19 Days Turaco Kenya Birding Safari Package

After breakfast, depart to the exquisite Sweetwaters Tented Camp in the secluded heart of the Ol Pejeta Ranch and Rhino sanctuary. Built within a private ranch, the camp is a “Rhino heaven” which also supports a wide variety of birds such as Augur Buzzard, Stout Cisticola, Cape Robin Chat, Black Kite, African Harrier Hawk among other highland species. The sanctuary also supports large mammals such as elephants, giraffes etc, it is only here that you can have a night game drive at extra cost. Lunch will be served at the Camp. Dinner and overnight tonight will be served at luxurious Sweetwaters Tented Camp (BLD).

After an early morning breakfast, we depart for Samburu National Reserve by driving north through the high wheat fields of Timau, crossing the equator and then down into the thorny landscape of Samburu country. This area boost of unique bird species as such as Buff Crested bustard, Kori bustard, Chestnut weaver, Golden palm weaver, Golden breasted starlings, Water thicknee, among other. Overnight tonight will be served Sarova Shaba Lodge (BLD).

Spend the whole day bird watching trying to come up with a list of 400 different species found in this region. With second to none scenery and African big game and birdlife to match – Samburu National Reserve is truly a hidden birding and wildlife gem of Kenya! A must for any one wanting a birding tour in Kenya. The unique landscape – quite different to Kenya’s other parks – has open savannahs, scrub desert and verdant vegetation which makes it almost guaranteed you’ll have close encounters with regional mammal specialites – Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy’s Zebra, Beisa Oryx and the strange looking but wonderful Gerenuk.

Key Bird Species

Popular Bird Species seen on this Samburu National Reserve Tour: Shining Sunbird, Verreaux’s Eagle, Golden-breasted Starling, Golden-breasted Starling, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Pringle’s Puffback, Northern Puffback, Northern White-crowned Shrike, White-headed Mousebird, Hunter’s Sunbird, Black-bellied Sunbird, Shining Sunbird, Red-billed Hornbill, Eastern Yellow- billed Hornbill, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Fire-fronted Bishop, Somali Bee-eater, Stone Partridge, African Orange-bellied Parrot, Yellow-vented Eremomela, Northern Crombec, Northern Grey Tit, Black-capped Social Weaver, Northern Brownbul, Buff-crested Bustard, African Bare-eyed Thrush, Somali Sparrow, Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar, Dusky Nightjar, Vulturine Guineafowl, Rufous Chatterer, African Mourning Dove, European Turtle Dove, Egyptian Vulture, Bateleur, Martial Eagle and Tawny Eagle. All meals & overnight at Sarova Shaba Lodge (BLD).

After an early breakfast bid farewell to Shaba as we drive south through Isiolo to Lake Nakuru National Park. Located in the Great Rift Valley 1750m above sea level, Lake Nakuru is known as an ornithological paradise by birdwatchers because the lake is world famous as the location of the greatest ornithological spectacle on earth, which boasts anywhere between one and two million lesser and greater pink flamingoes that feed on the abundant algae thriving in the lakes warm waters. Lunch will be served at Lake Nakuru Lodge, which, is situated in the south ecological niche of the park. An afternoon game drive around the lakeshore will be the main feature for the afternoon, dinner & overnight tonight will be served at Lake Nakuru Woodlands Lodge (BLD).

Birdwatching Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National Park (Ramsar Site) boost up to 450 species bird checklist, a record of 1,496,000 waterbirds record. Five globally threatened species have been recorded here, namely Madagascar Pond-Heron, Lesser Flamingo, Pallid Harrier, Greater Spotted Eagle, Grey-crested Helmet-shrike along with large congregations of Greater Flamingo, Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Great White Pelican, Yellow-billed Stork, African Spoonbill, Black-winged Stilt, Grey-headed Gull and Gull-billed Tern.

The lake is internationally famous for its healthy populations of the globally threatened Lesser Flamingo, numbers can reach 1.5 million at times, though drastic and unpredictable fluctuations occur. Undoubtedly Nakuru is a very important feeding site for this species; attempts by flamingos to breed here have not been successful. Other waterfowl have increased considerably in numbers and diversity since the introduction of fish in 1961. At times Nakuru is a major feeding ground for the Great White Pelican, which nests on rocky islets in nearby Lake Elmenteita and moves to Nakuru daily to feed. Large numbers of Palearctic waders winter at Nakuru or use the site on passage, and Nakuru has been a key site in the eastern Rift Valley flyway. Dinner & overnight tonight will be at Lake Nakuru Lodge (BLD).

After breakfast, we proceed to the jewel of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Bogoria. Described as the “Most beautiful view in Africa” by Bishop Hannington, the lake is well known for its Hot springs and geysers, which are spread out along its southern shores. The hot sulfur water gushing out of the ground is known to have therapeutic values. These natural spas and their steam are Mother Nature’s version of a bath & sauna. After a relaxing bird walk around the lake, your lunch will be served at Lake Bogoria Hotel. Later in the after you will enjoy an extensive bird walk around the lake and the lodge environs, here we expect to find a variety of species as such as Woodland kingfisher, Northern puff back, White headed buffalo weaver, Rufous crowned roller, African golden oriole, African hoope e.t.c. Our dinner and overnight will be served at Lake Bogoria Hotel (bld).

After breakfast we drive further north to Lake Baringo one of the leading ornithology lakes in East Africa, more than 470 bird species call this area home. We check-in at Lake Baringo Country Club a superb and compact hotel set at the shores of Lake Baringo. Our bird walk today will feature the following rare species e.g. White faced scopes owl, Bristol crowned starling, Goliath heron, Fan tailed raven etc. A relaxing boat ride on the lake will be the feature of the afternoon. Dinner and overnight tonight will be served at Lake Baringo Country Club (BLD).

Today our birding safari will depart Lake Baringo and drive towards Saiwa Swamp National Park in Kitale, the only exceptional Park in Kenya enjoyed exclusively on foot and birding landmark. Lunch to be served in Hotel at Kitale Town before afternoon bird walk. The birding menu for today will be Great blue turaco, Ross turaco, Ludher’s bush shrike, White capped robin chat, Grey crown crane etc. Dinner and overnight stay at a Hotel at Kitale Town (BLD).

Depart to Kakamega Forest, covers an area of 240sq.km is a living remnant of the original equatorial rainforest, which once extended from Guinea in the west, to East and Central Africa for a fulfilling and eventful day of birdwatching in this only & unique remaining rain forest with some of very rare and spectacular bird species in the world e g Grey Parrot, Great blue and Black billed turacos, blue headed bee eaters, Turner’s eremomela, Little grey greenbul etc. if one of your ambitions is to experience the enchanting mystery of the jungle,….the melody of singing birds, the breeze whispering trees, the croaking frogs, the rasp of butterflies as they fly on by, the cheeky monkeys as they swing from branch to branch… Dinner and overnight tonight will be served at Rondo Retreat Lodge (BLD).

A morning lecture on the birds of this small forest which harbour’s over 380 different plant species, 50 of which have traditional medicinal value, some endemic animal species, 400 butterly species and 330 bird species at an altitude of between 1500-1700m followed by a walk to try and identify the available rare species of this equatorial forest. Lunch at Kakamega Golf Hotel followed by a short drive to Lake Victoria where we will do a late afternoon birding around the lake for fresh water birds species e.g. African open bill stork, Swamp flycatcher, Red chested sunbird, Hammerkop, Eastern grey plantain-eater etc. Dinner and overnight tonight will be served at Siala Resort Hotel.

Today after an early breakfast, our safari will be destined for Lake Naivasha, the only freshwater lake in the Rift Valley. From the top of the Rift Valley escarpment, you can see the lake sparkling under the sun thousands of feet below you. The lake is home to a large colony of hippos and it’s also a Mecca for bird watchers and researchers since over 400 different species of birds have been recorded here e.g. Long toed plover, Great white egret, Grey headed gull, Southern pochard, Red billed teal and not mention the Lilly trotter; African jacana.

The lake location and wildlife makes it an ideal place for an afternoon boat ride. A visit to the liberating Crescent Island, which is completely undeveloped, wild and free, is one of the few places on earth where you can wander/walk on foot among herds of zebra, wildebeest, gazelle, giraffe and dik diks. Dinner and overnight tonight will be served at Lake Naivasha Kongoni Lodge (BLD).

After breakfast, a morning bird walk with the aim of viewing birds on the shores of the Lake with a few hours of relaxation before lunch. Afternoon visit to Hell’s Gate National Park, which is breeding ground for vultures in Kenya e.g. Lammergeyer vultures. Dinner & overnight tonight will be served at Lake Naivasha Kongoni Lodge (BLD).

Today our safari expedition will take us to the jewel of Kenya’s parks, the world famous Masai Mara Game (Wildlife) Reserve. This is Kenya’s number one park and is always on every bird watcher’s and wildlife tourists “Must see list”. Full of life with various types of animals and birds, Masai Mara crown’s the climax of every safari in Kenya. It’s rolling grasslands and acacia savannah have time and again been captured on film with the movie “Out of Africa” being the most famous. Masai Mara is home to the “Big Five” (Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard and Rhino) and over 450 bird species as such as Bare faced go away bird, Hooded vulture, Egyptian vulture, Flappet lark, Red necked fowl, White necked raven etc.

Apart from the big five, the Masai Mara is most famous for the spectacular annual migration of over a million wildebeest, zebra, gazelle etc from the Serengeti in northern Tanzania crossing the Mara River into Kenya in search of fresh feeding grounds, which takes place in late July or August. During this crossing, hundreds of animals are swept away by the first moving Mara River and other are killed by the ferocious African Crocodiles. This crossing gives true meaning to the phrase “Survival of the fittest”. Lunch will be served at the excellent Mara Sopa Lodge your new home for the next two nights. Dinner & overnight tonight will be served at, Mara base Camp Lodge (BLD).

An early morning birding cum game drive after breakfast will be our perfect start of another unforgettable and memorable birding day in Africa. With picnic lunch en-route you spend your day in Mara Plains trying to identify and record the over 450 species record in this reserve. All meals and overnight tonight will be served at, Mara base Camp Lodge (BLD).

After an early morning breakfast, we proceed to Amboseli National Park via Nairobi for an early lunch at Toona Tree Restaurant, before proceeding to Amboseli beautifully situated beneath the foot of Africa’s highest mountain Mt. Kilimanjaro (5895m), the park is well renowned for its huge herds of elephants and various types of other Savannah wildlife such as Giraffes, Bushbuck’s, Kudu, Warthog’s, Zebra’s and over 425 species of birds recorded here such as White faced whilsting duck, Brown snake eagle, Yellow billed stork, Woolly necked stork, Shikra, Helmented guinea fowl, African cuckoo e.t.c.

The snowcapped peak of Kilimanjaro rising above white clouds dominates every aspect of Amboseli and forms a backdrop to an impressive display of wildlife attracted to this location by swamps and springs fed by underground rivers from Kilimanjaro’s melting snow. With an airstrip at Empusel Gate, the park is also home to the Masai people, those tall, brave, and proud nomads who live in close harmony with the environment and the wildlife that surrounds them. Amboseli was the location around which such famous writers like Sir Ernest Hemingway and Robert Ruark tailored their stories of big game hunting in the wilds of Africa.

After breakfast it will be the perfect time for photographing the humbling and magnificent Mt. Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa. With picnic lunch you depart your lodge for a full day birding section with our eagle eyed birding guide. Please take this opportunity to add a new specie in your birding list. Dinner and overnight tonight will be served at Amboseli Serena Lodge (BLD).

After breakfast, we drive back to Nairobi arriving in time for lunch at Pamp Grill Restaurant where you can enjoy some good Italian food. Later early in the evening, a complimentary dinner will be hosted by our company at the world famous Carnivore Restaurant considered “Africa’s greatest eating experience” (if you love barbecue it doesn’t get better than this), and home to the “Simba Saloon” one of the cities most popular night clubs. Thereafter you will be transferred to the airport in time for your International departure flight.