17
Days Detailed Birding Safari
Day 1: Nairobi
(arrival)
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’s 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 or elsewhere depending
on the time.
Overnight
in Nairobi
Day
2: Samburu Game Reserve
After
breakfast drive to Samburu Game Reserve stopping at Thika for a short bird-search
that "could" yield the Green-capped Eremomela or a Purple-crested Turaco, Green-headed
Sunbird. Drive further through the pineapple plantation and make some few more
stops. On the way we'll try out the Hinde's Babbler, another kenyan endemic among
many other localized species.
Overnight
at Samburu.
Day
3: Samburu Game Reserve
Samburu
National Reserve in the northern Kenya, an arid bush country with beautiful riverine
forest along the Easo Nyiro River that harbors over 400 species of indigenous
and migratory birds. We can hardly miss the Somali race of the Ostrich with bluish
legs and neck here. Birds of prey are also at our disposal, including the Martial
and Bateleur Eagles, Pygmy Falcon, and Secretary Bird. Here and there calls can
be heard to remind you that the Yellow billed, Von Der Decken’s, and Red Billed
Hornbills are around.
Among
other birds could be Coursers, Sandgrouses, the dry country Larks, and the Northern
race of the Zebra – Gravy, Gerenuk, Recticulated Giraffe, large herds of Elephants,
Beisa Oryx, among other big games are common.
Overnight
at Samburu.
Day
4: Mt. Kenya National Park
After
a morning game/birddrive we'll head for Mt. Kenya, a highland/montane forest with
species including the Narina Trogon, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Alpine Chat, Tacazze,
Variable, Bronze, Malachite, Eastern and Northern Double-collared Sunbirds, Montane,
Yellow-whiskered Greenbuls, African Hill Barbbler, and Chestnut-throated Apalis
among many forest species.
Overnight
at the slopes of Mt. Kenya.
Day
5: Lake Nakuru National park
After
breakfast we'll have a morning birdwalk before leaving for Lake Nakuru National
Park. We'll have a number of stops on the way to collect a few more lifers. With
good views of the Aberdare Ranges and several stops that includes Thomson’s Fall
for a picnic lunch, where we hope to get a few rewards like the Stone Chat. We'll
descend down to the Great Rift Valley through the Subukia Escarpments and witness
the marvels of the conventional currents working on the earth’s crust and try
to find the Lynes’ Cisticola at the rim of Menengai Crater (if time allows) before
heading to Lake Nakuru National Park.
Overnight
at Lake Nakuru.
Day
6: Lake Nakuru National Park
Whole
day birding and game viewing in Lake Nakuru National Park, which has been referred
to as the "the greatest ornithological spectacle in the world" with the Flamingoes
sometimes exceeding 1.5 million individuals. The alkaline habitat supports thousands
of resident and migratory birds, over 450 species. Some of the common birds includes
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
7: Lake Baringo
In
the morning do bird/game drive in the park and later leave for Lake Baringo Conservation
Area, another one of Kenya's birding hotspots. Lunch at Lake Baringo club. After
lunch, visit the cliffs not far from the lake, good 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, (among many others). Birding along the camp site and the hotel could
yield the Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, African Pigmy kingfisher, Black-headed Plover
including many species of waterbirds.
Overnight
at Lake Baringo Club.
Day
8: Kapedo
We
drive north of Lake Baringo about 75km to Kapedo lying on a semi-desert and the
specialties around this area could include the Magpie Starling, Chestnut-headed
Sparrow-Lark, Pigmy Batis, Somali Sparrow, Somali Fiscal, Pale Prinia, Mouse-Coloured
Penduline-Tit, among others.
Overnight
at Lake Baringo Club.
Day
9: Kitale
Take
a boat ride and explore the lake for water birds like the Goliath, Grey Heron
and later after the breakfast go birdwatching along the cliffs for more species.
Before lunch we leave for Kitale where we spend the night looking forward for
tomorrow birding down the Kongelai Escarpment.
Overnight
Kitale.
Day
10: 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 local specialties 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 for the Kakamega Forest.
Overnight
in Kakamega.
Day
11 & 12: Kakamega Forest
Kakamega Forest, the only rain forest remaining in Kenya, which 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, Shelley's, Joyful Greenbul, among
many others.
Overnight
at Rondo Retreat Centre.
Day
13: Kisumu (Lake Victoria)
Birding
before breakfast and after, later drive to 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 Red Bishop, Black-billed Barbet.
Overnight
at Kisumu
Day
14: Masai Mara Game Reserve
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 of the specialties like
the Papyrus Canary, Papyrus Gonolek, Swamp Flycatcher, Slender-billed, Northern
Brown-throated, Jackson's Golden-backed, Yellow-backed Weavers, Greater Swamp
Warbler e.t.c.
After
this we leave for the world famous Masai Mara Game Reserve.
Overnight
in Mara.
Day
15: Masai Mara Game Reserve
Masai
Mara Game Geserve is a plain of rolling grassland dotted with a mixture of acacia
trees and the plain game which includes large herds of Elephants, Zebras, Topis,
Hartebeests, gazelles, Impala’s not forgetting the well known Mara/ Serengeti
Wildebeest’s migration, Lions, Cheetah among other cats. We'll stay on the western
part of the reserve along the Olololo Escarpments blended by river, swampy, grassy
and forested habitats. Specialties could include the Tabora, Rock Loving Cisticola,
Wattled Plover, Rufous-bellied Heron, Penduline Tit, and Pale Wren Warbler, among
others. Those interested with Balloon Safari- this is the place to view Mara and
her wildlife by air. we'll spend sometime in the afternoon to visit the Masai
Village for a cultural dance.
Overnight
in Mara
Day 16:
Nairobi
En route
game drive on our way to Nairobi while searching for more bird species especially
the Magpie Shrike and others on the eastern part of the reserve. While on the
way to Nairobi (if time allows) we'll drive to kinangop plateau in search of yet
another Kenyan endemic Sharpe's Longclaw, later heading back to Nairobi.
Overnight
in Nairobi
Day 17: Olorgesaille
Leave early in the
morning for Olorgesaille (towards Lake Magadi) stopping en route for
these semi arid dry country birds such as the Cut Throat, Blue-capped
Cordon bleu, Northen Crombec, Banded Parisoma, White-bellied Canary,
Crimson-rumped Waxbill among many others.
Return
to Nairobi where our tour ends with a dinner before the transfer to the airport.
