautiful and peaceful village on the Kenya Coast, nestled between pristine beaches and lush tropical forest. Since it was first settled as a remote Swahili outpost at Gedi, this area has remained a haven of peace and tranquility and is still one of the coast’s most undeveloped and natural areas. We can decide to take a break in the afternoon and enjoy the coastal beaches or make a visit to Mida Creek and look for some cool shorebirds. At the creek we hope to see Mangrove Kingfisher, Crab Plover, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Curlew Sandpiper, Common, Spotted Redshanks, Bar-tailed Godwit, and Grey Plover among others.

Today we will have a chance to explore the Arabuko Sokoke Forest, which is the last large, protected fragment of East African Coastal Forest, and home to four endangered mammals and six threatened birds. The forest also provides sources of livelihood for neighboring communities and ecological services for the country. It contains three forest types, mixed forest, Brachystegia and Cynometra, each of which protects different communities of plants and animals. Some of the special birds we hope to see here include the endemic Clarke’s Weaver, near endemic Sokoke Scops-Owl, Sokoke Pipit, Amani Sunbird, Mombasa Woodpecker, Spotted Ground Thrush and the Fischer’s Greenbul among others.

As one of the largest coastal forests in East Africa after Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, this reserve is rich in flora and fauna and hosts the highest density of African elephant in Kenya. Other animal species found in the area are Sable antelope, Elephant Shrew, Bushy tailed Mongoose and other small mammals like Fruit Bats. The forest is an important bird area and is endowed with forest birdlife and grasslands birds as well. These includes Zanzibar Red bishop, Red-necked Spur fowl, Croaking Cisticola and the Brown-breasted Barbet among others.

Today we will pick up from where we left yesterday and enjoy some game drive before going back to the lodge for a sumptuous lunch. Later we will drive to Mombasa Airport for your local flight to Nairobi City then take your international flight back home.