KENYA BIRD WATCHING SAFARI ITINERARY
14 day Best of Kenya Birding Tour to Rift Valley lakes, Western Kenya and Maasai Mara.
Day 1
Location: Nairobi
Accommodation: Fairview Hotel or equivalent
Day 1 Overview: Arrival and Transfer to Nairobi. Overnight at Fairview Hotel or equivalent
Day 2
Location: Lake Naivasha
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 2 Overview: We begin our safari from Nairobi into the Rift Valley Lakes of Naivasha; there are several bird species around Lake Naivasha. These include; White Pelican, Long-tailed and Great Cormorants, Black Crake, Kingfisher, Green Woodhoopoe, White-headed Barbet, Bearded woodpecker and White-fronted Bee-eater, Winding and Rattling Cisticolas, Grey-headed Bush-shrike and many more. Hirundines can be plentiful, and over half of the species in Kenya can be seen. In the evening, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl hunts along the lakeshore acacias.
Day 3
Location: Lake Naivasha
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 3 Overview: In addition to exploring the surroundings of your cottage, there is also the possibility of visiting Hell’s Gate NP. This is one of the few parks where it is possible to walk, and the cliffs have breeding Nyanza and Mottled Swifts, and a colony of Rueppell’s Vultures. Other species which are regular include Schalow’s Wheatear and Pectoal-patch Cicticolas may be sighted.
Day 4
Location: Lake Nakuru
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 4 Overview: Today, you will head for Lake Nakuru National Park. which is again excellent for waterbirds and acacia species, and has additional specialties including Hildebrandt’s Francolin, Arrow-marked Babbler, Wailing Cisticola, and is one of the best places for Lappet-faced Vulture. It also has both white and Black Rhino, protected here from poachers, and sometimes both Lion and leopard may be seen.
Day 5
Location: Lake Baringo
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 5 Overview:Today, we move further north to another birding hotspot! Lake Baringo. When we arrive at Lake Baringo we should see our first special birds of the area. During the few days, we should encounter Slender-tailed Nightjar, Heuglin’s Courser, Spotted Thick-knee, Northern Masked, little, Jackson’s and vitelline masked weaver, bristle-crowned starling, Hemprich and Jackson’s Hornbills, Mouse- coloured Penduline Tit, Brown-tailed Rock Chat, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, White-faced Scops Owl, Beautiful Sunbird and much more.
Day 6
Location: Lake Baringo
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 6 Overview:All day will be spent around Lake Baringo. You may wish to use a local guide, who will help find the difficult species. A 3 hour boat excursion will provide a perfect encounter with most of the aquatic birds of the wetland.
Day 7
Location: Saiwa Swamp National Park
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 7 Overview: After some morning birding, we head to the western part of Kenya to a market town of Kitale. Nearby are two excellent birding localities, Kongolei and Saiwa Swamp. At Kongolei, there are several dry country birds scare elsewhere, including Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weaver, Lesser Blue-eared Starling, White-crested Turaco and Brown-rumped Bunting. Saiwa is home to the Sitatunga antelope, as well as De Brazza Monkey, and is a good site for Blue-headed Coucal, Double-toothed Barbet, Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird, Black-throated Wattle-eye and Splendid and Purple Glossy starlings.
Day 8
Location: Saiwa Swamp National Park
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 8 Overview: Full day exploring Kongolai escarpment and Saiwa swamp
Day 9
Location: Kakamega Forest
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 9 Overview:Today will then proceed to the only remaining tropical rain forest in Kenya, Kakamega Forest. There are two excellent areas, around Isecheno in the South . Visiting both parts provides the best opportunities, and local guides will help tremendously. The number of birds is incredible, and include Great Blue and Black –billed Turacos, Grey Parrot, Yellow-billed, Grey-throated, yellow-spotted and Hairy-breasted Barbets, several Woodpeckers, Scaly-throated and Thick-billed Honey guides, Turner’s Eremomela, Banded and White-chinned Prinias, Blue and Dusky Crested Flycatcher, Chaplin’s Flycatcher, several Greenbuls and Illadopsises, Yellowbill, Bar-tailed Trogon, Equatorial Akalat, Black-and-White Casqued Hornbill, Snowy-headed and Blue-shouldered Robbin-chats and many more.
Day 10
Location: Kakamega Forest
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 10 Overview: Full day exploring Kakamega forest
Day 11
Location: Maasai Mara
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 11 Overview: After our final birding in the forest we head south of Kakamega forest, Lake Victoria en route to Maasai Mara, where we may see some of western species such as Copper Sunbird, Black-winged Bishops, Woodland Kingfisher, Bar-breasted and Black-bellied Firefinch and Grey Kestrel. If we arrive at Maasa mara early enough we can proceed straight for an evening game drive around musiara swamp.
Day 12
Location: Maasai Mara
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 12 Overview: Maasai provides a good ground for species Desert, Zitting, Rattling, Stout and Winding Cisticolas, Rofous-naped, Somali short-toed, and white-tailed Lark, Various species of raptors, African Wattled Lapwing, Termmnick’s Courser, Hartlaub’s, Black-bellied and white-bellied Bustard and many more.
Maasai Mara provides a wonderful place to view the wildlife and we will see species like Elephants, Lions, Cheetah, Leopard, Buffaloes and many harbivous.
Day 13
Location: Maasai Mara
Accommodation: To be determined with guests
Day 13 Overview: Full day in Maasai Mara game reserve
Day 14
Location: Nairobi
Transfer to the Airport:
Day 14 Overview: After a short morning game drive we return to the camp and have lunch and head straight to Nairobi for a flight back home
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